What are the longest mountains? The longest mountains in the world. Great Dividing Range - the most beautiful on Earth

Copper mountains. So in the language of the Incas, the name of the longest mountains in the world sounds. This is the Andean Cordillera or just the Andes.

The length of this mountain range is not comparable to any other on the planet. The Andes stretched for a record 9 thousand kilometers. They start at the Caribbean Sea and reach Tierra del Fuego.

The highest peak of the Andean Cordillera is Mount Akonkagau. It rises exactly 6962 meters. By the way, there are places where the Andes are 500 kilometers wide, but the maximum width of the mountain system is 750 kilometers. This value is registered in the Central Andes, in the Andean Highlands.

However, most of the Andean Cordillera is occupied by a plateau called Puna. It has a very high snow line. It reaches 6500 meters, but the average height of the mountains is about 4000 meters.

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

The mountain range has finished being formed by the uplift of rocks, as a result of which huge folds of stone have advanced to an impressive height. By the way, this process is still going on. Sometimes in the Andes there are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The longest mountains in the world are also the largest inter-oceanic watershed. The famous Amazon River, as well as its tributaries, originates in the Andean Cordillera. In addition, the tributaries of other major rivers in South America - the Parana, Orinoco and Paraguay - begin here. The mountains serve as a climatic barrier for the mainland, 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, unlike the southern slopes, up to ten thousand millimeters of precipitation falls annually. Consequently, the landscape in different parts is radically different.

According to the relief, the longest mountains in the world are divided into three regions. These are the southern, northern and central Andes. The Ecuadorian Andes, the Caribbean Andes and the Northwest Andes belong to the North. The main Cordilleras are divided by the depressions of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers. And there are many volcanoes. For example, Huila grew to 5750 meters, Ruiz to 5400 meters, and the current Kumbal rises to 4890 meters.

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

A volcanic target with the highest volcanoes hit the Ecuadorian Andes. What is worth only one Chimborazo with a height of 6267 meters. No less giant Cotopaxi breathes 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 with a height of 6769 meters.

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 Medcedario with a height of 6770 meters. The snow line in this part reaches 6 thousand meters.

Diverse and wonderful

The Andes is a unique natural place. The longest mountains on the planet are extraordinarily picturesque. And each country that the mountain system crosses has its own zest. 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 Northwestern Andes are covered with humid tropical and equatorial forests. There are ficuses, bananas, palm trees, cocoa trees, bamboos, creepers. However, there are numerous moss swamps and lifeless rocky spaces. Well, everything above 4500 meters is already eternal ice and snow. By the way, the Andes is the birthplace of coca, cinchona, tobacco, tomatoes and potatoes.

No less interesting is the animal world of the Andes. There are alpacas, llamas, chain-tailed monkeys, as well as pudu deer, gaemal, relic spectacled bears, vicuñas, sloths, blue foxes, chinchillas, hummingbirds. 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 treat

The Andes, with the exception of difficult and remote areas, are not at all an untouched nature reserve. Literally every piece of land here is cultivated by local residents. But still, for most tourists, the road to the Andes means the same thing as "leaving" from modernity. The local way of life, which has been preserved for centuries, helps to return to the past.

Travelers will immediately catch the eye of a patchwork of crops that cover the mountain slopes. And its color changes from dark green to golden. Tourists are invited to move along the old Indian trails, where sometimes, however, they will have to stop to miss a herd of goats, sheep or guanacos. And no matter how many times the Andes are visited, for the first or hundredth, nature will never leave you indifferent.

Unforgettable will be meetings with local residents. You can talk to them both in their language and with gestures. However, some mountain dwellers are not very willing to engage in dialogue. In the event that a contact resident is caught, it will not be bad to look at his lifestyle. Huts here are made of raw bricks, people sometimes live without electricity, and draw water from a nearby stream.

Well, hiking in the mountains is not quite reminiscent of mountaineering. These are most likely walks along steep trails. But they also need to be done only by well-trained and absolutely healthy people with special equipment.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

In fact, we will not talk about one mountain at all, but about a whole mountain system called the Andes (Andean Cordillera). 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 that have been obtained by scientists, the beginning of the formation of the Andes refers 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 of the Andes is still going on.

