List of longest mountain chains in the world

The Andes range consist of hundreds of mountain peaks.

The world's longest above-ground mountain range is the Andes,^[1][2] about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long. The range stretches from north to south through seven countries in South America, along the west coast of the continent: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Aconcagua is the highest peak, at about 6,962 m (22,841 ft).

This list does not include submarine mountain ranges. If submarine mountains are included, the longest is the global mid-ocean ridge system which extends for about 65,000 km (40,000 mi).

Formation

Large mountain chains are typically formed by the process of plate tectonics. Tectonic plates slide very slowly over the Earth's mantle, a lower place of rock that is heated from the Earth's interior. Several huge sections of the earth’s crust are impelled by heat currents in the mantle, producing tremendous forces that can buckle the material at the edges of the plates to form mountains. Usually one plate is forced underneath the other, and the lower plate is slowly absorbed by the mantle. Where the two plates pass one another, heated rock from the mantle can burst through the crust to form volcanoes. The movement of the plates against one another can also cause earthquakes.

List

Rank	Range	Continent	Country	Coordinates	Approx. length	Approx. width	Max. elevation	Highest point
1	Andes	South America	Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia Ecuador Peru Venezuela	32°S 70°W / 32°S 70°W	7,000 km (4,350 mi)	500 km (300 mi)	6,962 m (22,841 ft)	Mount Aconcagua
2	Southern Great Escarpment	Africa [3][4][5]	Zimbabwe South Africa Swaziland Lesotho Namibia Angola	29°S 29°E / 29°S 29°E	5,000 km (3,100 mi)	300 km (200 mi)	3,482 m (11,424 ft)	Thabana Ntlenyana
3	Rocky Mountains	North America[6][7][8]	Canada United States	39°N 106°W / 39°N 106°W	4,800 km (3,000 mi)	300 km (200 mi)	4,401 m (14,440 ft)	Mount Elbert
4	Transantarctic Mountains	Antarctica[9][10][11]	Antarctica	84°S 166°E / 84°S 166°E	3,542 km (2,200 mi)	400 km (250 mi)	4,528 m (14,856 ft)	Mount Kirkpatrick
5	Great Dividing Range	Australia[12][13][14][15]	Australia	36°S 148°E / 36°S 148°E	3,059 km (1,900 mi)	650 km (400 mi)	2,228 m (7,310 ft)	Mount Kosciuszko
6	Himalayas	Asia[16][17][18]	Bhutan India Nepal Pakistan Afghanistan China Myanmar	27°N 86°E / 27°N 86°E	2,576 km (1,600 mi)	350 km (220 mi)	8,848 m (29,029 ft)	Mount Everest

See also

• List of mountain ranges
• List of mountains
• Continent

References

1. Andes Mountains by Alan W./Knapp Gregory. 1999 Retrieve 2002
2. Windows to Universe The Andes Mountains by: Julia Genyuk. Retrieve 17 November 2008
3. Encyclopædia Britannica “Great Escarpment” by: Encyclopædia Britannica(undated)
4. Encyclopædia Britannica Article The Great Escarpment of southern Africa: a new frontier for biodiversity by V. Ralph Clark, Nigel P. Barker and Laco Mucina Retrieve 2015
5. Biodiversity and Conservation]
6. USA tourist Rocky Mountain National Park by: Mike Leco(undated)
7. Tour Guide Article Rocky Mountain National Park by John William Uhler Retrieve 2007
8. Encyclopædia BritannicaRocky Mountains By Armand J. Eardley/Richard A. Marston
9. Antarctic Connection The Transantarctic Mountains(undated)
10. Aaron Martin TAM-The Transantarctic Mountains Retrieve 4/7/02.
11. Encyclopædia Britannica.Article-Online|Transantarctic Mountains Retrieve 22 march 2011
12. Australian Explorer Australian Travel Information - Great Dividing Range
13. Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia- Great Dividing Range 1998
14. Encyclopædia BritannicaGreat Dividing Range
15. Great Dividing Range The Columbia Encyclopedia, Retrieve 2008
16. Travel Himalayas The legendary majestic Beauty- Himalayan Mountain Range
17. Himalayan Mountain Himalaya, A dream for all explorers
18. Explore Himalayan Mountain Ranges of Himalayas

External links

• Longest mountain range in the world
• The Andes - Introduction
• Arranging Ranges: Mountain Ranges of the World