Angkor

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Durante su epocha populate, Angkor, le citate ancian de Cambodia, esseva le metropole preindustrial le plus grande del mundo, con un population de circa 1.000.000 (un million). Simile al Los Angeles contemporanee, le citate cuperiva un area de plus que 195 kilometros quadrate.

Un urbe tan grande es possibile solmente con un systema hydrologic sophisticate. In le caso de Los Angeles, la major parte de nostre aqua veni per aquaductos desde le Riviera Owens e le fluvio Colorado.

Observation desde satellites artificial moderne que pote observar omne le mundo con systemas de radar revela que Angkor habeva un systema hydrologic multo sophisticate sin le uso de electricitate como in le aquaductos de Los Angeles. Illo habeva un systema extensive de reservoirs e canales con junctiones construite ex petra.

Le inhabitantes de Angkor anque construeva un structura de petra massive que redirigeva le fluxo del riviera Siem Riep al centro del urbe.

Lor systema hydrologic provideva multissime aqua al citate e esseva assatis sophisticate que on haberea potite cultivar le ris in Angkor, ma investigationes facite usque nunc non ha determinate si su inhabitatantes vermente faceva isto.

Angkor esseva construite in un foreste tropical. Il non es facile construer citates in ambientes de forestes, sia tropical, sia temperate, proque tal ambientes exige multe labor pro mantener se.

In le caso de Angkor, le arbores del citate continuemente compromitteva le integritate structural del systema hydrologic del citate.

Eventualmente iste vegetation e su solo obstrueva le canales e reservoirs del citate al puncto que le inhabitatantes de Angkor non poteva trovar un numero de obreros assatis grande pro mantener le systema, e le carentia de aqua gradualmente crescente, con le tempore, obligava que su population abandonava le citate.

Durante le sex seculos de su existentia, Angkor esseva le capital de un imperio que controlava partes de lo que nunc es Laos, Thailandia, e Vietnam. Le templo Angkor Wat, construite per le rege Suryavarman II in le seculo dece duo, es le structura le plus famose del citate, ma omne le partes de Angkor ha multe structuras magnific digne de studio detaliate.

Le mayas de Mesoamerica anque construeva citates simile a Angkor--ma dominate per pyramides--con simile systemas hydrologic. Il pare que illes anque disvellopava problemas de carentia de aqua que esseva le causa del extinction del civilisation classic del mayas.

Quanto al area de Los Angeles, nostre urbe se trova in un grande deserto. Nostre population anque cresce a un taxa accelerante, e como Angkor e le citates del Mayas, le fontes de nostre aqua nunc diminue a causa del calefaction global. Eventualmente nos habera un serie de crises demographic e hydrologic que anque obligara que nos abandonara le citate, ma in iste momento il es impossibile predicer exactemente quando isto essera necesse.

(Il pare que Hollanda es destinate a morir de inundationes del Atlantico e que nos in Los Angeles es destinate a morir de surpoblation e siccitate, e eventualmente on debera abandonar citates como Long Beach a causa de inundationes del Pacifico.)

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During the time it was populated, Angkor, the ancient city of Cambodia, was the largest preindustrial metropolis in the world, with a population of about 1,000,000 (one million). Much like contemporary Los Angeles, the city covered an area of more than 195 square kilometers.

A city this size is possible only with a sophisticated hydrological system. In the case of Los Angeles, most of our water comes from aquaducts from the Owens and Colorado rivers.

Observations from modern artificial satellites that can observe the entire world with radar systems reveal that Angkor had a very sophisticated hydrological system without the use of electricity as in the aquaducts of Los Angeles. It had an extensive system of reservoirs and canals with junctions constructed out of stone.

The inhabitants of Angkor also built a massive stone structure that redirected the flow of the Siem Riep river to the center of the city.

Their hydrological system provided a lot of water to the city and was sophisticated enough that it would have been possible to grow rice in Angkor, but investigations made up to now have not determined whether its inhabitants really did this.

Angkor was built in a tropical forest. It is not easy to construct cities in forest environments, whether tropical or temperate, because such enviroments demand a lot of maintenance work.

In the case of Angkor, the trees of the city continually compromised the structural integrity of the city's hydrological system.

Eventually this vegetation and its soil obstructed the canals of the city to the point that the inhabitants of Angkor were not able to find enough workers to maintain the system, and a gradually growing lack of water forced its population, in time, to abandon the city.

During the six centuries of its existence, Angkor was the capital of an empire that controlled parts of what is now Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Angkor Wat temple, built by King Suryavarman II in the twelfth century, is the most famous structure in the city, but every part of Angkor has many magnificent structures worthy of detailed study.

The Mayans of Mesoamerica also built cities similar to Angkor--but dominated by pyramids--with similar hydrological systems. It seems that they also developed water-supply problems that were the cause of the extinction of classical Mayan civilization.

With regard to the greater Los Angeles area, our city occupies a great desert. Our population is also growing at an accelerating rate, and like Angkor and the Mayan cities, the sources of our water are now starting to go down because of global warming. Eventually we will have a series of demographic and hydrological crises that will also force us to abandon the city, but at this moment it is impossible to say exactly when this will be necessary.

(It seems that Holland is destined to die because of Atlantic floods and that we in Los Angeles are fated to die from overpopulation and drought, and eventually we will have to abandon cities like Long Beach because of Pacific floods.)