Editing Geography of Bolivia (section)

==Lowlands==
The eastern lowlands include all of Bolivia north and east of the Andes. Although comprising over two-thirds of the national territory, the region is sparsely populated and, until recently, has played a minor role in the [[Economy of Bolivia|economy]].

Differences in topography and climate separate the lowlands into three areas. The flat northern area, made up of [[Beni Department|Beni]] and [[Pando Department]]s and the northern part of [[Cochabamba Department]], consists of [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|rainforest]]. Because much of the [[topsoil]] is underlain by [[claypan]], drainage is poor, and heavy rainfall periodically converts vast parts of the region to [[swamp]]. The central area, comprising the northern half of [[Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)|Santa Cruz Department]], has gently rolling hills and a drier climate than the north. Forests alternate with [[Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|savanna]], and much of the land has been cleared for cultivation. Santa Cruz, the largest city in the lowlands, is located here, as are most of Bolivia's petroleum and natural gas reserves. The southeastern part of the lowlands is part of the [[Gran Chaco]]. Virtually rainless for nine months of the year, this area becomes [[Flooded grasslands and savannas|flooded]] for the three months of heavy rains. The extreme variation in rainfall supports only thorny scrub vegetation and cattle grazing, although recent discoveries of natural gas and petroleum near the foothills of the Andes have attracted some settlers to the region.

Most of Bolivia's important rivers are found in the water-rich northern parts of the lowlands, particularly in the Alto Beni (Upper Beni), where the land is suitable for crops such as coffee and [[Theobroma cacao|cacao]]. The northern lowlands are drained by wide, slow-moving rivers, the three largest of which—the [[Mamoré River|Mamoré]], [[Beni River|Beni]], and [[Madre de Dios River|Madre de Dios]]—all flow northward into the [[Madeira River]] in Brazil and eventually into the [[Amazon River|River Amazon]]. Riverboats along the Beni and the Mamoré carry both passenger and freight traffic; rapids on the Madeira prevent river traffic farther into Brazil. Near the Paraguayan border, shallow sandy streams carry the seasonal runoff into the [[Pilcomayo River|Pilcomayo]] or [[Paraguay River|Paraguay]] rivers. Also, the [[Pantanal]], the world's largest wetland of any kind, has some of its area in Bolivia.

Despite the fact that eastern Bolivia is described as lowland there are some mountains and mountain ranges well beyond the Andes. The most notable of these mountains are the forested [[Serranías Chiquitanas]] in eastern [[Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)|Santa Cruz Department]].