What is the Longest Mountain Range in the World
A mountain range is an area that contains a number of related mountains in close proximity. Although a mountain range may appear to be somewhat uniform they are often made up of different types of mountains. There are mountain ranges on every continent on the planet. The largest mountains on Earth, including Mount Everest, are a part of a mountain range. Most people are familiar with the mountain ranges on the surface of the Earth, but there are also many underwater mountain ranges as well. Let’s find out which mountain range is the longest on the planet.
What is the longest mountain range?
The longest mountain range in the world is the Mid-Ocean Ridge, which is a continuous underwater mountain range that is 65,000 km (40,389 mi) long. The Mid-Ocean Ridge can be found in every major ocean of the world. The following map shows this ridge with the major sections named:
The longest mountain range on the surface of the planet is the Andes. This mountain range runs from north to south along the western coast of South America. Parts of the Andes are found in seven different countries on the continent. It is about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long and about 500 km (310 mi) wide. The highest peak in the range is Mount Aconcagua at 6,962 m (22,841 ft). The Andes is the second highest mountain range in the world, after the Himalayas. Amazingly, the Himalayan mountain range has more than 100 mountain peaks higher than Mount Aconcagua, but is far shorter than the Andes!
The following is a relief map of South America that clearly shows the Andes on the west of the continent:
The second longest mountain range in the world is the Rocky Mountains located in the west of the North American continent. It is about 4,800 km (3000 mi) long and stretches from British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the United States.
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