Geography of Bolivia

The geography of Bolivia includes the Eastern Andes Mountain Range (also called the Cordillera Oriental) which bisects Bolivia roughly from north to south. To the east of that mountain chain are lowland plains of the Amazon and Paraná basins, and to the west is the Altiplano which is a highland plateau where Lake Titicaca –the highest navigable lake on Earth– and a series of salt flats are located.

Politically, is one of the two landlocked countries in South America, the other being Paraguay, which is located along Bolivia's southeast border. To the north and west Bolivia shares the longest border in South America with Brazil. To the west Bolivia's border with Peru runs from the Amazon lowlands to the Altiplano and across Lake Titicaca. To the southwest the border with Chile roughly follows the Western Cordillera on the fringes of the Atacama Desert which hosts numerous volcanoes. The southern border with Argentina follows a mix of natural features and latitudinal parallels. The border to Paraguay runs across the Gran Chaco and is made of a series of lines in a flat terrain.

Most population and economic activity in Bolivia is concentrated along an east-west axis running from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, through Cochabamba to La Paz. From colonial times up to at least the mid 20th century a north-south axis from La Paz through Oruro to Potosí was economically more important as these southern regions provided much of the world's tin and silver output. The region around Tarija in the far south stands out for its large gas reserves. The largest city in Bolivia is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, an agricultural powerhouse.

Culturally the country is often divided into highlands and lowlands as understood by the demonyms of Camba and Colla, with the of Tarija being a smaller third group.