Ever wonder what makes a rechargeable battery "Rechargeable"?
Well saving the gory details - In simple terms, its "Lithium".
And Bolivia, is virtually sitting on a gold mine with reserves of Lithium, thanks to salt flats of Uyuni.
The salt flats of Uyuni have triggered international interest among energy companies due to its lithium reserves, and Bolivia hopes the metal could power a green revolution when electric cars reach mass production.
Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt lake with a surface of 12,000 square kilometres. It is situated in the southwest of Bolivia at an altitude of 3,653 metres above sea level.
The Uyuni salt flats are estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt - of which 25,000 tons are extracted every year - as well as 100 million tons of lithium, making it one of the largest global reserves of this mineral.Bolivia has half of the world's known reserves of lithium - a key mineral used in medicine and especially in rechargeable batteries, as well as everything from cell phones and laptops to electric cars. With demand for lithium expected to boom in coming years, Bolivia - one of the poorest countries in South America - is sitting on something potentially more valuable than a gold mine.
Pictures: Courtesy Telegraph
