Monday, November 22, 2010

banaue-rice-terraces-715556





















The Banaue Rice Terraces (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos 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. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.

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 Kalinga, Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Locals to this day still plant 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. In 2010 a further problem was drought, with the terraces drying up completely in March of that year.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fantastic!, Saw a link on facebook for amazing places. Check these other amazing places out.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150221300432463&set=a.10150217015767463.346934.108605392462&type=1&theater

Drei Toledo said...

Hi! I'd like to ask for permission if I could use your photo of the rice terraces in my website? :) You can email me back at drei.toledo at gmail dot com ~ THANKS! :D

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Unknown said...

Greetings from Abiva Publishing House, Inc.!

Abiva is a Philippine publisher offering textbooks in basic education. One of our authors wishes to include in his Grade 7 textbook entitled Kamalayang Panlipunan (or Social Awareness) the photo of Banaue Rice Terraces featured in your blog.

In light of this, may we respectfully request your permission to reprint the photo in case you own the copyright. Below is the link of the photo to be reprinted. We would also appreciate it if you would check the accuracy of the citation indicated.

Link of the photo to be reprinted: http://mano-pakmasti.blogspot.com/2010/11/banaue-rice-terraces-715556.html

Citation: mano-pakmasti.blogspot.com

We sincerely hope for your favorable response to our request. Please send us your reply stating your permission and/or other conditions we need to comply with. Should you have other inquiries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to drop us a message at scesar@abiva.com.ph.

Thank you.

Sincerely,


SHERWIN M. CESAR
Book Development Coordinator
Abiva Publishing House, Inc.
851 G. Araneta Ave., Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. No. (632) 712-0245 loc. 226
Fax No. (632) 712-0486