You met mountains in Mountains, Hills and Valleys. The world's great ranges are long chains of mountains, and their highest peaks are the roof of the world.
Key idea
The Himalayas in Asia hold Mount Everest, 8,849 m, the highest mountain above sea level. The Andes in South America are the longest range on land, more than 7,000 km. Know the Rockies, Alps, Urals and Atlas Mountains too.
| Range | Continent | High point |
|---|---|---|
| Himalayas | Asia | Mount Everest, 8,849 m (Nepal and China) |
| Andes | South America | Aconcagua, 6,961 m (Argentina), the highest outside Asia |
| Alaska Range | North America | Denali, 6,190 m (its federal name has been Mount McKinley since 2025; Alaska and many others call it Denali) |
| Kilimanjaro (a single volcano) | Africa | 5,895 m (Tanzania), the highest in Africa |
| Rocky Mountains | North America | Mount Elbert, Colorado |
| Alps | Europe | Mont Blanc, on the France-Italy border |
| Ural Mountains | Europe and Asia | Low and old; they mark part of the Europe-Asia line |
| Atlas Mountains | Africa | Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia |
Why it works
The highest ranges are young mountains where two of Earth's plates push together. The Himalayas are still rising as the plate carrying India presses into the rest of Asia, and the Andes rise where the Pacific seafloor dives under South America. Old ranges such as the Urals and the Appalachians have been worn down for hundreds of millions of years, so they are lower and rounder. (Earth & Space explains plates in detail.)
Worked example: Comparing heights
How much higher is Everest than Aconcagua?
- 8,849 − 6,961 = 1,888.
Answer: About 1,890 m higher.
Common mistake
Thinking the highest mountains are near the poles because it is cold there. Height comes from plates pushing together, not from latitude: Everest is at about 28° N, and Kilimanjaro is only about 3° south of the equator. Cold comes from height: the higher you go, the colder it gets, so even equator peaks can have snow.