Altiplano

George Steinmetz

National Geographic Magazine

Moonlight illuminates the cacti of Isla Incahuasi after summer rains have flooded the Salar de Uyuni to a depth of 7 inches. The island is famous for its forest of 'cactus corales temperatura', an endemic specie that favors volcanic soil overlain with fossilized algae. The algae flourished at a time when the Salar de Uyuni was covered in 300-600 ft. of water. The cacti grow on average only 0.5 inch/year, and some are over 40 ft. high. The Salar is the largest salt flat in the world, covering over 3,800 sq. mi., at an elevation of 12,000 ft..

George Steinmetz, "Altiplano," in POYi Archive, Item #41864, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/41864 (accessed November 22, 2024).