The residents of the highest settlement in the world, La Rinconada in the Andes of Peru, face a unique set of challenges.
Globally, over 80 million people live at altitudes of at least 2,500 meters above sea level, primarily in South America, Central Asia, and East Africa. Some of the highest permanent settlements include Wenquan in Qinghai Province, China (4,870 m) and Korzok in India (4,572 m) above sea level. However, there is one settlement that surpasses both of these. Located in the Andes of Peru is a town nicknamed “The Devil’s Paradise.” The official name of the town is La Rinconada, where 50,000 residents live at altitudes ranging from 4,900 to 5,200 meters above sea level, making it the highest permanent settlement on Earth, according to Live Science.
La Rinconada in Peru is situated at an altitude of 4,900m to 5,200m in the Andes. (Photo: Wikimedia).
Life in La Rinconada is extremely challenging, lacking access to potable water, sewage systems, or waste management. Food is imported from lower altitudes, and electricity was only installed in the town in 2000. The town is known for its gold mining activities, which began as a temporary mining settlement over 60 years ago. However, the cost of mining gold is that residents must live in extreme conditions with oxygen pressure half that of sea level.
If you are not born at high altitudes and are not accustomed to moving in high-altitude environments like La Rinconada, one of the first changes you will notice is an increase in breathing and heart rate. This is due to the lower oxygen levels in the air, which means that the lungs and heart must work harder to supply tissues with oxygen. “When you are at an altitude of about 4,500 meters, the air you breathe has only about 40% of the oxygen molecules found at sea level, which is a significant stress,” said Cynthia Beall, an emeritus professor of anthropology at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
Initially, the hemoglobin levels, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the blood, will decrease. The higher the altitude, the more intense the reactions. Some individuals may develop acute mountain sickness (AMS) as the body attempts to adapt to the lower oxygen levels. This can cause symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
La Rinconada has become a hub of crime.
Typically, after about 1 to 2 weeks at high altitude, a person’s heart and breathing rates will decrease somewhat as the body begins to produce more red blood cells and hemoglobin to compensate for the lower oxygen levels in the air. However, residents of La Rinconada seem to adapt to the low oxygen environment in various ways. “There is much evidence from around the world showing that lung volume increases in people exposed to high altitudes, especially before adolescence,” Beall noted.
For example, people living in the Andes often have higher levels of hemoglobin in their blood. While this allows them to carry more oxygen in their blood, it also makes them prone to a condition known as chronic mountain sickness (CMS), which occurs when the body produces too many red blood cells. CMS can occur in individuals living at altitudes above 3,050 meters for months or years, causing symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and aches. It is estimated that about 1 in 4 people in La Rinconada suffer from CMS. The best treatment for CMS is to descend to lower altitudes, according to Tatum Simonson, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
However, this is not a feasible solution for those making a living in the area. Regular phlebotomy and the use of a medication called acetazolamide that reduces red blood cell production may help patients with CMS, although researchers are still uncertain about the long-term safety and effectiveness of these measures.
Many who come to La Rinconada also struggle with the altitude.
La Rinconada in Peru is known as the highest town in the world. The residents live above the clouds, so far from civilization that it has become lawless. La Rinconada has become a center of crime because, despite some rules existing there, the town’s isolation means that criminals often escape the consequences of their actions.
A YouTuber named Yes Theory visited this town and described it as “essentially one of the most lawless towns you could imagine.”
“Gunshots, people screaming, drunkenness, and the sound of bottles breaking can be heard almost every day,” recounted a YouTuber who had been to La Rinconada.
In an article for Dissident Voice, author Peter Koenig, who also visited the town, described his experience there. “La Rinconada looks like an open garbage dump, polluted by waste from illegal gold mining – once a pristine mountain lake,” Koenig said.
