Major mountain ranges in the world

A mountain range is a group of mountains and massifs located close together usually in a line. Mountain ranges are found throughout the world and are mostly formed because of tectonic activity. Let’s take a look at the major mountain ranges in the world and some interesting facts about them.

Major mountain ranges in the world

The Himalayas

Countries	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Pakistan	Mount Everest (8,848.86 m), Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Lhotse (8,516 m)	2,400 km

• The Himalayas are perhaps the most famous of all mountain ranges. These mountains were formed when the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate.
• The Himalayan mountain range is home to the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest (8,848.86 m).
• It is one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. It began forming 40-50 million years ago.

• The Himalayan mountain range is divided into three parallel subranges – the Sivalik Hills, the Lower Himalayan Range, and the Greater Himalayas.
• The Himalayas are the source of three major rivers of the Indian subcontinent – the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, and the Indus.

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The Alps

Countries	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy, Monaco, Liechtenstein	Mont Blanc (4,805.59 m), Monte Rosa (4,634 m), Dom (4,545 m)	1,200 km

• The Alps is a famous mountain range that lies entirely in Europe. It was formed after the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.

• Grenoble in France is the largest city in the Alps. It is also known as the “capital of the Alps“.

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The Rocky Mountains

Countries	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
United States and Canada	Mount Elbert (4,401.2 m), Mount Massive (4,398 m), Mount Harvard (4,395.6 m)	4,800 km

• Rocky mountains were formed 80-55 million years ago.
• The Rockies are subdivided into 4 subranges – the northern Rockies, the Middle Rockies, the southern Rockies, and the Canadian Rockies.
• These mountains are very sparsely populated with a population density of only about 4 people per square kilometer.

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The Andes

Countries	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela	Aconcagua (6,961 m), Ojos del salado (6,893 m), Monte Pissis (6,793 m)	7,000 km

• The Andes is the highest mountain range outside of Asia. It is also the longest mountain range on Earth above water.
• The highest peak of the Andes, Aconcagua (6,961 m) located in Mendoza, Argentina is the highest peak outside Asia.

• Ojos del Salado in the Andes is the highest active volcano in the world. It is a stratovolcano and has an elevation of 6,893 meters.
• The summit of Chimborazo (6,263.47 m) is the farthest point on the Earth’s surface (even farther than Everest because of the equatorial bulge).

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The Atlas

Countries	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia	Toubkal (4,167 m), Ouanoukrim (4,089 m), M’Goun (4,071 m)	2,500 km

• Perhaps not as well known as the other mountain ranges on this list, Atlas is a 2,500 km long mountain range in Northern Africa.
• These mountains were once home to the extinct Barbary lion and the Atlas bear.

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Sierra Nevada

Country	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
United States	Mount Whitney (4,421 m), Mount Williamson (4,383 m), North Palisade (4,343 m)	approximately 650 km

• Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the US states of California and Nevada.
• Mount Whitney is the highest mountain of the Sierra Nevada range. It is also the highest mountain in the contiguous US. It stands at 4,421 m (14,505 ft).
• Sierra Nevada is one of the youngest mountain ranges on Earth. It began forming roughly 40 million years ago.

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The Western Ghats

Country	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
India	Anamudi (2,695 m), Meesapulimala (2,640 m), Doddabetta (2,637 m)	1,600 km

• Western Ghat is the second-highest mountain range in India. It runs along the western coast of India for about 1,600 kilometers.
• A biodiversity hotspot, the western ghats provide safe haven to many threatened species like the Indian elephant, Nilgiri Tahr, Indian leopard, Nilgiri marten, etc.
• The mountain range is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

(Also read: Highest mountains in the world – the eight-thousanders)

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Ural mountains/Urals

Country	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
Russia and Kazakhstan	Mount Narodnaya (1,894 m), Mount Karpinsky (1,878 m), Mount Yamantau (1,640 m)	2,500 km

• Though not very high, the Urals are a long chain of mountains that stretch for 2,500 kilometers.
• A major portion of the Urals act as the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.
• Ural mountains stretch from the Arctic Ocean in the North to the northwestern regions of Kazakhstan crossing the Ural river.

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The Southern Alps

Country	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
New Zealand	Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,724 m), Mount Tasman (3,497 m), Mount Dampier (3,440 m)	500 km

• The Southern Alps is a mountain range on the South Island of New Zealand. The range runs for approximately 500 kilometers.
• In Maori, the range is known as “Kā Tiritiri o te Moana” meaning “the Mirage of the ocean”.

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Appalachian Mountains

Country	Top 3 highest peaks	Length
United States and Canada	Mount Mitchell (2,037 m), Mount Craig (2,026 m), Clingman’s Dome (2,025 m)	approximately 3,200 km

• Appalachian Mountains are a mountain range in North America located primarily in the United States with some part in Canada.
• These mountains are the oldest in the continent of North America with some estimates saying they are are over 500 million years old.
• America’s most popular National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the Great Smoky Mountains which is a subrange of Appalachian mountains.

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Quick question

The equator passes through….?

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Read more

• Types of mountains | Fold mountains, Volcanic mountains, etc.
• Amazing facts about the Himalayan mountain range (the Himalayas)
• 10 major mountain ranges in India | subranges | destinations

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Answer to quick question

The equator passes through Brazil. The tropic of cancer passes through India.