Andes facts for kids

This page is about the mountain range in South America. For other uses, see Andes (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Andes Mountains
Spanish: Cordillera de los Andes
An aerial view of the Andes between Santiago in Chile and Mendoza, Argentina with a large ice field on the southern slope of San José volcano (left), Marmolejo (right), and Tupungato (far right)
Highest point
Peak	Aconcagua (Mendoza, Argentina)
Elevation	6,961 m (22,838 ft)
Dimensions
Length	8,900 km (5,500 mi)
Width	330 km (210 mi)
Geography
Map of South America showing the Andes running along the entire western part (roughly parallel to the Pacific coast) of the continent
Country	Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia Ecuador Peru Venezuela
Range coordinates	32°S 70°W / 32°S 70°W / -32; -70

"Cono de Arita" in the Puna de Atacama, Salta (Argentina)

Aconcagua

The Andes Mountains (also called the Andes or Andean Mountain Range) are the longest mountain range on land in the world. They stretch along the entire western side of South America. This amazing mountain chain is about 8,900 kilometers (5,500 miles) long. It is usually between 200 and 700 kilometers (120-430 miles) wide. The Andes reach an average height of about 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). These mountains pass through seven countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

The Andes are made up of many smaller mountain ranges. These are separated by lower areas. You can find several high, flat areas called plateaus here. Important cities like Bogotá and La Paz are built on some of these plateaus. The Altiplano Plateau is the second highest in the world, after the Tibetan Plateau. The Andes are also divided into three main climate zones: the Tropical Andes, the Dry Andes, and the Wet Andes.

Outside of Asia, the Andes are the highest mountains. The tallest peak is Aconcagua in Argentina, reaching about 6,961 meters (22,838 feet) high. Did you know that the top of Chimborazo in Ecuador is the farthest point from the Earth's center? This is because the Earth bulges out a bit at the equator. The Andes also have the world's highest volcanoes. One example is Ojos del Salado, which is 6,893 meters (22,615 feet) tall. It sits on the border between Chile and Argentina.

The Andes are part of an even bigger system called the American Cordillera. This is a long chain of mountains that forms the western "backbone" of both North and South America, and even Antarctica.

What's in a Name?

The name Andes might come from the Quechua word anti, which means "east." This is like Antisuyu, the "east region" of the Inca Empire. Some people think it comes from the older Aymara language word anta, meaning "copper."

The word cordillera comes from the Spanish word cordel, meaning "rope." It describes a long, continuous chain of mountains, like the Andes.

Where are the Andes Located?

Aerial view of Valle Carbajal in the Tierra del Fuego. The Andes range is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) wide, but in Bolivia, it can be about 640 kilometers (400 miles) wide.

The Andes Mountains can be divided into three main parts:

The Southern Andes are in Argentina and Chile. They are south of the Llullaillaco volcano.
The Central Andes are found in Bolivia and Peru.
The Northern Andes are in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. This part of the Andes splits into three branches.

Sometimes, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in Colombia are also considered part of the Northern Andes.

How the Andes Mountains Formed

The Andes are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is an area around the Pacific Ocean where many volcanoes and earthquakes happen. The Andes formed because huge pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, crashed into each other. Over millions of years, the Nazca Plate and the Antarctic Plate slid underneath the South American Plate. This process, called subduction, pushed the land upwards. It created the towering mountains we see today.

The rise of the Andes also affected the weather. It created a "rain shadow" on the western side, leading to very dry areas like the Atacama Desert. This dryness actually helped the mountains grow even taller. The Andes are bordered by large flat areas to the east, like the Amazon Basin. To the west, they meet the Pacific Ocean. These mountains also hold a lot of iron ore.

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

The movement of these giant plates still causes many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This happens along the entire western coast of South America. Some of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded have happened here. For example, the 1960 Valdivia earthquake was the most powerful one measured.

The number and strength of earthquakes change along the mountain range. This depends on how the plates rub against each other. Some areas have many small earthquakes. Other areas might have fewer, but much stronger, earthquakes.

Sol de Mañana, an area in Bolivia with active fumaroles and geysers

This photo from the ISS shows the high plains of the Andes Mountains with a line of young volcanoes

The Andes have many active volcanoes. These are grouped into four main areas. The volcanoes are a direct result of the Earth's plates pushing together. This creates hot melted rock, called magma, that rises to the surface. Each volcano can be different in how it erupts and what it produces.

Valuable Resources in the Andes

The Andes Mountains are rich in valuable natural resources. They have huge deposits of ores and salt. Countries like Chile and Peru are the world's top exporters of copper. This copper formed from hot liquids deep inside the Earth. The dry climate in some parts of the Andes helped preserve these deposits.

You can also find large salt flats, called "salars," in the Andes. The Salar de Atacama is the biggest source of lithium in the world. The Salar de Uyuni holds the largest reserves of this element. Historically, areas like Cerro Rico de Potosí in Bolivia were famous for their huge silver deposits. Today, Bolivia mainly produces tin.