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

Since the Andes stretch over almost the entire continent, both soil and vegetation cover are extremely diverse. So, here you can find plants such as palm trees, ficuses, bananas, evergreen shrubs, cacti, lichens, etc. In a word, 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 incredible 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 problems. 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, such situations are rare. The environment is also polluted due to various factories in close proximity to the Andes. Another important problem is that tropical rainforests are being cut down to plant rubber and coffee trees in the vacated areas, which support the economy of states.

Speaking of agriculture. The cultivation of coffee, barley, bananas and potatoes is most developed here. Maize, wheat and quinoa (an annual crop eaten by the local Indian community) are grown at high altitudes, cocoa, sugar cane, and tropical fruits grow well on wet slopes. Plants imported from European countries have also taken root well, including some citrus fruits, olives and grapes.

Animal husbandry is well developed, but its main direction is sheep breeding. The Indians breed llamas. Fishing is underdeveloped.

The longest mountain range in the world is the Andean Cordillera or simply the Andes. From the Inca language, this short word is translated as 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 the incredible scale, the Andes are famous as the birthplace of plants that have dramatically 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. The highest peak of the mountain range is Mount Aconcagua (6962 meters). In the Andean Cordillera there are places where the width of the mountain range stretches for 500 kilometers, and the maximum width of the mountain system is 750 kilometers. The longest mountains in the world serve as the largest inter-oceanic divide.

The Andes are extremely diverse and picturesque. And each country that the mountain system crosses has its own zest. 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 Northwestern Andes are covered with humid tropical and equatorial forests. Here there are ficuses, bananas, palm trees, cocoa tree, bamboos, creepers. However, there are numerous moss swamps and lifeless rocky spaces. Well, everything above 4500 meters is already eternal ice and snow.

Top of the Andes - Mount Aconcagua (6962 meters)

No less interesting is the animal world of the Andes. Exotic alpacas, llamas, chain-tailed monkeys, as well as pudu deer, relic spectacled bears, vicuñas, sloths, blue foxes, chinchillas and hummingbirds are found here.

Usually people are used to judging mountains by height, but mountain systems and ranges can also be compared by length. Here, with a huge advantage, the Cordillera will lead, which stretch from north to south almost across the entire continent of America, located on the territories of a dozen and a half states. The longest mountains in the world are 18,000 kilometers long. That part of the Cordillera, which is located in South America, is also called the Andes, which are put at the head of this list.

1. Andes (9000 km)

The Andes or Cordilleras of South America are exactly half the length of the Cordilleras. Passing along the western coast of South America, the Andes cross the territories of seven countries. Geographers distinguish between the Northern, Central and Southern Andes, located in different climatic zones, so they have very different fauna and flora. The Andes, like a high impregnable barrier, protect the mainland from wet fronts, constantly brought by westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean.
In the Andes there are a lot of minerals, and places with fertile soil. Therefore, local residents are engaged in the extraction of oil, iron, copper, silver and gold, while others specialize in agriculture, growing wheat, barley, corn, grapes, olives and bananas. High in the mountains, llamas and alpacas are bred on farms. But the abundance of the mining industry causes serious environmental problems: soil erosion, water pollution, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions. All this is the price for the generosity of the Andes, which gave the inhabitants of South America so much wealth. In general, the situation with the environment is not so critical yet, but if such a policy is maintained, it is only a matter of time.

The greatness and extraordinary beauty of the mountains leaves few people indifferent. Sometimes snow-covered ridges inspire fear, sometimes they fascinate, inspire, beckon...

2. Transantarctic mountains (8105 km)

The Transantarctic Mountains look completely different, which are not even easy to see from the side due to the many kilometers of ice covering them. This mountain range, passing through the entire mainland, divides Antarctica into eastern and western parts. It includes separate mountain systems, divided into smaller ridges.
The Transantarctic Mountains are much older than the other mountains of Antarctica, which are mostly of volcanic origin. In the era of the formation of the West Antarctic Rift located to the east, tectonic uplift led to the formation of a ridge, and this was in the early Cenozoic - about 65 million years ago. Geologists still cannot figure out the structure of these mountains. It is only known that layers of coal lie in their upper layers, but no one is even thinking about its extraction at the moment - firstly, it is too expensive, and secondly, the special status of Antarctica does not allow.
Although the lion's share of the mountains of the Transantarctic Range is covered with eternal ice, there is a corner - the Dry Valleys, in which there is no ice or snow at all. This is a variant of the Antarctic desert, which receives almost no rainfall.

