Adrian Metzelaar Photography

The Altiplano (Spanish for high plain), in central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on earth outside of Tibet. Lake Titicaca is its most known geographical feature.

The Altiplano is an area of inland drainage (endorheism) lying in the central Andes, occupying parts of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Its height averages about 3,300 meters (11,000 feet), somewhat less than that of Tibet. Unlike the Tibetan Plateau, however, the Altiplano is dominated by massive active volcanoes of the Central Volcanic Zone to the west. The Atacama Desert, the driest area on the whole planet, lies to the southwest of the Altiplano. In contrast, to the east lies the humid Amazon Rainforest.

In extentum, the climate is cool and semi-arid to arid, with mean annual temperatures that vary from 3°C near the western mountain range to 12°C near Lake Titicaca, and total annual rainfalls that range between less than 200 mm to the south west to more than 800 mm near and over Lake Titicaca as well. The diurnal cycle of temperature, however, is very wide with maximum temperatures in the order of 12 to 24°C and minimum in the order of -20 to 10°C. The coldest temperatures occur in the southwestern portion of the Altiplano during the months of June and July, which correspond to the Austral winter. The seasonal cycle of rainfall is marked with the rainy season concentrating between December and March. The rest of the year tends to be very dry, cool, windy and sunny. Snowfall events may happen between April and September, especially to the north, but they are not very common (one to five events per year).

More Information

Ref: BOL0017