The Andes is South America's longest mountain range, forming a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. It is over 7,000 km (4,400 miles) long, 500 km (300 miles) wide in some parts (widest between 18° to 20°S latitude), and of an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000 ft).

The Andean range is composed principally of two great ranges, the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental, often separated by a deep intermediate depression, in which arise other chains of minor importance, the chief of which is Chile's Cordillera de la Costa. Other small chains arise on the sides of the great chains. The Cordillera de la Costa starts from the southern extremity of the continent and runs in a northerly direction, parallel with the coast, being broken up at its beginning into a number of islands and afterwards forming the western boundary of the great central valley of Chile. To the north this coastal chain continues in small ridges or isolated hills along the Pacific Ocean as far as Venezuela, always leaving the same valley more or less visible to the west of the western great chain. The mountains extend over seven countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, some of which are known as Andean States. One theory says the name Andes comes from the Quechua word anti, which means "high crest". Another theory says that the name Andes derived from the Spanish word "andén" which means terrace in reference to the cultivation terraces used by the Incas and other related peoples.

The Andes mountain range is the highest mountain range outside Asia, with the highest peak, Aconcagua, rising to 6,962 m (22,841 ft) above sea level. The summit of Mount Chimborazo in the Ecuadorean Andes is the point on the Earth's surface most distant from its center, because of the equatorial bulge. The Andes cannot match the Himalayas in height but do so in width and are more than twice as long.

Name

The name for the mountain range, Andes, may be Old Spanish shorthand for "Andenes" or "Andenerías": Some attribute the origin of the name to one of the four regions of the Inca empire, or Anti(s).

Physical features

Geology

The Andes fundamentally are the result of plate tectonics processes, caused by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate. The boundary between the two plates is marked by the Peru-Chile oceanic trench. The descending Nazca plate is young and buoyant lithosphere, which resists subduction, causing a lot of earthquakes. The formation of the Andes began in the Jurassic period. It was during the Cretaceous Period that the Andes began to take their present form, by the uplifting, faulting and folding of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks of the ancient cratons to the east. Tectonic forces along the subduction zone along the entire west coast of South America where the Nazca Plate and a part of the Antarctic Plate are sliding beneath the South American Plate continue to produce an ongoing orogenic event resulting in minor to major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to this day. In the extreme south a major transform fault separates Tierra del Fuego from the small Scotia Plate. Across the 1,000 km wide Drake Passage lie the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula south of the Scotia Plate which appear to be a continuation of the Andes chain.

The Andes range has many active volcanoes, including Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world.

The Andes can be divided into three sections: the Southern Andes in Argentina and Chile; the Central Andes, including the Chilean and Peruvian cordilleras; and the northern section in Venezuela, Colombia, and northern Ecuador consisting of two parallel ranges, the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Oriental. In Colombia, north to the border with Ecuador, the Andes split in three parallel ranges, western, central and eastern. (cordillera occidental, central y oriental). The eastern range is the only that extends to Venezuela. The term cordillera comes from the Spanish word meaning 'rope'. The Andes range is approximately 200–300 km wide throughout its length, except in the Bolivian flexure where it is 640 km wide. The islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, which lie in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela, represent the submerged peaks of the extreme northern edge of the Andes range.

Climate

The climate in the Andes varies greatly depending on location, altitude, and proximity to the sea. The southern section is rainy and cool, the central Andes are dry. The northern Andes are typically rainy and warm, with an average temperature of 18 °C in Colombia. The climate is known to change drastically. Tropical rainforests exist just miles away from the snow covered peak, Cotopaxi. The mountains have a large effect on the temperatures of nearby areas. The snow line depends on the location. It is at between 4,500–4,800 m in the tropical Ecuadorian, Colombian, Venezuelan, and northern Peruvian Andes, rising to 4,800–5,200 m in the drier mountains of southern Peru south to northern Chile south to about 30°S, then descending to 4,500 m on Aconcagua at 32°S, 2,000 m at 40°S, 500 m at 50°S, and only 300 m in Tierra del Fuego at 55°S; from 50°S, several of the larger glaciers descend to sea level (Google Earth/World Wind images).

Plant and animal life

Tropical rainforests and rainforests encircle the northern Andes. The cinchona, a source of quinine which is used to treat malaria, is found in the Bolivian Andes. The high-altitude Polylepis forests are present in the Andean areas of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The trees, Queñua, Yagual and other names that local people use to call them, can be found at altitudes of 4,500 m above sea level. Once abundant, the forests began disappearing during the Incan period when much of it was used for building material and cooking fuel. The trees are now considered to be highly endangered with only 10% of the original forests remaining .

