The Andes mountains, the longest mountain range in the world, run for 4,300 miles along the western coast of South America. They are at their widest around the west-central portion of the continent, forming the elevated plateau known as the “Altiplano” (Spanish for “high plane”). Groups like the Aymara, Quechua, and Uru Uru have lived on the Altiplano for centuries.

The Altiplano also boasts impressive geographical features, such as: massive active(!) volcanoes like Ampato and Tutupaca; The Cordillera Real mountain range, which includes La Paz’s guardian peaks Illimani, Illampu, and Huayna Potosí; Lakes Titicaca, Poopó, and Uru Uru; and the magnificent salt flats Salar de Uyuni and Salar de Coipasa.