According to the United Nations, about 13% of the world’s population lives in mountainous areas. And although many of those one billion people live in rural areas, there are various types of cities in the mountains, many of which are attracting people from the countryside. Among these, which do you think is the highest city in the world?

ANSWER

La Rinconada. This is a small town located in the Ananea district, in the Puno region, near the border with Bolivia. It lies at 5,100 meters above sea level and is home to 11,000 people who work in gold mining, all of which is artisanal and unregulated. The second-highest city in the world is El Alto, home to the airport that serves La Paz, the seat of the Bolivian government. Thanks to the Andes Mountains, Latin America is home to 8 of the 10 highest cities in the world, as you can see in the chart from Latinometrics.