Cities and High Altitudes

Cities and High Altitudes 

For most people altitude sickness is not something you really think about unless you are hiking up a mountain. However there are many major cities around the world that are thousands of feet above sea level.  Surprisingly this does have an effect on the human body, such side effects of high altitudes can include:

• Sickness
• Difficulty in breathing 
• Harder to exercises
• Lower your tolerance to alcohol
• Headaches
• Increased breathing rates
• Increased pulse rates
• Dehydration
• Hypoxia

After 7000 feet above sea level, the oxygen in the air becomes less dense. That means your body has less oxygen that can be saturated into your blood stream, this in turn can cause these side effects. The good news is that the human body is able to adapt, short term and long term. As an expat it is not something you would really think about, as there isn’t not much you can do to change your environment. It is just good to be aware of incase you notice any of these symptoms. So incase your next adventure is taking you to a higher place, here are some of the highest cities around the world:
 
El Alto, La Paz Bolivia 4,058 m (13,313 ft) *

Quito, Ecuador,  3,000m (9,000 ft)

Bogotá, Columbia, 2,640 m (8,660 ft)

Addis Ababa Ethiopia 2,500 m  (8,200 ft)

Mexico City, Mexico, 2,250 m  (7381ft)

Johannesburg, South Africa,  1,740 m (5,700ft)*

*Sea levels attitude figure from wikipedia