The+Andes+Mountains

Andes Mountains

One of the largest mountain ranges in the world is the Andes Mountains, running along South America's west side. It’s different terrain includes, volcanoes, grasslands, deserts, lakes and forests. The mountains are home to many different kinds of wildlife, including chinchillas and condors. You can also find pre Colombian archaeological sites. From Venezuela in the north, the range passes through, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. The Andes Mountains are one of the tallest and longest mountain ranges in the world. The Andes run along the west coast of the continent, north to south and stretches 4500 miles. The elevations of the Andes mountains is 22,838’, the mountain range is 7000 kilometers (4300 miles) long, the highest point is Aconcagua and the area is 1.301 million square miles. The climate is not the same throughout the biome because there are areas closer to the equator than others. The Andes are naturally divided into three regions, the southern, central and northern regions. The northern region is the hottest because it’s closest to the equator. There rainforest in the region because of the more humid, rainy climate. In the southern region, the mountains are closer to the Antarctic, so it’s much colder. The southern region is not heavily populated. In the central region the weather is more mild because it’s not near the equator nor the Antarctic. The largest species of bromeliad plant, puya raimondii, also known as the queen of the Andes, grows in the region and can survive in high elevations. Many of the plants that grow in the Andes are small in size to conserve energy. The leaves are strong to protect them for the frost and cold weather. The Andes also supply many birds with homes like, the flamingo, Andean flicker, the condor, and the hillstar hummingbird to name a few. The Andes are also home to many land animals such as the mountain lion, bears, alpacas and llamas. The giant toad and Andean iguana are some examples of indigenous reptiles. The Andean iguana is one few lizards found in the cold climate. The Andes mountains are hurt by humans because they cut down trees which shelter many unique Andean animals. Men also mine for silver, gold and copper which then erodes the soil and hurts the plants of the Andes.