Longest Mountain Range: The Andes

The Andes: World's Longest Continental Mountain Range

The Andes stretch ~7,000 km (4,300 mi) along South America's western edge—from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, to Argentina.

Comparison

• Andes: 7,000 km (longest continental range).
• Rocky Mountains: ~4,800 km (North America).
• Mid-Atlantic Ridge: ~16,000 km but submarine (divergent plate boundary), not a continental range.
• Himalayas: ~2,400 km (highest, not longest).

Andes Highlights

• Highest peak: Aconcagua (6,961 m / 22,838 ft) – highest outside Asia.
• Volcanoes: Many active (Cotopaxi, Ojos del Salado).
• Altiplano: High plateau (Lake Titicaca).
• Biodiversity: Extreme vertical zonation (tropical to glacial).