Salar de Uyuni

Introduction:

People come from all over the world to travel around the Uyuni salt flats. The community has adapted to prosper from the tourists and what the salt flats can offer.

What makes this environment special or different?:

The salt flat of Uyuni is the largest in the world. It is surrounded by volcanoes, and the salt goes far down into the land. There is one "island" of land on the salt flats where some cacti grow, but it's mostly just salt and more salt as far as the eye can see.

What parts of this environment help people to live here?:

People cannot actually live on the salt flats themselves, but they live and farm around the salt flats. It's very cold and high up, so many people have llamas and alpacas in addition to farming mostly potatoes. The salt is mined, and there is also lithium under the salt, which is used for batteries.

What challenges do people face living in this environment?:

The Uyuni salt flats constitutes the most visited location in all of Bolivia. Many tourists come to Bolivia just to see the salt flats. That means that many people in the town and the surrounding communities work in the tourist industry of hotels, sell goods and operate restaurants featuring foreign food rather than Bolivian food. This tourist-driven atmosphere can be difficult for people who live here all the time.

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