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MACHU PICCHU. BY ZOHAIB AND LUKE. What is it?. Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca site high atop Andean mountains of Peru. Often referred to as the "City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca World. It is thought to have been built between 1460 and 1470. Where is it?.
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MACHU PICCHU BY ZOHAIB AND LUKE
What is it? • Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca site high atop Andean mountains of Peru. Often referred to as the "City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca World. It is thought to have been built between 1460 and 1470.
Where is it? • Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. • 12 Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America. • It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco.
Tourism in Machu Picchu • A few thousand people visit the ancient city every day. • Machu Picchu is easily accessible to tourists • Visitors have a choice of either walking the 28 mile Incan Trail, or taking trains from two neighbouring cities, Cusco or Ollantaytambo.
The Environmental Problems Tourism Causes in Machu Picchu • With a few 1000 people visiting every day, the site an path leading to it are slowly being eroded. • Trees along the Incan Trail have been cut down for use as fuel. Accidental forest fires have threatened the city in the past. • Where there are no campsites, lots of litter is left around the trail and the city. • Unorganized urban growth; Aguas Calientes, a nearby city, has mushroomed in size as more hotels and restaurants have been built to accommodate the needs of tourists, and the burden is evident in the heaps of garbage piled along the banks of the river. with human waste pumped direct into the Urubamba river • Air pollution and litter have built up around the rail links to the city. • Since a helicopter landing zone was made in the city, helicopter tours have led disturbed the ruins and wiped out a rare variety of orchid.
Benefits of Tourism • Tourism money is returned to the local community to fund services. • Tourism helps to attract more business and services, creating a multiplier effect. • Fosters conservation and preservation of natural, cultural and historical resources. • Provides cultural exchange between locals and visitors.
The Response • Machu Picchu was made a UNESCO world heritage site. • UNESCO decided that Machu Picchu had to be protected as it was slowly deteriorating • Helicopter landings have been forbidden and a no fly zone was introduced over the city. • A visitor cap of 2500 people was introduced. • All trekkers are now accompanied by a guide, ensuring they don’t damage the trail or the site, or drop litter. • UNESCO repeatedly threatened to add Machu Picchu to the World Heritage in Danger sites. • Open-fires are prohibited on the trail (deforestation for firewood was out of control), so make sure your company uses gas stoves. Permanent toilets have also been installed to combat the human waste problem. • Although there are ambivalent opinions about the train, nothing has been done about it. Although it leads to air pollution and litter and brings in more tourists, it means less people will be walking and eroding the trail.