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Uluru or Ayers Rock is a large red sandstone rock in Alice Springs, Central Australia. It is 438 metres high which is equivalent to a 95 storey building and a circumference of 9.4 kilometers. It is a sacred place for the Aborigines with lots of cultural history and influences. The area around the formation is home to springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Even though it is located in the middle of an Australian desert over 400,000 tourists visit it per year. This is where the problem occurs. Tourist industries could make a lot of money by opening the rock and charging $25 dollars per person. However the Aborigines will not allow tourists to climb the rock because of cultural heritage. Conflict has arisen and debates are still continuing today as to whether people should be able to climb Ayers rock.
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Where Uluru (Ayers Rock) is located:
Background Information:
Uluru is a red sandstone rock located in the middle of a desert in the Northern Territory State, Alice Springs, Australia. It is registered as a world heritage site by UNESCO. 400,000 tourists visit the rock every year and many illegally climb it. 35 people have died climbing Uluru illegally. It used to be open for the public to climb until Aborigines raised awareness that people were not treating the cultural landmark with respect. Environmental scientists believe that Uluru exists because there used to be a huge landscape/cliff but over time it weathered and crumbled away leaving a large red rock in the middle of the desert. Anangu is the aboriginal tribe living by Uluru who believe their ancestors formed the rock during dream time. Only 20% of people who visit the rock climb it.