The length of the mountain. The longest mountains in the world

The length of the Andes - 9000 km

Andes or Andean cordillera, in the language of the Incas - copper mountains. They form the longest mountain range in the world. Their length is 9000 km - from Caribbean to Tierra del Fuego. The highest mountain of this mountain range- Aconkagau (6962 m). There are places where the Andes are 500 km wide, and the maximum width of the longest mountains in the world is 750 km (Central Andes, Andean highlands). Most of the Andes is occupied by the Pune plateau. There is a very high snow line, which reaches 6500 m, and the average height of the mountains is 4000 m.

The Andes are relatively young mountains; the mountain building process ended many millions of years ago. The origin began in the Precambrian and Paleozoic periods. Then, on the site of the endless ocean, areas of land were just beginning to emerge. Throughout the entire time, the area where the present Andes are located was either sea or land.

Formation of the Andes

The formation of the mountain range ended with an uplift rocks, as a result of which huge folds of stone moved to a very great height. This process continues to this day. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur in the Andes.

The longest mountains in the world are also the largest interoceanic watershed. In the Andes, the Amazon and its tributaries originate, as well as the tributaries of other major rivers in South America - Paraguay, Orinoco, Parana. The Andes serve as a climatic barrier for the mainland, that is, they isolate the land from the west from influence Atlantic Ocean, from the east - The Pacific.

Climate and relief of the Andes

The Andes lie in 6 climatic zones: northern and southern subequatorial, southern tropical, equatorial, subtropical temperate. On the western slopes of the mountains, up to 10 thousand millimeters of precipitation falls per year. As a result of their length, the landscape parts differ significantly from each other.

In terms of relief, the Andes are divided into three regions: central, northern, southern. The Caribbean Andes and the Ecuadorian Andes, the Northwest Andes belong to the North Andes. The main Cordillera are separated by the valleys of the Magdalena and Cauca rivers. There are many volcanoes in this valley. These are Huila - 5750 m, Ruiz - 5400 m, and the current Kumbal - 4890 m.

Volcanoes of the Andes

The Ecuadorian Andes includes a high volcanic chain with the most high volcanoes Chimborazo - 6267 m and Cotopaxi - 58967 m. They stretch through seven states of South America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile. The Central Andes include the Peruvian Andes. The highest point is Mount Huascaran - 6768.

Copper mountains. This is how the name of the longest mountains in the world sounds in the language of the Incas. These are the Andean Cordilleras or simply the Andes.

In terms of length, this mountain range cannot be compared with any other on the planet. The Andes stretched for a record 9 thousand kilometers. They begin at the Caribbean Sea and reach Tierra del Fuego.

The most high peak The Andean cordillera is Mount Aconcagau. It rises exactly 6962 meters. By the way, there are places where the Andes are 500 kilometers wide, and the maximum width of the mountain system is 750 kilometers. This value is recorded in the Central Andes, in the Andean highlands.

However, most The Andean cordillera occupies a plateau called Pune. It has a very high snow line. It reaches 6,500 meters, but the average height of the mountains is about 4,000 meters.

According to experts, the Andes are relatively young mountains. Here the mountain building process ended several million years ago. The origin of fossils began in the Precambrian and Paleozoic periods. Then areas of land began to appear on the site of the endless ocean. For a long time, the area where today's Andes are located was either land or sea.

The mountain range finished forming by raising rocks, as a result of which huge folds of stone moved to an impressive height. By the way, this process continues now. Sometimes in the Andes there are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The longest mountains in the world are also the largest interoceanic watershed. The famous Amazon River, as well as its tributaries, originates in the Andean Cordilleras. In addition, tributaries of other major rivers in South America - Parana, Orinoco and Paraguay - begin here. The mountains for the mainland serve as a climatic barrier, in other words, the Andes isolate the land from the west from any influence of the Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, from the east, they protect it from the Pacific Ocean.

It is not surprising, given the extent of the mountains, that the Andes are located in six climatic zones. Subtropical temperate, equatorial, southern tropical, northern and southern subequatorial. On the western slopes, in contrast to the southern ones, up to ten thousand millimeters of precipitation falls per year. Therefore, the landscape in different parts is radically different.

