In La Rinconada, the highest altitude settlement in the world with a height of 5,100 meters in Peru, people make their living by working in the gold mine. Most of the 50 thousand inhabitants come from rural Peru. Pollution is dangerous in the city where there is no sewage or garbage dump.
La Rinconada is a city in the Puno Region of Peru. It is the most difficult place in the world to reach.
The city is located in the Andes Mountains and is the highest altitude settlement in the world.
The population of the city is 50 thousand as of 2012.
At 5,100 meters above sea level, the small mining town is considered to be the highest altitude and most deserted place in the world.
Located on a frozen sheet of ice, La Rinconada can only be reached by truck.
Despite the difficult geographical conditions, the people living in La Rinconada make a living from gold mining.
The Peruvian State, which owns the mining companies, employs the miners through a system called "achorreo".
In this system, miners work for the mine owner for free for 30 days and work for themselves for the remaining 1 day.
If they do not find gold in this one-day period, the miners work for free for a month.
Although the majority of the city's population is made up of men, single mothers, many of whom are widows, also work here for 12 hours a day to take care of their children.
The city is so high and isolated that water and sewage are the biggest problems.
Many people live well below the poverty line.