Climate and the Mountains

The climate in the Andes is closely linked to the weather in South America. For example, the very dry Atacama Desert next to the mountains is a result of the Andes' formation. The mountains block moisture, creating a "rain shadow." This lack of rain also affected how the mountains grew over time. It helped them spread out more to the east.

A Look at Andean History

Long ago, the Andes Mountains were home to hunter-gatherers. Over time, people learned to farm and built amazing civilizations. The most famous was the Inca Empire in the 15th century. The Incas were powerful and built impressive things like aqueducts and roads. Some of these structures are still standing today.

In the 16th century, Spanish explorers arrived. They faced challenges like diseases and internal conflicts within the Inca Empire. A small group of Spaniards, led by Francisco Pizarro, along with thousands of allies from nations the Incas had conquered, defeated the Incas in 1532. One famous Inca city the Spanish never found was Machu Picchu. It remained hidden high in the mountains. Today, the main languages spoken by Andean peoples are Quechua and Aymara language.

Later, in the 19th century, the Andes became a battleground. People fought a series of independence wars to break free from Spanish rule. Many former Spanish lands became independent Andean countries.

Weather and Water in the Andes

Central Andes

Bolivian Andes

The weather in the Andes changes a lot. It depends on how far north or south you are, how high up you go, and how close you are to the ocean. As you go higher, the temperature, air pressure, and humidity all drop. The southern Andes are cool and rainy. The central part is very dry. The northern Andes are usually warm and rainy, with an average temperature of 18°C (64°F) in Colombia.

The weather can change quickly over short distances. You might find rainforests just a few kilometers from snow-covered peaks like Cotopaxi. The mountains greatly affect the temperatures of nearby areas. The line where snow stays all year round, called the snow line, also changes. It's very high in the tropical Andes (around 4,500-4,800 meters or 14,800-15,700 feet). It gets lower as you go further south, reaching only 300 meters (980 feet) in Tierra del Fuego.

The Yungas region between Bolivia and Peru, part of the tropical Andes

In the dry central Andes of Chile and Argentina, you'll see more rock glaciers than ice glaciers. This is because of the strong sunlight. Even in the highest mountains, which are nearly 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) tall, conditions can be semi-arid. This means they are quite dry.

Plants of the Andes

Laguna de Sonso tropical dry forest in the Northern Andes

The Andes Mountains stretch across many different natural areas. This means they have a huge variety of plants. You can find everything from Caribbean-like areas in Venezuela to cold, wet places near Cape Horn. Sadly, many rainforests and dry forests that once covered the northern Andes have been cut down.

About 30,000 different kinds of vascular plants grow in the Andes. Roughly half of these plants are found nowhere else in the world! This makes the Andes a very special place for plant life. One important plant is the Cinchona pubescens tree. It's a source of quinine, which is used to treat malaria. Other important crops that first grew in the Andes include tobacco and potatoes.

High up in the Andes, you can find Polylepis forests. These trees grow at altitudes of up to 4,500 meters (14,800 feet) above sea level. It's not clear if these forests were always spread out in patches, or if people started clearing them long ago. Today, these trees are highly endangered. Some believe only 10% of the original forests remain.

Animals of the Andes

A male Andean cock-of-the-rock, a species found in humid Andean forests and the national bird of Peru

Herds of llamas in the Bolivian Andes

The Andes are home to an incredible variety of animals. They are the most important region in the world for amphibians, with almost 1,000 species. About two-thirds of these amphibians are found only here. The Andes also have nearly 600 species of mammals, over 1,700 species of birds, more than 600 species of reptiles, and almost 400 species of fish. Many of these animals are unique to the Andes.

You can see vicuñas and guanacos living on the Altiplano. Their relatives, the llama and alpaca, are raised by local people. They are used as pack animals and for their meat and wool. The chinchilla, a small rodent, lives in the high mountain areas. The Andean condor, the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere, soars over much of the Andes.

Lake Titicaca is home to several unique animals. These include the highly endangered Titicaca flightless grebe and the Titicaca water frog. Many different kinds of hummingbirds live in the Andes, especially in the humid "cloud forests" at lower altitudes. These forests are rich in plants and animals. You might spot the threatened mountain tapir, spectacled bear, and yellow-tailed woolly monkey there.

People and Life in the Andes

The Andes Mountains have shaped cultures for thousands of years. The Inca civilization grew very strong in the central Andes during the 15th century. They managed their empire carefully, building amazing aqueducts and roads. Some of these ancient structures are still used today.

Frederic Edwin Church, Heart of the Andes, 1859.

After the Spanish arrived, the Incas faced difficult times. In 1532, a small Spanish army, with the help of many local allies, defeated the Incas. One of the few Inca sites the Spanish never found was Machu Picchu. It remained hidden high on a mountain peak. The main languages still spoken by Andean peoples are Quechua and Aymara language.

