LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Bolivia: South America
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The much older Cordillera Oriental enters Bolivia on the north side of Lake Titicaca, extends southeastward to approximately 17 south latitude, then broadens and stretches south to the Argentine border. The northernmost part of the Cordillera Oriental, the Cordillera Real, is an impressive snow-capped series of granite mountains. Many of these peaks exceed 6,000 meters, and two--Illimani (6,322 meters), which overlooks the city of La Paz, and Illampu (6,424 meters)--have large glaciers on their upper slopes. South of 17 south latitude, the range changes character. Called the Cordillera Central here, the land is actually a large block of the earth's crust that has been lifted and tilted eastward. The western edge of this block rises in a series of steep cliffs from the Altiplano.
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The current crisis is predicated on the same issues that have plagued the country for years: a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution and, most importantly, the nationalization of Bolivia's oil and gas sector, one of the largest in South America. Protesters, mostly from El Alto, a slum city of 600,000 that sits high above the capital La Paz, have perfected the art of dissent with their ability to shut the capital down on a whim. Using roadblocks and mass protests, the miners, peasants and workers have managed to shut down businesses, traffic, schools and hospitals. After some concessions to the protesters, Bolivia has temporarily moved back from the brink by the resignation of President Carlos Mesa. But the issues of concern have yet to be resolved and will surely be revisited on a later day.
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North and east of the Andes and Yungas is the Oriente region, an extension of the Amazon River basin that covers more than two-thirds of Bolivia. The vast area of the Oriente is composed of low alluvial plains (llanos), great swamps, flooded bottomlands, open savannas, and tropical forests. It supports the greatest variety of wildlife in the nation, as well as the largest population centre (Santa Cruz city) and the fastest-growing of Bolivia's regional economies. In the extreme south is the Bolivian Chaco, which forms part of the Gran Chaco; it is a level area that varies strikingly with the seasons. During the rainy season it becomes a veritable swamp, but it is a hot semidesert during the remaining seven or eight months of the year. Northward from the Chaco the relief of the Santa Cruz department is somewhat more varied, exhibiting a gentle downward slope to the north.
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An enormous diversity of ecological zones are represented within Bolivia's territory. The western highlands of the country are situated in the Andes mountains and include the Bolivian Altiplano. The eastern lowlands include large sections of Amazonian rainforests and Chaco. The highest peak is Nevado Sajama at 6,542 metres (21,463 ft) located in the department of Oruro. Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. The Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, lies in the southwest corner of the country, in the department of PotosÃ.
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High and low temperatures in Bolivia depend primarily on elevation and have very little seasonal variation. Overall, rainfall is heaviest in the summer months, with the southern areas of the country receiving the least amounts of precipitation.
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Venezuela is willing to help Bolivia pursue this tough military stance for three reasons. First, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is committed to spreading the Bolivarian Revolution and leftist ideals throughout Latin America. Any strengthening of Bolivia, as a Venezuelan ally, boosts those ideals. Second, Chavez is committed to doing anything that will aggravate the United States, and a highly militarized Bolivia — particularly a Bolivia with troops stationed near Paraguay, where the United States has been training Paraguayan troops — is a great opportunity for him. Finally, the lowland opposition movement may well be a serious threat to Morales’ government, and Venezuela does not want Morales and his leftist agenda to fail.
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