World’s Top Ten Mountain Ranges

October 5, 2009

A chain of mountains separated from other mountains by valleys or a chain of mountains that expands continuously is called the mountain range. Individual mountains existing within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology. The following are the top 10 mountain ranges in the world.

1. The Andes

The world’s longest exposed mountain range is the Andes. They extend as a continuous chain of highland along the West Coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long, 200 km (120 mi) to 700 km (430 mi) wide (widest between 18° to 20°S latitude), and of an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000 ft).

2. The Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, otherwise called the Rockies are an important mountain range of North America. They stretch more than 4,800 kilometers from the northernmost part of British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the United States. Mount Elbert in Colorado at 14,440 feet above sea level is the range’s highest peak.

3. The Himalayan Range

The Himalayas or The Himalayan Range means the abode of snow. It is a mountain range in Asia and separates the Indian sub continent from the Tibetan plateau. The Himalayas also comprise The karakoram, the Hindu Kush and the smaller mountain ranges that extend out from the Pamir Knot. The Himalayas has some the world’s highest peaks namely Mount Everest and K2.

4. The Great Dividing Range

The Eastern Highlands or the Great Dividing Range is Australia’s most important mountain range which is the fourth longest in the world. It stretches more than 3,500 km (2,175 mi) from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland and runs through the entire Eastern strip through New South Wales and Victoria before merging with the central plain in Western Victoria.

5. The Trans Antarctic Mountains

On the Antarctic continent the three biggest mountain ranges are the Transantarctic Mountains (abbreviated TAM), the East Antarctic Ranges and the West Antarctic Ranges. The Transantarctic Mountains extends with some interruptions from Cape Adare in Northern Victoria Land to Coats Land. These mountains divide East and West Antarctica.

6. The Brazilian East Coast Range

The principal mountain ranges have elevations averaging less than 2,000 meters. The Serra do Espinhaço Range, the largest in area, extends through the south-central part of the country and the Serra Do Mar hugs the Atlantic Coast. The highest mountains are in the Tumucumaque, Pacaraima, and Imeri ranges, among others, which traverse the northern border with Venezuela and Guianas.

7. Java/Sumatra Mountain Ranges

On the islands of Java, Sumatra, Bali, Sulawesi and Seram there are mountains ranging between 3,000 and 3,800 meters above sea level. The tallest mountains in these places are located in the Jayawijaya Mountains and the Sudirman Mountains in Papua. The highest peak is Puncak Jaya also called the Mount Carstenz, which rises to 4,884 meters and is situated in the Sudirman Mountains.

8. The Tien Shan Mountain Ranges

The Tian Shan is a mountain range located in Central Asia. Lying to the West and North of the Taklamakan Desert, this mountain is seen in the border areas of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region of western China. In the south it merges with the Pamir Mountains. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Jengish Chokusu.

9. The Eastern Ghats

A discontinuous range of mountains along India’s eastern coast, the Eastern Ghats stretch from West Bengal in the North, through Orissa, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south. Four major rivers namely Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Kaveri cut through them.

10. The Altai Mountains

These mountains lie in Central Asia, where China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia come together and where rivers such as Ob and Irtysh have their sources. Their mean elevation is 1,500 to 1,750 m.