3. Rocky Mountains (4830 km)

For residents of the United States, the Rocky Mountains have become one of the natural symbols of the country - also part of the Cordillera, but in North America. They pass through Canada and the United States. The flora and fauna of the Rocky Mountains is not inferior in diversity to the Ural Mountains. In the distant past, indigenous people already settled in this area - the Indians, who were engaged in gathering, hunting, and equipped their settlements. With the advent of Europeans, man began to actively interfere in the existing ecosystem, which led to its significant impoverishment.
In the Rocky Mountains there are huge reserves of a wide variety of minerals, the extraction of which was often carried out barbarically. After the impoverishment of the deposits, abandoned mines and toxic waste remained here. But now the situation is gradually changing - the governments of both countries have begun to develop measures to eliminate the negative consequences of resource extraction, so the mountains have hope for the restoration of natural diversity.
The Rocky Mountains are extremely picturesque. People come here to go fishing, go skiing, enjoy the views of nature. The best ski resorts in the USA are located here, national parks and reserves are organized everywhere, including the famous Yellowstone.

4. Great Dividing Range (3244 km)

This mountain range, composed of volcanic rocks, limestones and granites, is not very picturesque. For Australia, where it is located, it is more important as a source of minerals than a tourist attraction. The mining of coal, gas, oil and gold flourishes here. On the slopes of local mountains are the sources of many rivers, on which dams and hydroelectric power stations are built. Although the Great Dividing Range has mainly industrial uses, Australians have also established several national parks on its territory. And the Blue Mountains, which are part of it, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Mountains are not in vain called one of the most grandiose creations of nature, they have always fascinated and delighted people. This is not surprising, high ...

5. Kunlun (3000 km)

One of the largest mountain systems in Asia is the Kunlun Mountains, located in China. They stretch from the Pamirs to the Sino-Tibetan mountains, bypassing Tibet from the north. In these mountains are the sources of many large rivers, including Yurunkash (White Jade River) and Karakash (Black Jade River). The Kunlun Mountains originated about 250 Ma (Late Triassic) when the Laurasia continent collided with the Cimmerian Plate, which also led to the disappearance of the ancient Paleotethys Ocean.
Even in ancient times, caravan routes were laid along the transcendental passes of the Kunlun, connecting China with India and Tibet. Along the northern slope of the Kunlun, the southern Silk Road passed from Dunhuang, heading through the pass to the Pamir plateau. Currently, there are only three roads in these mountains, and in 2006 Kunlun was connected to Tibet by the Kunlunshankou Tunnel.
Due to the lack of heat and moisture, as well as poor soils, the Kunlun flora is scarce - mainly wild cereals and various types of wormwood grow here. In some places, at altitudes of 3500-4000 m, there are forests of tree-like juniper and Tien Shan spruce. Of the animals here, mainly rodents and ungulates are represented, but sometimes there are also wolves, foxes, snow leopards.

6. Appalachians (2400 km)

In the east of North America across Canada and the United States are the Appalachian Mountains. To the north of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers lie the Northern Appalachians, which are a hilly plateau with separate massifs, for example, Mount Washington (1916 m), traces of ancient glaciation are visible on them. The axis of the Southern Appalachians consists of parallel massifs and ridges separated by valleys.
Coal, gas, oil, titanium, iron ore are mined here. The mountains are overgrown with coniferous, broad-leaved and mixed forests. They arose in the Permian period as a result of the formation of the mainland Pangea.
Geomorphologically, the Appalachians consist of two parts. The most ancient are the mountains of New England (Northern Appalachians), which have now turned into a fairly flat plateau 400-600 m high, among which rise rare ridges and blocky massifs. Later, the Southern Appalachians arose (the era of the Hercynian folding), so they still retain a more diverse relief.

