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Images of Bolivia
Production Place
[South America, Bolivia]
Production Place
[Bolivia, South America]
Work Type
[Panpipe, Flutes, Wind, Musical Instrument]
Production Place
[South America, Bolivia]
Work Type
[Musical Instrument, Wind, Flutes, End blown flute]
Description
STS079-785-016 Lake Poopo, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia September 1996 Numerous bright salars or salt flats are visible in this westerly view of the southwestern part of the Altiplano in Bolivia. Many volcanic cones (darker, roughly circular features) are visible, mainly along the western flanks of the two large salars, Uyuni (largest) and Coipasa. Lake Poopo, a light colored feature northeast of the two large salars, appears to be relatively devoid of standing water at the time this image was obtained. Some clouds partially obscure the southern end of intermittently water filled Lake Poopo. The Andes Mountains dramatically decrease in elevation in a relatively short horizontal distance along the western slopes of the mountains. Known as the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, this synoptic view shows a large section of one of the most arid regions on earth.
Description
STS109-E-5887 (9 March 2002) --- This view of a good portion of the country of Chile was recorded with a digital still camera by one of the STS-109 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Chile's Pacific Coast is featured and the country's borders with three other nations--Bolivia, Peru and Argentina--almost or just barely made it into the frame in three different directions. Punta Angamos and Punta Tetas are readily visible on the anvil shaped peninsular feature, near the city of Antofagasta.
Description
ISS012-E-06456 (3 Nov. 2005) --- Salar de Uyuni, the largest Salar (salt flat) in the world, located within the Altiplano of Bolivia, South America is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 12 crewmember on the International Space Station. The Altiplano is a high plateau formed during uplift of the Andes Mountains. The plateau harbors fresh and saltwater lakes, together with Salars, that are surrounded by mountains with no drainage outlets--all at elevations greater than 3,659 meters (12,000 feet) above mean sea level. The Salar de Uyuni covers approximately 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles), and it is a major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano due to its flatness. This image features the northern end of the Salar and the dormant volcano Mount Tunupa (image center). This mountain is high enough to support a summit glacier, and enough rain falls on the windward slopes to provide water for small communities along the base. The dark volcanic rocks comprising Mt. Tunupa are in sharp contrast with the white, mineral-crusted surface of the Salar. The major minerals are halite--common table salt--and gypsum--a common component of drywall. Relict shorelines visible in the surface salt deposits (lower right of the image) attest to the occasional presence of small amounts of water in the Salar. Sediments in the Salar basin record fluctuations in water levels that occurred as the lake that once occupied the Salar evaporated. These sediments provide a valuable paleoclimate record for the region. The dynamic geological history of the Altiplano is recorded in isolated "islands" within the salt flat (image left); these islands are typically built from fossil coral reefs covered by Andean volcanic rocks.
Description
ISS011-E-06422 (19 May 2005) --- Rosario, Argentina is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 11 crewmember on the international space station. The Paran? River in the center of the view is the principal transportation artery of central South America, and consequently gave rise from the times of early colonization to the growth of river port cities such as Argentina?s second city, Rosario, now a major industrial center (population greater than 1.1 million; lower left). Rosario is the center of a vibrant local agricultural economy?intensive agriculture is visible on the left margin of the view. As such, Rosario is one of the key cities in South America?s MERCOSUR common market (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Other cities have expanded along the river bank especially northwards (for example, Capitan Bermudez, top left). Not only is the region around Rosario targeted for local economic development, but it is now a transportation hub. Rosario?s port facilities (center bottom), and facilities along the length of the Paran?-Paraguay river systems (the traditional north-south transport route), have been improved to give efficient river barge access to landlocked regions upstream?Paraguay, Bolivia and southwestern Brazil?connecting them to Buenos Aires, 300 kilometers to the south. East-west transport connections are becoming increasingly important for MERCOSUR trade with products from Argentina and southern Brazil moving by road and rail, via Rosario, to Pacific ports in Chile and then even to Asia. The great Rosario-Victoria bridge (center), completed in 2002, facilitates this east-west movement of goods. The bridge casts a shadow where it crosses almost two kilometers of open river. Viaducts and earth-filled sections continue the new highway to the city of Victoria to the east another 57 kilometers across the great swamplands of the Paran? floodplain?part of which is visible in the right half of the view. The bridge is one of very few road or rail connections between the east and west banks of South America?s second largest river. It allows the economic center of Argentina to communicate for the first time directly by road not only with Argentina?s remote northeastern provinces, but also with Uruguay and Brazil.
Description
ISS008-E-05649 (8 November 2003) --- Lake Titicaca was featured in this image taken by one of the Expedition 8 crewmembers onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Lake Titicaca, at an elevation of 12,507 feet in the Andean Altiplano, is the highest large lake in the world. More than 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, it was the center of Incan civilization, and today straddles the boundary between Peru and Bolivia. Scientists have studied indicators of the water level changes over time to tease out information about precipitation shifts in the high Andes and the South American tropics. Following are some observations by NASA scientists who are studying this imagery: Because the lake occupies the low point of the Altiplano, much of the water of the high plateau eventually trickles into the lake. And because it is surrounded by mountains, very little of Lake Titicaca?s water drains out -- the Rio Desguadero is the only major outflow river. So, like a bathtub with no drain, this large and deep lake (with depths of several hundred feet) has become the collecting basin for thousands of years of sediment. These sediments and their fossils contain clues about past climate conditions. The restricted outflow of the lake creates conditions where even shorter, interannual climate cycles (like El Ni?o /Southern Oscillation) impact Lake Titicaca?s water levels. Recent lake level variations have been several meters, with low levels occurring during regional droughts of El Ni?os. Right now, the region is relatively wet. In this image, the dark greens of the wetlands along the shallower margins of the lake contrast strongly with the surrounding desert. But the even large cities like Puno, Peru (100,000 people) are difficult to discern from the surrounding countryside.
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