THE ATACAMA PLATEAU

The Atacama Plateau (Puna de Atacama) is an arid High Plateau, in the Andes of Northern Chile (15%) and Argentina (85%). In Chile (15%) Puna's territory is included in the regions of Antofagasta and North-Eastern Atacama. In Argentina, Puna's territory is extended in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, and Western Catamarca.
The Plateau's elevation averages 4,500m /14,800ft above sea level, and it spans an area of 180,000sq / 69,000sq mi.
Before the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), the Puna de Atacama region belonged to Bolivia. In 1898 it was ceded to Argentina in exchange for recognition of Tarija as part of Bolivia. Chile, which had annexed the Litoral Province from Bolivia, declared the exchange illegal. The border was defined in 1899 after the Puna the Atacama dispute.
The War of the Pacific took place with Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile on the other. The war ended with a Chilean victory, which gained a significant amount of land from Peru and Bolivia.
Tarija Department is located in South-Eastern Bolivia, bordering with Argentina to the South and Paraguay to the East. The city of Tarija was founded in 1574 and is both the capital and the largest city within Tarija Department, with an airport (Captain Oriel Lea Plaza, TJA) offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and international connections.
Tarija boasts South America's second-largest natural gas reserves. Increased gas revenues and foreign direct investment in gas exploration and distribution are destroying the surrounded habitat and fauna of the region. Political instability at the national level has hindered development of the reserves, as the region has chosen to align with pro-autonomy forces which aim at the devolution of considerable powers away from the central government in favor of the departments.
The main economic activity of the region is the wine industry. The land and climate are ideal for grape and wine production. The city of Tarija holds an annual Festival of Wine and Cheese.