The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world. It is a range of highlands along the coast of Latin America. This range is about 7,000 km long, about 200 km to 700 km wide, and of an average height of about 4,000 m. The Andes extends from the north to the south through seven Latin American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated by depressions. The Andes is the location of several high plateaux – some of which have major cities such as Quito, Bogotá, Arequipa, Sucre and La Paz. The Altiplano plateau is the world’s second-highest following the Tibetan plateau. Many of the high peaks are snow-capped – Nevados – are these high snow-covered peaks and they are often associated with Indigenous deities – Apus – and pantheism. Altiplano is a plateau of high altitude in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes range.
The Andes is the world’s highest mountain range outside of Asia. The highest peak, Mount Aconcagua, rises to an elevation of about 6,962 m above sea level. The top of Chimborazo in the Andes is farther from Earth’s center than any other location on Earth’s surface, due to the equatorial bulge resulting from Earth’s rotation.