El Alto

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/el-alto

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is El Alto?Altiplano highlands, Pedro Domingo Murillo Province, Bolivia
2. How many people live in El Alto?Estimated 943,558 (2020)
3. How big is El Alto?Not specified in source
4. What language do people speak in El Alto?Spanish (official); Aymara and Quechua are widely spoken indigenous languages
5. What is El Alto and why is it called the City in the Clouds?El Alto is a city in Bolivia that sits about 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above sea level, so high it feels close to the clouds. It is the highest major city in the world.
6. Why do people move to El Alto?Many people leave rural highlands and valleys to find jobs, schools, and services that are not available in their home areas.

Altiplano: A high-altitude plateau in the Andes Mountains, forming a significant geographical feature of Bolivia.
Urbanization: The process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more people begin living and working in central areas.
Indigenous: Relating to or belonging to a place or country that was originally inhabited by people of that place.
Neo-Andean Architecture: A contemporary architectural style that integrates traditional indigenous Andean artistic motifs and cultural symbolism with modern design principles.