What is the longest mountain range in the world?
The Andes in South America are the longest continental mountain range, stretching about 7,000 kilometers. Underwater, the Mid-Ocean Ridge runs about 65,000 kilometers.
The Andes run along the western edge of South America, through seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Their highest peak, Aconcagua in Argentina, rises about 6,961 meters, the highest point outside Asia.
The Andes formed as the Nazca oceanic plate slid beneath the South American plate, pushing up mountains and creating many active volcanoes. The ancient Inca built their empire in these mountains, with cities like Cusco and Machu Picchu.
The longest range of all
If ranges under the sea are included, the Mid-Ocean Ridge is the longest by far. It winds through all the oceans like the seam of a baseball. Most of it lies deep underwater, but it rises above the surface in Iceland.
Did You Know?
The Himalayas are not the longest range, but they are the highest. They contain all of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, together with the nearby Karakoram range.