Machu Picchu lies in the southern
hemisphere, some 13 degrees south of the
equator. It is 80 kilometers northwest of
Cusco, on the crest of the mountain Machu
Picchu, located about 2,450 metres (8,040
ft) above mean sea level, over 1,000 metres
(3,300 ft) lower than Cusco, which has an
altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft). As
such, it had a milder climate than the Inca
capital. It is one of the most important
archaeological sites in South America, one
of the most visited tourist attractions in
all of Latin America[14] and the most
visited tourist attraction in Peru.
Machu Picchu is situated above a loop of the
Urubamba River, which surrounds the site on
three sides, with cliffs dropping vertically
for 450 metres (1,480 ft) to the river at
their base. The area is subject to morning
mists rising from the river. The location of
the city was a military secret, and its deep
precipices and steep mountains provided
excellent natural defenses. The Inca Bridge,
an Inca rope bridge, across the Urubamba
River in the Pongo de Mainique, provided a
secret entrance for the Inca army. Another
Inca bridge was built to the west of Machu
Picchu, the tree-trunk bridge, at a location
where a gap occurs in the cliff that
measures 6 metres (20 ft). It could be
bridged by two tree trunks, but with the
trees removed, there was a 570 metres (1,870
ft) fall to the base of the cliffs.