The llama can be found living at high altitudes, predominantly in the Peru and Bolivia. The alpaca, a type of llama, is raised for its wool. The nocturnal chinchilla, an endangered member of the rodent order, inhabits the Andes' alpine regions. The South American condor is the largest bird of its kind in the Western hemisphere. Other animals include the huemul, cougar, camelids and, for birds, the partridge, parina, huallata, and coot. Llamas and cougars play important roles in many Andean cultures.

The people

The Inca Empire developed in the northern Andes during the 1400s. The Incas formed this civilization through careful and meticulous governmental management. The government sponsored the construction of aqueducts and roads, some of which, like those created by the Romans, are still in existence today. The aqueducts turned the previously scattered Incan tribe into the agricultural and eventually militaristic masters of the region.

Devastated by deadly European diseases to which they had no immunity, the Incas were conquered by an army of 180 men led by Pizarro in 1532. One of the few Inca cities the Spanish never found in their conquest was Machu Picchu, which lay hidden on a peak on the edge of the Andes where they descend to the Amazon. The main surviving languages of the Andean peoples are those of the Quechua and Aymara language families.

Mountaineering/Surveying

Woodbine Parish and Joseph Barclay Pentland surveyed a large part of the Bolivian Andes from 1826 to 1827.

Transportation

The people of the Andes are not well connected to urban regions. Due to the arduous terrain, vehicles are of little use. People generally walk to their destinations, using the llama as their primary pack animal.

Agriculture

The ancient peoples of the Andes such as the Incas have practiced irrigation techniques for over 6,000 years. Because of the mountain slopes, terracing has been a common practice. Maize was an important crop for these people. Currently, tobacco, cotton and coffee are the main export crops. The potato holds a very important role as an internally consumed crop.

Mining

Mining is quite prosperous in the Andes, with iron, gold, silver and copper being the main production minerals. The Andes are reputed to be one of the most important sources of these minerals in the world.

Peaks

This is a partial listing of the major peaks in the Andes mountain range—

Argentina

• Aconcagua, 6,962 m
• Cerro Bonete, 6,759 m (not 6,872 m)
• Galán, 5,912 m (not 6,600 m)
• Mercedario, 6,720 m
• Pissis, 6,795 m (not 6,882 m)

Argentina/Chile border

• Cerro Bayo, 5,401 m
• Cerro Chaltén, 3,375 m or 3,405 m, Patagonia, also known as Cerro Fitz Roy
• Cerro Escorial, 5,447 m
• Cordón del Azufre, 5,463 m
• Falso Azufre, 5,890 m
• Incahuasi, 6,620 m
• Lastarria, 5,697 m
• Llullaillaco, 6,739 m
• Maipo, 5,264 m
• Marmolejo, 6110 m
• Ojos del Salado, 6,893 m
• Olca, 5,407 m
• Sierra Nevada de Lagunas Bravas, 6,127 m
• Socompa, 6,051 m
• Nevado Tres Cruces, 6,749 m (south summit) (III Region)
• Tupungato, 6,570 m
• Nacimiento, 6,492 m

Bolivia

• Ancohuma, 6,427 m
• Cabaray, 5,860 m
• Chacaltaya, 5,421 m
• Huayna Potosí, 6,088 m
• Illampu, 6,368 m
• Illimani, 6,438 m
• Macizo de Larancagua, 5,520 m
• Macizo de Pacuni, 5,400 m
• Nevado Anallajsi, 5,750 m
• Nevado Sajama, 6,542 m
• Patilla Pata, 5,300 m
• Tata Sabaya, 5,430 m

Bolivia/Chile border

• Acotango, 6,052 m
• Cerro Minchincha, 5,305 m
• Irruputuncu, 5,163 m
• Licancabur, 5,920 m (there is no "6,620 m Lincancaur" in Argentina)
• Olca, 5,407 m
• Parinacota, 6,348 m
• Paruma, 5,420 m
• Pomerape, 6,282 m

Chile

• Monte San Valentin, 4,058 m (Patagonia)
• Cerro Paine Grande, c. 2,750 m (Patagonia) (not 3,050 m)
• Cerro Macá, c.2300 m (Patagonia) (not 3,050 m)
• Monte Darwin, c.2500 m (Patagonia)
• Volcan Hudson, c.1900 m (Patagonia)
• Cerro Castillo Dynevor, c.1100 m (Patagonia)
• Mount Tarn, c.825 m (Patagonia)

Colombia

• Galeras, 4,276 m
• Nevado del Huila, 5,365 m
• Nevado del Ruiz, 5,321 m
• Ritacuba Blanco, 5,410 m
• Snow Mountain of Quindio, 5,215 m

