Courtesy of Knight map Library Archives
To the Left is a Political Map of the Peruvian state known as Cusco that Machu Picchu is located in. There are very few roads or ways to get to the rural Incan ruins because of it's location within the Andes mountain range. To the right is a topographical map of a portion of the country of Peru including the region of Cusco. The area of Machu Picchu according to the Knight library map expert has not been plotted as a specific region of importance by the Peruvian Government because it is so rural.The above is a link that discusses a occurance of a series of natural disasters that occur in Machu Picchu. The area is extremely steep and mountainous, it has a wet-dry climate seasonality therefore it recieves abundent rainfall during certain seasons, which causes landslides and mudslides to occur. Also Peru is a highly seismic land so the city was built to withstand large Earthquakes.
Vegetation in the area includes grasses, shrubs and some trees, classified as steppe with tons of rocks.It is considered a cloud forest because clouds gather around the river below and move upward.
Vegetation in the area includes grasses, shrubs and some trees, classified as steppe with tons of rocks.It is considered a cloud forest because clouds gather around the river below and move upward.
The climate of Machu Picchu is considered a Subtropical highland climate ( for cusco) there are two distinct seasons with rainfall in November through March. Frost and hail is common although snowfall hardly ever occurs. The climate of Machu Picchu is slightly warmer than that of cusco because it is lower in elevation and the cloud cover that occurs, helps to keep the nights warmer in temperature.
http://www.mundoandino.com/peru/climate-of-peru
Temperature: 15.3 C
Temperature: 15.3 C
Precipitation: 796 mm
Peer Reviewed Article: http://onesearch.uoregon.edu/metasearch/record?group=000515&resultSet=002665&startRecord=1 the Peer review is here.
The article is here:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9D-4X0PBTY-3&_user=2148430&_coverDate=11/30/2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view
This article deals with the geology and formation of the mountains that host Machu Picchu including the movement of the tectonic plates to form the Andes mountain range.
Machu Picchu is possibly the most popular tourist destination in Peru because of the "lost city" of the Incas which remained hidden in it's mountainous terrain until the early 20th century. The structure was believed to be the offical site for the Incan rulers and it was built in 1400 AD. It was abandoned by the Incas prior to the Spanish concquest and thus was not discovered or destroyed by the Spanish.
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