Founded in 1890 as a trading post, the town has a population of 21,400
(2010 official estimate). The town has an extensive street-market. It
lies at the edge of an extensive plain at an elevation of 3,700 m
(12,139 ft) above sea level, with more mountainous country to the east.
There
is little agriculture in the area because water supplies are scarce and
somewhat saline. Today the town's primary function is as a gateway for
tourists visiting the world's largest salt flats - the Salar de Uyuni.
Each year Uyuni receives approximately 60,000 visitors from around the
globe. The city also acts as a gateway for commerce and traffic crossing
into and out of Bolivia from and to Chile, and there is a customs and
immigration post downtown
