Uluru
large sandstone isolated mount in Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uluru, also called Ayers Rock, is a name given to a huge rock near Alice Springs in the Australian Outback and located in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. This is a holy place for some Aboriginal Australians. It is in the Western Desert, in the middle of Australia. It was listed as a World Heritage site in 1987 because of its geology.[1] In 1997 it was again listed as a World Heritage site, this time because of its importance to the Anangu people.[1] It was the second place in the world to be listed as culturally significant, and it is one of the few places in the world to have two listings.[1]
| Uluru | |
|---|---|
| Ayers Rock | |
-crop.jpg) 2007 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 863 m (2,831 ft) |
| Prominence | 348 m (1,142 ft) |
| Isolation | y |
| Coordinates | 25°20′42″S 131°02′10″E |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Uluṟu (Pitjantjatjara) |
| Geography | |
  Uluru  Uluru Uluru (Australia) | |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 550–530 Ma |
| Mountain type | Inselberg |
| Type of rock | Arkose |
| Official name | Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park |
| Criteria | v,vi,vii,ix |
| Reference | 447 |
| Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
The Anangu people believe that Uluru, and the rest of Central Australia, was formed by ancestral beings at the beginning of time. The Anangu are directly descended from these ancestors.[2]
Modern science shows that they have lived around Uluru for more than 40,000 years They continued to live their traditional life until the 1930s.[2] This was a nomadic life, moving around to hunt and gather food according to the seasons. They have a complex ceremonial life based around Uluru.[2] They are one of the oldest human societies on earth.[3]
The first Europeans to see Uluru were explorers led by William Christie Gosse.[4] He saw Uluru on 19 July 1873 and named it Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, who was Chief Secretary of South Australia.[4] The land was too dry and remote for farming, and very few people came to Uluru until the mid 20th century.[4]
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