They live on a still-growing group of about 120 self-fashioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca near Puno.

After 25 years, water seeps through the reeds and the inhabitants build a new island and let the old one sink to the bottom of the lake.

These dense roots that the plants develop and interweave form a natural layer called khili (about one to two meters thick), which are the main flotation and stability devices of the islands.

The blocks used to be harvested with eucalyptus wedges, but are now sourced using 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long metal saws custom made for this purpose.

Once the khili pallets are tied together and anchored, multiple layers of cut reeds are added.

[citation needed] The Uru's islands are located at 3,810 m (12,500 ft) above sea level, and just five kilometers east from the Puno port.

[7] Around 2,000 descendants of the Uru were counted in the 1997 census,[4] although only a few hundred still live on and maintain the islands; most have moved to the mainland.

Food is classically cooked in pots on pottery stoves; these are placed on flat stones to prevent the flammable reed islands from catching fire.

All houses are built on top of an extra 1 m (3.3 ft) layer of dry reeds to prevent rheumatism.

They also run crafts stalls aimed at the numerous tourists who visit ten of the islands each year.

They barter totora reeds on the mainland in Puno to get products they need, such as quinoa and other foods.

The Uru people have domesticated local animals to assist with producing food and other purposes.

The Uru do not reject modern technology: most boats have motors, nearly all islands have shared solar panels to run appliances such as televisions, and the main island is home to an Uru-run FM radio station, which plays music for several hours a day.

As of 2011[update], about 1,200 Uru lived on an archipelago of 60 artificial islands,[9] clustering in the western corner of the lake near the port town of Puno.