Salinas de Garci Mendoza (formerly: Salinas de Thunupa) is a town in the

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Oruro Department Oruro (; Quechua: ''Uru Uru''; Aymara: ''Ururu'') is a department of Bolivia, with an area of . Its capital is the city of Oruro. According to the 2012 census, the Oruro department had a population of 494,178. Provinces of Oruro The departme ...

. It is the administrative center of

Ladislao Cabrera Province Ladislao Cabrera is a province in the southern parts of the Bolivian department of Oruro. It is named after Ladislao Cabrera (1830 – 1921). Its seat is Salinas de Garci Mendoza. Location Ladislao Cabrera is one of sixteen provinces in the Oruro ...

and is located south-west of

Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by pop ...

, the capital of the department. It is situated at an elevation of at ''Caricha'' (), 20 km north of the Tunupa

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

Salar de Coipasa __NOTOC__ Lago Coipasa or Salar de Coipasa is a lake in Sabaya Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia. At an elevation of 3657 m, its surface area is 806 km². It is on the western part of Altiplano, 20 km north of Salar de Uyuni and south ...

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...

, is 20 km north-west of Salinas de Garci Mendoza, and 15 km in south-eastern direction is

Salar de Uyuni Salar de Uyuni (or "Salar de Tunupa") is the world's largest salt flat, or playa, at over in area. It is in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of above sea level. The Sal ...

, the world's largest salt pan. Salinas de Garci Mendoza is the endpoint of the road from Chuquichamba via Andamarca and Aroma to Salinas de Garci Mendoza. Salinas de Garci Mendoza bears the title "Capital of Quinoa" because of the intensive cultivation of the

quinoa Quinoa (''Chenopodium quinoa''; , from Quechua ' or ') is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and ...

crop in this area.

See also