Bolivia's New Order—Photography Map—National Geographic Magazine

Current Issue October 2008
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Photography Map: Altiplano

View photographer George Steinmetz's stunning photography in this interactive map.

/2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/photo-map-bolivia.jpg The Altiplano, or high plain, of South America is a place of superlatives: It holds the world's highest navigable lake, Titicaca, and the largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni. It is the second largest mountain plateau in the world, after that of Tibet—a landscape of ice and fire, wind and salt that stretches from northern Argentina to the harsh flatlands of Peru. Higher than many peaks in the Rockies, the Altiplano formed when an earthshaking collision between the Pacific Ocean floor and the South American mainland heaved up two Andean ridges flanking a mostly flat, high basin. Toward the southern rim of the Altiplano, where Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina meet, lava burbles in tall, jagged volcanoes; at their feet, on the shores of what was once a vast lake filling the basin, baby mud volcanoes erupt and hiss through the frozen soil. Perhaps nowhere on Earth does a landscape remind us so vividly that there was a time before human time.

View many of photographer George Steinmentz's stunning photographs of Bolivia's indigenous people along with his sky high view of the Altiplano in this interactive map.

Photograph by George Steinmetz ]]> View <![CDATA[CREDITS]]> Art Director: Shawn Greene
Senior Producer: Melissa Wiley
Multimedia Production: Sabi Chawla
Flash Developer: Stefan Estrada
Map Text: Ann Williams]]> Ayparavi /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/13-man-door-645.jpg <![CDATA[Ayparavi]]> Salar de Uyuni /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/6-salt-pile-645.jpg <![CDATA[Salar de Uyuni ]]> Laguna Colorada /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/7-flamingo-eating-645.jpg <![CDATA[Laguna Colorada]]> Oruro /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/19-carnival-girls-645.jpg <![CDATA[Oruro]]> Huanuni /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/21-mine-cavern-645.jpg <![CDATA[Huanuni tin mine]]> Cochabamba /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/22-leftist-grafitti-645.jpg <![CDATA[Cochabamba]]> Chapare /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/15-president-parade-645.jpg <![CDATA[Chapare]]> La Paz /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/17-laundry-valley-645.jpg <![CDATA[La Paz]]> Chimore /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/16-police-line-645.jpg <![CDATA[Chimore]]> Pomerape Volcano /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/5-snow-volcano-645.jpg <![CDATA[Pomerape Volcano]]> Sol de Manana /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/10-mud-landscape-645.jpg <![CDATA[Sol de Manana]]> Sajama /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/9-mountain-peak-645.jpg <![CDATA[Sajama]]> /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/11-grass-pattern-645.jpg <![CDATA[Altiplano]]> Incahuasi Island /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/2-cactus-island-645.jpg <![CDATA[Incahuasi Island]]> /2008/07/bolivias-new-order/img/1-flamingos-lagoon-645.jpg <![CDATA[Andes]]>