Andes

The Andes (/ˈændiːz/ AN-deez Ananta), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (Spanish: Cordillera de los Andes; Quechua: Anti) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is 8,900 km (5,500 mi) long and 200 to 700 km (120 to 430 mi) wide (widest between 18°S and 20°S latitude) and has an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The Andes extend from south to north through seven South American countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Along their length, the Andes are split into several ranges, separated by intermediate depressions. The Andes are the location of several high plateaus—some of which host major cities such as Arequipa, Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, El Alto, La Paz, Mérida, Santiago and Sucre. The Altiplano Plateau is the world's second highest after the Tibetan Plateau. These ranges are in turn grouped into three major divisions based on climate: the Tropical Andes, the Dry Andes, and the Wet Andes.

The Andes are the highest mountain range outside of Asia. The range's highest peak, Argentina's Aconcagua, rises to an elevation of about 6,961 m (22,838 ft) above sea level. The peak of Chimborazo in the Ecuadorian Andes is farther from the Earth's center than any other location on the Earth's surface, due to the equatorial bulge resulting from the Earth's rotation. The world's highest volcanoes are in the Andes, including Ojos del Salado on the Chile–Argentina border, which rises to 6,893 m (22,615 ft).

The Andes are also part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of the Americas and Antarctica.

The etymology of the word Andes has been debated. The majority consensus is that it derives from the Quechua word anti "east" as in Antisuyu (Quechua for "east region"), one of the four regions of the Inca Empire. Others suggest that it is in fact from the word anta (meaning copper) of the older Aymara language.

The term cordillera comes from the Spanish word cordel "rope" and is used as a descriptive name for several contiguous sections of the Andes, as well as the entire Andean range, and the combined mountain chain along the western part of the North and South American continents.

The Andes mountain range, the longest continental mountain system in the world, extends approximately 7,000 km (4,300 mi) along the western edge of South America, spanning seven countries. Its width varies from 200 km (120 mi) to 700 km (430 mi), encompassing a series of parallel cordilleras, high plateaus, and deep intermontane valleys. Prominent peaks such as Aconcagua at 6,961 metres (22,838 feet) in Argentina, Huascarán at 6,768 metres (22,205 feet) in Peru, and Illimani 6,438 metres (21,122 feet) in Bolivia illustrate the extreme elevations and rugged relief that define the range.

The Andes encompass a wide variety of climatic and ecological zones, ranging from humid cloud forests on the eastern slopes to the arid high plains of the Altiplano and the glaciated summits of the southern Andes. These sharp environmental gradients have strongly influenced human settlement and the development of major highland cities such as Bogotá, Cusco, La Paz and Quito.