Andes << AN deez >> Mountains are a group of mountain ranges in South America. The Andes are the world’s longest cordillera—Spanish for mountain chain—above sea level. They extend for about 4,500 miles (7,200 kilometers) along the west coast of South America, from Cape Horn, Chile, in the south to Panama and Venezuela in the north. The Andes are about 400 miles (645 kilometers) wide across their widest part, in Bolivia. Many Andean peaks rise higher than 20,000 feet (6,100 meters). Only the Himalaya of Asia are higher than the Andes.
Physical features.
The Andes may be divided into three segments—southern, central, and northern.
The southern Andes are less than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) high near the tip of South America. Farther north, the southern Andes rise higher. Aconcagua (22,841 feet, or 6,962 meters) is the highest peak in the Americas. It stands in Mendoza, Argentina, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) west of Santiago, Chile.
The central Andes are broad twin ranges running from northwest to southeast. Between these ranges lies the Altiplano, a highland plateau region, of southern Peru and western Bolivia. This section of the Altiplano is about 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level. Farther north, the two ranges draw closer together. The highest peaks of the central Andes include Pissis (22,241 feet, or 6,779 meters), Huascarán (22,205 feet, or 6,768 meters), Llullaillaco (22,057 feet, or 6,723 meters), Illampu (21,276 feet, or 6,485 meters), Sajama (21,463 feet, or 6,542 meters), Illimani (21,004 feet, or 6,402 meters), Chimborazo (20,702 feet, or 6,310 meters), and Cotopaxi (19,347 feet, or 5,897 meters).
The northern Andes have three parallel mountain ranges with a lower altitude than the cordillera’s other segments. The western range runs along the coast through Colombia and into Panama. The central range stands between the valleys of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers. It includes the Tolima volcano (17,110 feet, or 5,215 meters). The third range, to the east, runs into Venezuela. Many mountain peaks in the northern Andes reach 15,000 feet (4,570 meters) or more. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain in northern Colombia has the two highest peaks in the northern Andes, Bolívar and Colón, both 18,947 feet (5,775 meters) high.
Volcanoes and earthquakes.
Many Andean mountains are volcanoes, and some are active. The most famous of these volcanoes are Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, and Sangay in Ecuador; Nevado del Ruiz and Nevado del Huila in Colombia; El Misti in Peru; Pomerape in Bolivia; Parinacotoa and Chaitén in Chile; and Ojos del Salado in Argentina. Ojos del Salado is the tallest volcano in the world, measuring 22,664 feet (6,908 meters).
Earthquakes are common in the Andes. They have caused great damage and even wiped out many towns.
Glaciers, lakes, and rivers.
Glaciers cover many high Andean peaks, including those near the equator. The largest glaciers are in southern Chile. Others reach down to the Pacific Coast. Many of the glaciers in the southern Andes have cut deep valleys into the rocky coastline. These fiords go far below the water level and make the coastline ragged, like Norway’s. Many deep inlets and rocky islands dot the coastline. Such rivers as the Guayas and the Esmeraldas flow into the Pacific Ocean through gaps in the mountains. Many more rivers in the Andes flow toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Many of the Amazon River’s main tributaries rise on the Andes’ eastern slopes. The Paraná and Orinoco rivers also receive tributaries from the Andes. Rainfall is light on the western slopes of the Andes, except in the Chocó region, north of the equator in western Colombia, and in the Araucanía region of southern Chile.
Between the two ranges of the central Andes in Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina, water from the Altiplano does not flow to the Atlantic or the Pacific. Instead, it collects in Lake Titicaca and, when water levels are high enough, flows into the ephemeral Lake Poopó. An ephemeral lake usually is dry but has water during the wet season or for certain periods.
Natural resources.
The name Andes may come from Spanish explorers’ descriptions of the andenes (terraced farms) that they saw in the mountains. The name may also come from the indigenous (native) word anta, meaning copper. The mountains contain an abundance of copper. The Andes also contain gold, iron, lead, mercury, platinum, silver, and tin.
Many kinds of wild animals live in the mountains, including bears, chinchillas, condors, cougars, deer, and vicuñas (animals that look like small camels without a hump). Tame llamas and alpacas graze in the central Andes in high grasslands called jalca, puna, or páramos. Below the grasslands, farmers have removed many cloud forests (forests almost constantly covered by clouds). They have created large terraces and irrigation systems, and they grow such crops as corn, potatoes, and wheat.
Transportation.
Passes in the Andes Mountains are narrow, steep, and winding. The mountains are so high and rise so sharply that they divide the continent into Pacific and Atlantic South America.
It is difficult to build railroads in the Andes. Engineers may climb more than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) to find a pass suitable for a railroad. Several railroads run up the west slope to the rich mineral beds on the plateaus of Peru and Bolivia. One of these, the Central Railway, climbs to over 15,800 feet (4,816 meters) above sea level. It is the highest standard-gauge railroad in the world.
In Peru, a paved highway runs from Callao, on the west coast, to Cerro de Pasco, over 100 miles (160 kilometers) inland. From there, an all-weather road continues down a deep canyon in the eastern Andes to a branch of the Amazon River. Other highways lead over the Andes into the eastern lowlands. One of these highways, the Yungas Road in Bolivia, is called the “Road of Death” because it is the site of so many fatal accidents. The Pan American Highway extends along the entire length of the Andes cordillera from north to south.
Flying provides another important means of travel in the Andes. Regular flights link capital cities in the Andes with national capitals elsewhere. Large passenger airplanes fly through foggy Uspallata Pass to connect Santiago, Chile, with Mendoza, Argentina. The pass is 12,674 feet (3,863 meters) above sea level.
