The Andean Altiplano is one of the biggest high mountain plateaus in the world, second only to Tibet's. It is surrounded by Andean ranges with enormous peaks of active volcanoes reaching up to more than 6,000m (20,000ft) above sea level and towering over the plateau, which itself lies at 4,000m (13,000ft) elevation. The air is thin at this altitude and the climate is arid, cold and windswept. Nevertheless this land of extremes supports a diverse range of animal life, including llamas, vicuñas, alpacas, vizcachas, the Andean condor, and large groups of flamingos, which favor wind-exposed salt lakes of the Altiplano as breeding grounds. Very few humans live here; most are Aymara and Quechua Indians with their distinct languages and cultures inhabiting scattered villages that still remember past glories of the great Inca Empire.