In terms of relief, the longest mountains in the world are divided into three regions. These are the southern, northern and central Andes. The North includes the Ecuadorian Andes, the Caribbean Andes and the Northwest Andes. The main Cordillera are divided by the basins of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers. And there are many volcanoes here. For example, Huila has grown to 5750 meters, Ruiz to 5400 meters, and the current Kumbal rises to 4890 meters.

The longest in the world - the Andes mountains (Very beautiful)

A volcanic target with the highest volcanoes hit the Ecuadorian Andes. That there is only one Chimborazo with a height of 6267 meters. The no less giant Cotopaxi is breathing down his back - its height is 5896 meters. The chain crosses seven states of South America at once. These are Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Argentina. And the highest point of the Ecuadorian Andes is Mount Huascaran, 6769 meters high.

As for the Southern Andes, they are divided into Patagonian and Chilean-Argentinean. In this part, the highest peaks are Tupungato with a height of 6800 meters and Medsedario with a height of 6770 meters. The snow line in this part reaches 6 thousand meters.

Diverse and lovely

No less interesting and animal world Andes. Alpacas, llamas, chain-tailed monkeys, as well as pudu deer, gaemal, relic spectacled bears, vicuñas, sloths, blue foxes, chinchillas, hummingbirds are found here. In a word, those whom the inhabitants of Russia can only meet in zoos.

A feature of the Andes is a large species diversity of amphibians - there are more than 900 species of them. There are about 600 species of mammals and almost 2 thousand species of birds in the mountains. Almost 400 species of freshwater fish are found in local rivers.

Tourist delicacy

Travelers will be immediately struck by the patchwork of crops that cover the mountain slopes. And its color changes from dark green to golden. Tourists are encouraged to move along the old Indian paths, where sometimes, however, they will have to stop to miss a herd of goats, sheep or guanacos. And it doesn't matter if the Andes are visited again, for the first or for the hundredth, nature will never leave you indifferent.

Meetings with local residents will be unforgettable. You can talk to them both in their language and by gestures. However, some mountain dwellers are not very willing to enter into dialogue. In case a contact resident is caught, it will not be bad to look at his lifestyle. The huts here are made of raw bricks, people sometimes live without electricity, and water is drawn from a nearby stream.

Well, hiking in the mountains is not quite like mountaineering. These are most likely walks along steep paths. But they must be performed only by well-trained and absolutely healthy people with special equipment.
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The longest mountain range in the world is the Andean Cordillera or simply the Andes. From the language of the Incas, this short word is translated as the Copper Mountains. The length of the Andes is not comparable to any other mountains on the planet. They stretched for a record 9,000 kilometers. In addition to its incredible scale, the Andes are famous as the birthplace of plants that have radically changed the lives of people on the planet. After all, it was the Andes that became the birthplace of coca, cinchona, tobacco, tomatoes and potatoes.

The Andes begin near the Caribbean Sea and reach Tierra del Fuego. Highest peak mountain range- Mount Aconcagua (6962 meters). In the Andean Cordilleras there are places where the mountain range stretches for 500 kilometers in width, and the maximum width of the mountain system is 750 kilometers. The longest mountains in the world serve as the largest interoceanic watershed.

The Andes are unusually diverse and picturesque. And each country crossed by the mountain system has its own flavor. For example, in the Andes of Venezuela, deciduous forests and shrubs grow on red soils. The lower parts of the slopes from the Central to the Northwest Andes are covered with tropical and equatorial rainforests. There are ficuses, bananas, palms, cocoa trees, bamboos, and lianas. However, there are also numerous moss bogs and lifeless rocky areas. Well, everything above 4500 meters is already eternal ice and snow.

Summit of the Andes - Mount Aconcagua (6962 meters)

The fauna of the Andes is no less interesting. There are exotic alpacas, llamas, chain-tailed monkeys, as well as pudu deer, relic spectacled bears, vicuñas, sloths, blue foxes, chinchillas and hummingbirds.

