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Uluru

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Oceania
(Australasia); Geology and geophysics

   Uluṟu at midday
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   Uluṟu at midday

   Uluṟu, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in
   central Australia, in the Northern Territory. It is located in
   Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, 440 km southwest of Alice Springs
   (coordinates 25°20′43″S, 131°2′3″E). Uluṟu is sacred to the
   Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area.
   It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings.
   Uluṟu is listed as a World Heritage Site for its natural and man-made
   attributes. It is one of the most well known tourist sites in
   Australia.

Name

   Uluṟu’s location relative to other places in Australia
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   Uluṟu’s location relative to other places in Australia

   The local Pitjantjatjara people call the landmark Uluṟu ( IPA:
   /uluɻu/). This word has no other meaning in Pitjantjatjara, but it is a
   local family name. The underlined ṟ in Uluṟu is a retroflex
   approximant, as used by some American English speakers.

   In October 1872 the explorer Ernest Giles was the first non-indigenous
   person to sight the rock formation. He saw it from a considerable
   distance, and was prevented by Lake Amadeus from approaching closer. He
   described it as “the remarkable pebble”. On 19 July 1873, the surveyor
   William Gosse visited the rock and named it Ayers Rock in honour of the
   then Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. The
   Aboriginal name was first recorded by the Wills expedition in 1903.
   Since then, both names have been used, although Ayers Rock was the most
   common name used by outsiders until recently.

   In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed official names
   that consist of both the traditional Aboriginal name and the English
   name. On 15 December 1993, Uluṟu was renamed “Ayers Rock/Uluru” and
   became the first officially dual named feature in the Northern
   Territory. The order of the dual names was officially reversed to
   “Uluru/Ayers Rock” on 6 November 2002 following a request from the
   Regional Tourism Association in Alice Springs.

Description

   Uluṟu is 346 metres high, more than 8 km (five miles) around, and has a
   harder exterior than many comparable rock formations. This has
   prevented the formation of scree slopes, resulting in the unusually
   steep faces near ground level.

   Uluṟu is often referred to as a monolith, and for many years it was
   even listed in record books as the world’s largest monolith. That
   description is inaccurate, as it is part of a much larger underground
   rock formation which includes Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas).

   Uluṟu is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light
   strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a
   particularly remarkable sight. The rock is made of arkosic sandstone
   infused with minerals like feldspar that reflect the red light of
   sunrise and sunset, making it appear to glow. The rock gets its rust
   colour from oxidation. Rainfall is uncommon in the area around Uluṟu,
   but during wet periods, the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with
   streaks of black algae on the areas serving as channels for water flow.

   Kata Tjuta, also called Mount Olga or The Olgas, literally meaning
   “many heads” owing to its peculiar formation, is another rock formation
   about 25 km from Uluṟu. Special viewing areas with road access and
   parking have been constructed to give tourists the best views of both
   sites at dawn and dusk.

History

   The beginning of human settlement in the Uluṟu region has not been
   determined, but gtyjghjghto the east and west indicate a date more than
   10 000 years ago. In 1920, the Northern Territory administration
   gazetted the south-west corner of the territory, including Uluṟu, as
   the Petermann Aboriginal reserve, thus preventing the expansion of
   pastoral leases into that area. However, Uluṟu and Kata Tjuta were
   excised from the reserve in 1958 with the intention of opening them up
   to tourism.

   On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of
   Uluṟu to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines, with one of the
   conditions being that the Anangu would lease it back to the National
   Parks and Wildlife for ghghjthat it would be jointly managed. The
   Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu (pop. approx. 300) is near the
   western end of Uluṟu. From Uluṟu it is 17 km by road to the tourist
   town of Yulara (pop. 3 000), which is situated just outside of the
   National Park.

Local legend

   Aborigine legends tell of serpent beings who waged many wars around
   Uluṟu. The wars scarred the rock creating the vertical gutters seen
   today.
   Climbers and warning sign
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   Climbers and warning sign

Restrictions for tourists

Climbing Uluṟu

   The local Anangu do not climb Uluṟu because of its great spiritual
   significance. They request that visitors not climb the rock, partly due
   to the path crossing a sacred traditional dreaming track, and also a
   sense of responsibility for the safety of visitors to their land. The
   Anangu have a spiritual connection to Uluṟu, and feel great sadness
   when a person dies or is injured whilst climbing. In 1983, then Prime
   Minister of Australia Bob Hawke promised to forbid climbing, but access
   to climb Uluṟu was made a condition before title was officially given
   back to the traditional owners.

   Climbing Uluṟu is a popular attraction for visitors. A chain handhold
   added in 1964 and extended in 1976 makes the hour long climb easier,
   but it is still a long and steep hike to the top. An above average
   level of fitness, and a high tolerance to the extreme hot desert
   conditions is required. Over the years there have been at least forty
   deaths, mainly due to heart failure whilst climbing Uluṟu, as well as
   non-fatal heart attacks and other injuries. The number of deaths which
   have occurred after climbing Uluṟu is not known.

Photographing Uluṟu

   Uluṟu in the evening
   Enlarge
   Uluṟu in the evening

   The Anangu also request that visitors not photograph certain sections
   of Uluṟu, for reasons related to traditional beliefs (called tjukurpa).
   These sections are the sites of gender-linked rituals, and are
   forbidden ground for Anangu of the opposite sex of those participating
   in the rituals in question. The photographic ban is intended to prevent
   Anangu from inadvertently violating this taboo by encountering
   photographs of the forbidden sites in the outside world.

   Historical photographs of these formations continue to circulate
   through the world population at large. Signs have been posted around
   the restricted areas, to ensure that visitors will not violate the ban
   by mistake.

Superstitions

   It is often reported that those who take rocks from the area will be
   cursed and suffer misfortune.
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