The Salar de Uyuni in western Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flats, measuring over 4,000 square miles. In prehistoric times, though recently geologically, the area was an inland lake called called Lake Minchin and as it dried, if left two lakes with two salt flats between them, Salar de Uyuni and the Salar de Coipasa.
Now, workers mine about 25,000 tons of salt per year from the area but, don’t worry about hurrying if you are planning a visit – it will take take 40 million years to mine it all.
More beautifully, check out what happens when water returns to the the Salar de Uyuni in this picture by Guy Nesher after a rainfall. And buy a copy here if you want.
