What is the name of Bolivia’s vast high-altitude salt flat, the world’s largest?

Bolivia’s vast high-altitude salt flat, the world’s largest, is Salar de Uyuni.

Salar de Uyuni covers roughly 10,000 square kilometres on the Altiplano at about 3,650 metres above sea level. It formed when prehistoric lakes dried, leaving a broad crust of salt and minerals. During the rainy season, a thin layer of water can turn the flat into a huge natural mirror.

The site contains an estimated large share of the world’s known lithium resources, although extraction involves environmental and economic challenges. Visitors also see Isla Incahuasi, an island covered with ancient giant cacti rising from the salt plain.

Salar de Uyuni is not the same as Chile’s Salar de Atacama, another major salt flat. Uyuni is larger and lies entirely in Bolivia, near the town of Uyuni in the department of Potosí.