On our planet, only 14 mountain peaks have a height of more than 8000 meters. Most of the peaks are located in the Himalayas and are known to everyone under the name "laqu...

7. Himalayas (2330 km)

Between the Tibetan Plateau located to the north and the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the south is the highest mountain system of the planet - the Himalayas. They are located on the territory of 5 Asian countries. The name of the mountains has Sanskrit roots - “himalaya” is translated as “the kingdom of snows” or “gentle abode”.
There are also many minerals in the Himalayas: copper, chromium, arsenic ores, gold placers. In the intermountain basins and in the foothills, reserves of brown coal, gas, oil, rock and potash salt have been explored.
The best climbers of the world come to the Himalayas, whose cherished goal is to conquer the local eight-thousanders. There are peaks here that have not yet been conquered by man.

8. Atlas Mountains (2092 km)

This mountain system is located in northwestern Africa, stretching from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to the coast of Tunisia through Algeria. Initially, only the mountains in medieval Mauritania, which are now located in the center and western side of the Atlas Mountains, were called the Atlas Mountains. Mountains separate the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts from the inland Sahara desert.
Different parts of the Atlas Mountains lie in different climatic zones - tropical and subtropical. The predominantly Arab population lives here. On the tops of the northern mountains, there are traces of the ancient glaciation that came here, the Sahara Range passes through the desert, in which there are flowering oases, rivers and salt lakes. In the west and north of the mountains, up to about 800 m, the vegetation resembles typical Mediterranean forests of cork oak and evergreen shrubs. In the south and in the interior, the climate is arid, so only more drought-resistant cereal species, wormwood and feather grass have survived here.

Seamounts, in contrast to land, are a separate rise of the underwater bottom and are characterized by clearly defined peaks or peaks ...

9. Ural Mountains (2000 km)

The Ural Mountains stretch from north to south of Eurasia, naturally dividing it into two continents - Europe and Asia. The beauty of the Urals is confirmed by almost all the people who were lucky enough to visit there. Here is an incredibly picturesque and diverse nature, which just asks to be captured in pictures or paintings. Especially good are the local lakes, scattered throughout the Urals. Every year, lovers of this quiet hunting come to fish, and just to relax in the bosom of such a magnificent and healing nature.
Since the time of Peter the Great, the Ural Mountains have been a pantry with inexhaustible reserves of minerals. Here, for the first time in Russia, gold was found, as well as various semi-precious stones: jasper, malachite, amethyst, emerald and many others. In the Urals, logging bases produce a lot of industrial timber.

10. Altai Mountains (1847 km)

From the Turkic dialects, the word "Altai" is translated as "Golden Mountains". Indeed, there are not so many places on our planet that are so abundant in natural resources, clear waters and amazing landscapes. The system of ridges included in the Altai Mountains is distributed over the territory of 4 countries: Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and China. Altai nature is incredibly generous - the purest lakes, rapids of mountain rivers, alpine meadows and an endless sea of ​​coniferous forests - all this forever fascinates and is imprinted in memory.
UNESCO has included in its World Heritage List a significant part of the Altai Mountains, called "Altai - Golden Mountains": Altai and Katunsky reserves, the Ukok plateau, Belukha mountain and Lake Teletskoye. There are over 300 caves here. The Altai mountains have an incredibly diverse flora and fauna. On its relatively small territory, most species of Asian vegetation, as well as Kazakhstan and the European part of Russia, grow. Depending on the height of the mountains, here you can see taiga, steppe, mountain tundra, and alpine meadows.

Hands to Feet. Subscribe to our group

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 the Caribbean Sea to Tierra del Fuego. The highest mountain of this mountain range is Akonkagau (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 Puna plateau. There is a very high snow line here, which reaches 6500 m, and the average height of the mountains is 4000 m.

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

Andean education

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

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

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 annually. As a result of the length, the landscape parts differ significantly from each other.

According to the relief, the Andes are divided into three regions: central, northern, southern. The Caribbean Andes and the Ecuadorian Andes, the Northwestern Andes belong to the Northern Andes. The main Cordilleras are separated by depressions of 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 Cumbal - 4890 m.

Volcanoes of the Andes

The Ecuadorian Andes include a high volcanic chain with the highest 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.