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The Andes or Andean Mountains are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The Andes also has the 2nd most elevated highest peak of any mountain range, only behind the Himalayas. The range’s elevation throughout the mountains is an average of about 4,000 m. The Andes mountain range was formed over 45 million years ago. They were formed by tectonic activity whereby the Earth is uplifted as one plate (oceanic crust) lifts another plate (continental crust) by going under it and creating this giant mountain range. This process did not happen overnight, as researchers claim that uplift started about 25 million years ago, with the process still continuing to the present day!
The range is 7,000 km long and 200 to 700 km wide, with an average height of around 4000 m, it occupies more than 2,500,000 km2. On the Pacific coastline, there is mainly sandy land no wider than 80km, extending from the volcanic mountain ranges to the Pacific coastline. Areas, where rivers provide enough water, develop very productive oases, and the main cities and harbors are placed there. The climate on the coast is arid with high temperatures and very little rainfall. The Andes Mountains observe a cool-to-cold climate with rainy summers and very dry winters. The eastern lowlands present an equatorial climate with hot weather and rain distributed all year long. The temperatures of the biomes around the Andes Mountains vary from place to place. In Colombia, it is wet and warm, with an average temperature of 17°C. In Ecuador, it is very warm in the deserts, with an average temperature of 20°C, and stays that temperature throughout Peru, until you get to Bolivia. The climate of the Andes is known to change drastically in rather short distances. Rainforests exist just miles away from the snow-covered peak of Cotopaxi. The mountains have a large effect on the temperatures of nearby areas. The landscape in the central Andes Mountains, near the border between Chile and Argentina, is dominated by volcanoes and associated landforms. In the Andes, there are about 600 different species of mammals, 600 species of reptiles, 1,700 birds, and 400 fish. Some of these include chinchilla, alpaca, llama, spectacled bear, wood lizards, Andean condor, antpitta, Andean goose, Andean catfish, and Orestias. There are also tons of different plants that you can find there, but the three most common are Polylepis (tree), cactus, and wild potatoes.
The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The latitude of the Andes is -32.338200, and the longitude is -70.051575. The southern section is rainy and cool, the central section is dry, and the northern sections are typically rainy and warm.
The oldest-known evidence of humans living at extremely high altitudes has been unearthed in the Peruvian Andes, archaeologists say. The evidence includes a rock shelter with traces of Ice Age campfires, rock art, and an open-air workshop with stone tools and fragments that are located nearly 14,700 feet (4,500 meters) above sea level and were occupied roughly 12,000 years ago. The discovery suggests that ancient people in South America were living at extremely high altitudes just 2,000 years after humans first reached the continent. In terms of European conquest, the Andes were likely first discovered by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca Empire in modern Peru in 1532. Before that, the first Amerindians were traced back 12,000 years ago. The oldest human remains found in the Americas were found on the west coast of Peru, near the Andes.
The Andes play a vital part in national economies, providing large agricultural areas, mineral resources, water for agriculture, hydroelectricity, domestic use, and some of the largest business centers in South America. However, some of the region’s poorest areas are also located in the mountains. The region is highly diverse in terms of landscape, biodiversity including agro‐biodiversity, languages, peoples, and cultures. The Andes, covering 33% of the area of the Andean countries, are vital for the livelihoods of the majority of the region’s population and the countries’ economies. However, increasing pressure, fueled by growing population numbers, changes in land use, unsustainable exploitation of resources, and climate change, could have negative impacts on the ecosystem. There is no one who has ownership over the Andes, it is also a tourist attraction. There is a dispute in the Andes about the overpopulation in that area and the lack of resources that comes with this overpopulation. To achieve sustainable development, policy action is required, regarding the protection of water resources, responsible mining practices, and adaptation to climate change.
The future of the Andes is looking bright as its people are asking for certain policies to be applied to help them sustain themselves. Some of these policies include: protecting mountain ecosystems to safeguard water supplies, promoting agricultural production in mountain areas by building on local knowledge and local native products while improving food security and protecting biodiversity, implementing climate change adaptation actions for mountain regions across regional, national, and local policies, and transforming current mining methods with responsible mining codes. As explained in the previous paragraph, overpopulation is lowering sustainability in the Andes. Also, something noted in the earlier paragraphs, the tectonic movement in the plates has been going on for about 25 million years, and this process still continues to this very day.
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