Ecuador

• Antisana, 5,753 m
• Cayambe, 5,790 m
• Chimborazo, 6,268 m
• Corazón, 4,790 m
• Cotopaxi, 5,897 m
• El Altar, 5,320 m
• Illiniza, 5,248 m
• Pichincha, 4,784 m
• Quilotoa, 3,914 m
• Reventador, 3,562 m
• Sangay, 5,230 m
• Tungurahua, 5,023 m

Peru

• Alpamayo, 5,947 m
• Carnicero, 5,960 m
• El Misti, 5,822 m
• El Toro, 5,830 m
• Huascarán, 6,768 m
• Jirishanca, 6,094 m
• Pumasillo, 5,991 m
• Rasac, 6,040 m
• Rondoy, 5,870 m
• Sarapo, 6,127 m
• Seria Norte, 5,860 m
• Siula Grande, 6,344 m
• Yerupaja, 6,635 m
• Yerupaja Chico, 6,089 m

Venezuela

• Pico Bolívar, 4,981 m
• Pico Humboldt, 4,940 m
• Pico La Concha, 4,870 m
• Pico Piedras Blancas, 4,740 m

Browse the Dictionary

Andes, mountain system, more than 5,000 mi (8,000 km) long, W South America. The ranges run generally parallel to the Pacific coast and extend from Tierra del Fuego northward, across the equator, as the backbone of the entire continent. The Falkland Islands are a continuation of the Andes, and evidence shows that the system is continued in Antarctica. The Andes go through seven South American countries—Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Geology and Geography

A geologically young system, the Andes were originally uplifted in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. They are still rising; volcanoes and earthquakes are common. The folded ranges are discontinuous—merging and bifurcating within the system—but as a whole they form one of the world's most important mountain masses. They are loftier than any other mountains except the Himalayas, with many snowcapped peaks more than 22,000 ft (6,700 m) high. Andean waters reach the Orinoco, the Amazon, and the Río de la Plata.

Far south in Tierra del Fuego, the mountains run east and west, then turn north between Argentina and Chile. The westernmost of the mountains run into the sea, lining the coast of S Chile with islands. In the Patagonian Andes are high, glacier-fed lakes in both Argentina and Chile.

The highest range of the Andes is on the central and northern Argentine-Chilean border; Aconcagua (22,835 ft/6,960 m; highest mountain of the Western Hemisphere) and Tupuncato are there. Between the peaks is Uspallata Pass, the route of the former Transandine Railway, with the Christ of the Andes. Other major peaks such as Llullaillaco flank the main range, and in N Chile sub-Andean ranges enclose the high, cold Atacama Desert.

The central Andes broaden out in Bolivia and Peru in multiple ranges (c.400 mi/640 km wide) with high plateau country (the altiplano) and many high intermontane valleys, where the great civilization of the Inca had its home. High in the mountains on the Peru-Bolivia border is Lake Titicaca. In Bolivia are the notable volcanoes, Illimani and Illampú, and in S Peru is El Misti. The western or coastal range in Peru has lofty peaks (notably Huascarán) and is crossed by the highest railroad of the Andes (from La Oroya to Lima).

The ranges approach each other again in Ecuador, where the N Andes begin. Between two volcanic cordilleras (including the cloud-capped Chimborazo and Cotopaxi) are rich intermontane basins. In Colombia the Andes divide again, the western range running between the coast and the Cauca River, the central between the Cauca and the Magdalena rivers, and the eastern running north parallel to the Magdalena River, then stretching out on the coast into Venezuela. The Andes continue in some of the islands of the West Indies, and in Panama N Andean spurs connect with the mountains of Central America and thus with the Sierra Madre and the Rocky Mts.

People and Economy

The plateaus and valleys of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia have been peopled since remote times and saw the rise of not only the Inca and the Chibcha but some of the earliest native civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. Today the Quechua and Aymara tribes are the main indigenous inhabitants of the Andes. Agriculture was the basis of these cultures (the native llama and alpaca were domesticated later), and the lands there are still tilled mainly for subsistence crops. Because of a scarcity of water, however, agriculture is difficult. Tobacco, cotton, and coffee are grown and exported. Copper, silver, tin, iron, and gold are mined, and petroleum has been found. Pack trails are the most efficient means of communication in the Andes. Although there is some rail passage through the mountains, the inhabitants of the Andes do not depend on trains for the maintenance of their economy. Certain Andean areas have developed a tourist trade.

Andes

noun:   a mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast
name:  A surname (rare: 1 in 100000 families; popularity rank in the U.S.: #8973)