The mountainous system of South America with cold or polar climate is the Cordillera de Los Andes. It is the longest mountain range on earth. It is part of the territories of Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Colombia.
It is the highest mountain system in South America. It is more than 7000 km long, more than 300 km wide (except in Bolivia, which is 640 km wide) and an average height of 4000 meters.
The Andes is the highest mountain range after the Himalayas, in Asia. Its highest peak is Aconcagua, located in Argentina, with a height of 6690 meters above sea level.
Main features
The system is divided into three broad categories: from south to north, it includes the southern Andes formed by the Chilean, Fuegian and Patagonian mountain ranges.
The central Andes include the Peruvian mountain ranges, and the northern Andes include the Ecuadorian, Colombian and Venezuelan mountain ranges, also called the Caribbean mountain range.
geology
The Andes Mountains are the result of the movements of the tectonic plates that occurred during the Jurassic, and it was during the Cretaceous period that the Andes began to take its current shape.
The tectonic processes that have been generated in the Andes have remained until today. The system remains volcanically active and is subject to devastating earthquakes.
Weather
The relief is what determines the climate of the region; therefore, there is from a torrid climate at the foot of the Andes, to a polar climate on the snowy peaks of the mountain range.
Temperature can change dramatically from one country to another. As in other mountainous areas of the world, there is a great variety of microclimates, which are very localized climatic conditions.
These microclimates are generated as a result of the interaction of appearance, exposure to winds, latitude, length of day, and other factors.
Fauna
The Andes provide a unique ecosystem with a rich diversity of species. Approximately two thirds of the Andean species are endemic to the region.
Of the 600 species of mammals that live in the region, 13% are endemic, as are 45% of the reptile species.
Around 1700 species of birds and 400 species of fish live in the mountains. Of these species, almost a third are endemic.
South American camelids stand out, the guanaco being the most widespread; it lives from Peru to Tierra de Fuego.
There is also the vicuña, which coexists with the llama and the alpaca. There is also the puma and species of foxes.
But the emblematic animal of the area is the condor of the Andes, which lives from Venezuela to the southern tip.
Flora
Its flora is characterized by mostly herbaceous steppe formations, although there are also small shrubs.
The great altitudes involve a series of climatic variables such as temperature, wind and dryness, among others, that determine what type of plants grow in the Andes.
Population
The human presence in this area is relatively recent; the oldest human remains that have been found are between 10,000 and 12,000 years old, although it is possible that it was inhabited much earlier.
The shortage of oxygen is so demanding from a physiological point of view that it imposes profound changes even in the cells of the body.
From Patagonia to the southern limits of the Bolivian altiplano, the Andes are sparsely populated; only small groups of shepherds and farmers live.
From Bolivia to Colombia the highest concentrations of population and most of the major cities are in the Andes. In Peru and Bolivia a significant number of the population lives at more than 3,000 meters.
About half of the Bolivian population is Aymara and speaks the Quechua language. The rest are Spanish-speaking mestizos.
The inhabitants of the Ecuadorian Andes are mainly Quechua and Mestizo. In Colombia only a small fraction of the population is indigenous; These inhabit the plateau of the Eastern mountain range, in the Central mountain range and in the southern mountains.
The areas of the coffee plantations, located between 900 and 2000 meters above sea level, are the most densely populated.
References
- Andes mountains. en.wikipedia.org
- Velasquez, Tulio. Stewart, Norman: Andes Mountains. britannica.com
- Venezuela Tuya: February 2001. google.co.ve
- Oishimaya Sen Nag, July 10, 2017. worldatlas.com
- Velázquez, Tulio; Stewart, Norman Andes Mountains, p. 2. britannica.com