Alternate Title: Western Cordillera
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From northern Argentina to northern Peru and Ecuador, the Andes are much wider, with the widest segment across southern Bolivia. There, the mountain belt consists of two parallel ranges, the Cordillera Occidental (or Western Cordillera) and the Cordillera Oriental (or Eastern Cordillera), which surround the high plateau, the Altiplano.
...and political centre. There the Andes reach their greatest breadth and complexity. The system in Bolivia is dominated by two great parallel ranges. To the west along the border with Chile is the Cordillera Occidental, which contains numerous active volcanoes and the spectacular Uyuni Salt Flat; the cordillera is crowned by the republic’s highest peak, Mount Sajama, reaching an elevation of...