The high-altitude Polylepis forests and woodlands are found in the Andean areas of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. These trees, by locals referred to as Queñua, Yagual and other names, can be found at altitudes of 4,500 m (14,760 ft) above sea level.
What is Andes mountains known for?
The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world and boasts some of the highest peaks. The range is also known for its volcanoes, ruins of long-ago civilizations and the source of a malaria treatment.
Where are the Andean highlands?
Ecuador
Andean Highlands are a very scenic region in Ecuador. At an elevation of over 2,200 m (and often a lot more!), the Andean highlands offer a breathtaking natural experience.
What are the physical features of the Andean region?
Mountains & Highlands
There are hundreds of peaks more than 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) tall, many of which are volcanic. The highest peak in the Andes, Aconcagua, stands at 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) and straddles the Argentina-Chile border. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain outside Asia.
What are 5 facts about the Andes mountains?
10 Fascinating Facts About the Andes Mountains
- The Andes Mountains are so much more than just one mountain range.
- Most Andean peaks are volcanic.
- The world’s highest/largest/biggest etc is probably here.
- The Andes are a haven of biodiversity.
- The Andes is the source of the astounding Amazon River.
What are 3 facts about the Andes mountains?
Andes Mountains: Facts & Related Content
The summit of Mount Chimborazo in the Andes is the planet’s tallest point when measured from the Earth’s center. The Andes are the longest mountain chain in the world. Potatoes and tomatoes originated in the Andes.
What does the Andes mountains have?
The Andes Mountains are a series of extremely high plateaus surmounted by even higher peaks that form an unbroken rampart over a distance of some 5,500 miles (8,900 kilometres)—from the southern tip of South America to the continent’s northernmost coast on the Caribbean.
What were the 3 main Andean civilizations?
The Caral, Chavin, and Inca are considered the main Andean civilizations. For instance, at its height, the Inca Empire extended along the Western coast of South America.
What natural resources are available in the Andes mountains?
The principal minerals are copper in Chile and Peru; tin in Bolivia; silver, lead, and zinc in Bolivia and Peru; gold in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia; platinum in Colombia; bismuth in Bolivia; coal in Colombia; and iron in Chile, Peru, and Colombia.
What are the 4 Andean countries?
The Andean Community is a trade bloc of four countries – Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are associate members while Panama, Mexico, and Spain are Observers. The Headquarters of CAN are located in Lima, Peru.
What type of rocks are found in the Andes mountains?
The rocks run the gamut of sedimentary rocks, including: sandstones, siltstones, shales, limestones, and quartzites. Volumetrically and economically, Ordovician and Silurian shales and siltstones are probably the most important sequences (formed 500-440 million and 440-395 million years age, respectively).
What are two geographic features you find in the Andes mountains?
In southern Chile part of the cordillera descends beneath the sea and forms numerous islands. The Andes are studded with a number of volcanoes that form part of the Circum-Pacific chain known as the Ring of Fire. The Andes mountain system is the source of many rivers, including the Amazon and Pilcomayo.
What is the most common rock of the Andes mountains?
The Andesite derives its name from Andes mountain ranges, which possess a large number of andesite rocks. Besides this mountain range, the Cordillera mountain range of North and Central America houses these rocks too.
What plants grow in the Andes?
Agriculture in the lowlands is pretty developed in all the Andes, the main crops are: Cotton, Sugar Cane, Soya Beans, Coffee Beans, citric fruits like: Orange, Lime, Lemon, and Mandarin, some kind of tubers like: Walusa and Yucca, Coconut, Bananas, Mango Fruit, Coca Leaves, and much more.
Why are the Andes unique?
The longest mountain range in the world, the Andes form the spine of vibrant South America, running for 7,200 kilometres (4,500 miles) from frigid Patagonia to the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. Here the levels of geographic and ecosystem complexity have resulted in a unique flowering of life.
Are there trees in the Andes?
Growing at altitudes up to 5,000 metres (16,400ft), just below the Andes glaciers, the gangly but hardy polylepis is believed to be the planet’s highest-altitude tree, growing in the highest-altitude forest. The polylepis forest covers the high Andes mountain range linking Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Do the Andes contain gold and silver?
The Andes are also the greatest source of mineral wealth in the world. Andean mines account for more than 45 percent of the world’s copper production, nearly 30 percent of the silver pro- duction, significant amounts of lead, zinc, and gold, and an array of industrial minerals and chemicals.
What is the animal most typical of the Andes region?
The guanaco is one of the most common animals living in the Andes region. This camelid species (Lama guanicoe) is about 1.0 to 1.2 meters tall. Guanacos live in herds of females with their offsprings led by a dominant male. The male protects the group from intruders and threats.
Is the Andes mountains a desert?
The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains.
| Atacama Desert | |
|---|---|
| Borders | Central Andean dry puna, Chilean matorral, and Sechura Desert |
| Geography | |
| Area | 104,741 km2 (40,441 sq mi) |
| Country | Chile |
What does the Andes mountains cover?
The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The Andes mountain range, as seen from an airplane, between Santiago de Chile and Mendoza, Argentina, in summer.
Do the Andes mountains have glaciers?
In the Andes, the greatest number of glaciers is found along the border between Chile and Argentina (approximately 4,000). A smaller number are found in the Tropical Andes, which constitute more than 95 per cent of the world’s tropical glaciers (Vuille et al., 2008).