Banaue Rice Terraces

From New World Encyclopedia
Revision as of 17:18, 27 June 2008 by Dan Davies (talk | contribs) (inserted Ifugaos, hide)
Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Banaue Rice Terraces, Ifugao Province, Philippines.
State Party Flag of Philippines Philippines
Type Cultural
Criteria iii, iv, v
Reference 722
Region** Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 1995  (19th Session)
Endangered 2001-
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Te Banaue Rice Terraces (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banaue) are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the Batad indigenous people. The Banaue terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old. They are found in the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Description

The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.


Local Peoples

Locals to this day still tend to the rice and vegetables on the terraces, although more and more younger Ifugaos do not find farming appealing, often opting for the more lucrative hospitality industry generated by the Rice Terraces. The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic "steps", which need constant reconstruction and care.

Panoramic view of the Banaue Rice Terraces

External links

Commons
Wikimedia Commons has media related to::

Coordinates: 8°55′N 119°55′E

[[Category:]]

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.