Major Cities in the Andes

Today, some of the largest cities in the Andes include Bogotá (with over ten million people), Santiago, Medellín, Cali, and Quito. Lima is a large coastal city near the Andes and is the biggest city in all Andean countries.

La Paz, Bolivia's seat of government, is the highest capital city in the world. It sits at about 3,650 meters (11,980 feet) high. Parts of La Paz, like El Alto, go up to 4,200 meters (13,800 feet).

Other important cities in or near the Andes include Mendoza in Argentina, Cochabamba in Bolivia, Arequipa in Peru, Cuenca in Ecuador, and Mérida in Venezuela.

Major cities in the Andes
La Paz, Bolivia, the world's highest capital city.
Quito, Ecuador
Bogotá, Colombia
Santiago, Chile

Getting Around the Mountains

Main cities and large towns are connected by paved roads. Smaller towns often have dirt roads, which might need a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Building highways and railroads across the Andes has always been very difficult and expensive because of the rough terrain. Many people travel by aircraft.

There is one railroad that connects Chile with Peru through the Andes. Other railroads connect Chile through southern Bolivia. Bolivia also has several highways that cross the Andes. Some of these were built during a war with Paraguay to move troops and supplies.

For many decades, Chile claimed land on the eastern side of the Andes. These claims were given up around 1870 during a conflict between Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. As a result, Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific Coast and has been landlocked ever since.

In some high mountain areas, villages are still quite remote. Travel by motorized vehicles is difficult. Here, relatives of the camel, like the llama and alpaca, are still important pack animals. Donkeys, mules, and horses are also very helpful.

Farming in the Andes

Peruvian farmers sowing maize and beans

Ancient peoples in the Andes, like the Incas, used irrigation for over 6,000 years. Because of the steep mountain slopes, they built terraces to create flat areas for farming. This was especially important for the Inca Empire to feed its growing population.

The potato is a very important food crop in the Andes. Maize (corn) was also crucial and used to make chicha, a traditional drink. Today, tobacco, cotton, quinoa, and coffee are major crops grown for export. Coca is also grown for legal local use in a mildly stimulating herbal tea.

A quinoa field in the Bolivian altiplano

In areas without irrigation, most land is used for grazing animals. During the rainy summer, some grazing land is used to grow crops like potatoes, barley, and wheat. Irrigation helps farmers plant crops earlier, which provides food when it's scarce. It also allows them to grow crops like onions and carrots in the dry winter.

Mining for Riches

Chilean huasos, 19th century

The Andes became famous for their rich minerals when the Spanish arrived in South America. While Andean peoples already made jewelry from gold, large-scale mining began with the Spanish. Potosí in Bolivia and Cerro de Pasco in Peru were major mines for the Spanish Empire. The names Río de la Plata and Argentina even come from the silver found in Potosí.

Today, mining in the Andes of Chile and Peru makes these countries the top producers of copper in the world. Peru also has the fourth-largest goldmine globally, called Yanacocha. The Bolivian Andes mainly produce tin, though silver mining was very important in the past. The Andes also have a huge supply of lithium. Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile hold the three largest reserves of lithium in the world.

Mining in the cold, high Andes can be challenging for workers and machinery. There are also concerns about how mining affects glaciers and the environment.

Tallest Peaks of the Andes

Here are some of the major peaks in the Andes Mountains. The highest of them all is Aconcagua in Argentina.

Argentina

The Aconcagua, Argentina, the highest mountain in the Americas

Aconcagua, 6,961 meters (22,838 feet)
Cerro Bonete, 6,759 meters (22,175 feet)
Galán, 5,912 meters (19,396 feet)
Mercedario, 6,720 meters (22,047 feet)
Pissis, 6,795 meters (22,293 feet)

On the Border of Argentina and Chile

Fitz Roy in the Patagonia region between Argentina and Chile

Cerro Bayo, 5,401 meters (17,720 feet)
Cerro Fitz Roy, 3,375 meters (11,073 feet) or 3,405 meters (11,171 feet), Patagonia, also known as Cerro Chaltén
Cerro Escorial, 5,447 meters (17,871 feet)
Cordón del Azufre, 5,463 meters (17,923 feet)
Falso Azufre, 5,890 meters (19,324 feet)
Incahuasi, 6,620 meters (21,719 feet)
Lastarria, 5,697 meters (18,691 feet)
Llullaillaco, 6,739 meters (22,110 feet)
Maipo, 5,264 meters (17,270 feet)
Marmolejo, 6,110 meters (20,046 feet)
Ojos del Salado, 6,893 meters (22,615 feet)
Olca, 5,407 meters (17,740 feet)
Sierra Nevada de Lagunas Bravas, 6,127 meters (20,000 feet)
Socompa, 6,051 meters (19,852 feet)
Nevado Tres Cruces, 6,749 meters (22,142 feet) (south summit)
Tronador, 3,491 meters (11,453 feet)
Tupungato, 6,570 meters (21,555 feet)
Nacimiento, 6,492 meters (21,299 feet)