In fact, we will not talk about one mountain at all, but about the whole mountain system called the Andes (Andean Cordilleras). The length of this system is as much as 9000 km, the width is 750 km, and the height at the highest point is 6962 m. It is located in South America, penetrating almost the entire continent from north to west through seven states.

According to the data obtained by scientists, the beginning of the formation of the Andes dates back to the Jurassic period, which began about 200 million years ago. Moreover, we are talking exclusively about the beginning of formation, since many deflections, massifs, etc. were formed much later. Moreover, the process of mountain building in the Andes is still going on.

The mountain system is rich in non-ferrous metals such as lead, molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten, etc. In the Chile region there are large deposits of copper, gas and oil are hidden in troughs near Argentina and Venezuela, and Bolivia is rich in iron.

Since the Andes are stretched over almost the entire continent, both soil and vegetation covers are extremely diverse. So, here you can find such plants as palms, ficuses, bananas, evergreen shrubs, cacti, lichens, etc. In short, we are talking about almost any plants that only grow in South America.

As for the animal world, there are about 600 species of mammals in the mountain system, just over 1,500 species of birds, 400 fish and almost a thousand species of amphibians, which is an incredibly large number (in our country, for example, there are only 28 species of amphibians). Some of the birds and animals are on the verge of extinction, including due to poaching, some have already become extinct. However, there is another problem - air pollution. But more on that below.

Of course, the mountain system has a number of environmental issues... So, since agriculture near the passing Andes is well developed, various chemicals constantly get into the soil, and somewhere desertification occurs due to overgrazing. Fortunately, these situations are rare. The environment is also polluted by various factories in the immediate vicinity of the Andes. Another important problem is that there is a deforestation of tropical rainforests for planting in the vacated areas of rubber and coffee trees, which support the economy of the states.

By the way, oh agriculture... Most of all, the cultivation of coffee, barley, bananas and potatoes is developed here. On the high altitudes they grow corn, wheat and quinoa (an annual grain that is eaten by the local Indian community); cocoa, sugar cane, and tropical fruits grow well on humid slopes. Plants brought from European countries including some citrus fruits, olives and grapes.

Livestock raising is well developed, but its main direction is sheep breeding. The Indians breed llamas. Fishing is poorly developed.

The mountain is a convex relief form with a well-defined peak, bottom and slopes, rising above the surrounding terrain to a height of more than 200 m.

Let's take a look at the longest mountains in the world first!

In Russia, the longest are Ural mountains... They are like a belt, stretching from north to south of our country for more than 2000 km. The most high point Urals - Mount Narodnaya (1894 m).

Let's take an interesting virtual trip across all six continents in search of the highest mountain peaks on the planet.

2. Mount Aconcagua. This is the highest Mountain peak South American Andes. The height of Aconcagua is 6962 m. This mountain is also the highest extinct volcano on our planet. The fog you see below in the photo is actually a giant snowy whirlwind.

3. In third place is located Mount McKinley which is in North America... The height of this mountain giant, which is included in the list of the highest mountains on the planet, is 6194 m.

4. The next snowy mountain peak is located in sultry Africa. Kilimanjaro rises to 5895 m. above sea level, being the highest point of the African continent. It is the tallest mountain in Africa. Climbing this mountain, you can see really fantastic and contrasting landscapes. Unfortunately, due to global warming, the mountain's snow cap is rapidly melting.

5. Between the Black and Caspian Seas, on the southern borders of Russia, there are the majestic Caucasus Mountains - these are the highest mountains in our country. Highest peak - Mount Elbrus (5642 m), is the most high mountain Russia. She is a cone extinct volcano and at its highest point it has a height of 6642 m. An impressive panorama of white snows and cloud cover will open before the eyes of those who are lucky enough to be on the top of this mountain.

6. Encased in ice armor Antarctica also has its mountain giants. Vinson Massif, which was opened in the middle of the last century, rises to a height of 4892 m.

7. The list of the highest mountains of the planet is completed by the highest point of Australia and Oceania, which is located on the island New Guinea – Mount Punchak-Jaya (5030 m). On the spurs of this mountain are the world's largest copper and gold mines.