Wanderlust World Wanderlust World No, the Andes and the Rocky Mountains are distinct ranges on separate continents. The Andes run along South America's western coast, while the Rockies stretch north-south across western North America. Although both are part of the broader American Cordillera—a continuous sequence of mountain ranges forming the western backbone of the Americas—they are separated by thousands of kilometers and different tectonic settings. The Andes arise from oceanic-continental subduction, whereas the Rockies formed largely from continental collision and uplift. They are not a single continuous chain.