CHARACTERISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION OF LAKES 569 
between the 11th and 24th degrees of latitude, to the west of the Peru and 
Cordillera of Los Frailes, has a mean altitude of 13,123 feet (or about 
2J miles), and has no outlet for the waters that accumulate in it. 
Locally it is called the " puna,"' and in some parts there occur immense 
saline plains {pampas salinas), while in others are vast deserts with- 
Bart^olome»£tJ:n'' 
Fio. 69. — Inland drainage areas of South America. 
[The inland drainage areas are stippled.] 
out trace of vegetation. Not a single tree is found throughout the 
whole region, though in some parts plants of the cactus tribe are 
sparsely distributed. The drainage accumulates in the two lakes 
Titicaca and Poopo ; but while the former is deep, contains fresh 
water, and is surrounded by lofty mountains, Lake Poopo is a great 
shallow lagoon containing salt water. The two are connected by 
the Desaguadero, which flows from Titicaca into Poopo. Lemaire 
