Major Mountain Ranges of South America

1. The Andes

World's longest continental range (~7,000 km), along the western edge from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. Highest: Aconcagua (6,961 m). Subdivisions: Northern, Central, Southern Andes.

2. The Coastal Range (Chile)

Parallel to the Andes along the Pacific. Lower (1,000–2,000 m). Includes Cordillera de la Costa, Cordillera de Nahuelbuta.

3. The Brazilian Highlands

Eastern/central Brazil; plateaus and ranges (Serra do Mar, Serra da Mantiqueira). Highest: Pico da Bandeira (2,892 m).

4. The Guiana Highlands

NE South America (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, N. Brazil). Tepuis (table mountains). Highest: Mount Roraima (2,810 m).

5. The Patagonian Andes

Southern Chile/Argentina. Rugged, glaciated, fjord-cut. Highest: Monte San Valentín (4,058 m) / Cerro Fitz Roy (3,405 m).

Other notable: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia, isolated coastal range, 5,775 m), Venezuelan Andes (northern Andean extension).