Important Mountain Ranges

in the World
General Knowledge
Major Mountain Ranges in the World
1=Pamir Mountains
• The Pamir Mountains are
• a range of mountains between Central Asia and Pakistan.
• They are located at a junction with other notable mountains,
• namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain
ranges.
• They are among the world's highest mountains.
Pamir Mountain
• Much of the Pamir Mountains lie
• in the Gorno-Badakhshan Province of Tajikistan.
• To the south, they border the Hindu Kush mountains along Afghanistan's Wakhan
Corridor
• in Badakhshan Province, Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
• To the north, they join the Tian Shan mountains along the Alay Valley of Kyrgyzstan.
• To the east, they extend to the range that includes China's Kongur Tagh, in the "Eastern
Pamirs",
• separated by the Yarkand valley from the Kunlun Mountains.
Pamir Mountain
Pamir Mountain
2= The Tian Shan
• The Tian Shan,
• also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too,
• meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven",
• is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia.
• The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at 7,439 metres (24,406 ft) high.
• Its lowest point is the Turpan Depression, which is 154 m (505 ft) below sea level.
• The Tian Shan is sacred in Tengrism.
• Its second-highest peak is known as Khan Tengri,
• which may be translated as "Lord of the Spirits".
• At the 2013 Conference on World Heritage,
• the eastern portion of Tian Shan in western China's Xinjiang Region was listed as a World
Heritage Site.
• The western portion in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan was then listed in 2016.
The Tian Shan and Global Warming
• Glaciers in the Tian Shan Mountains
• have been rapidly shrinking and have lost 27%, or 5.4 billion tons annually,
• of its ice mass since 1961 compared to an average of 7% worldwide.
• It is estimated that by 2050, half of the remaining glaciers will have melted.

• One of the first Europeans to visit and the first to describe

• the Tian Shan in detail was the Russian explorer Peter Semenov, who did so in the 1850s.
Location of The Tian Shan Mountain Range
• In China
• the Tian Shan starts from about 600 to 400 kilometres (370 to 250 mi) east of Ürümqi,

• north of Kumul City (Hami) with the Qarlik Tagh and the Barkol Mountains.

• Then the Bogda Shan (god mountains) run from 350 to 40 kilometres (217 to 25 mi) east
of Ürümqi.
Tian Shan Mountain
Location of The Tian Shan Mountain Range
3=Rockies
• Rocky Mountains,
• mountain range forming the cordilleran backbone of the great upland system
• that dominates the western North American continent.
• Generally, the ranges included in the Rockies stretch from northern Alberta and British
Columbia southward to New Mexico,
• a distance of some 3,000 miles (4,800 km).
• In places the system is 300 or more miles wide.
• Limits are mostly arbitrary, especially in the far northwest,
• where mountain systems such as the Brooks Range of Alaska are sometimes included.
• The Rockies are bordered on the east by the Great Plains
• and on the west by the Interior Plateau and Coast Mountains of Canada
• and the Columbia Plateau and Basin and Range Province of the United States.
The Rocky Mountains
• The Rocky Mountains include
• at least 100 separate ranges,
• which are generally divided into four broad groupings:
• the Canadian Rockies
• and Northern Rockies of Montana and northeastern Idaho;
• the Middle Rockies of Wyoming, Utah, and southeastern Idaho;
• the Southern Rockies, mainly in Colorado and New Mexico;
• and the Colorado Plateau in the Four Corners region of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.
• These four subdivisions differ from each other in terms of geology (origin, ages, and types of rocks)
• and physiography (landforms, drainage, and soils),
• yet they share the physical attributes of high elevations (many peaks exceeding 13,000 feet [4,000 metres]),
• great local relief (typically 5,000 to 7,000 feet in vertical difference between the base and summit of ranges),
• shallow soils,
• considerable mineral wealth,
• spectacular scenery from past glaciation and volcanic activity,
• and common trends in climate, biogeography, culture, economy, and exploration.
Rocky Mountains
4= The Sierra Nevada
• The Sierra Nevada
• is a mountain range in the Western United States,
• between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin.
• The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California,
• although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada.
• The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera,
• an almost continuous chain of mountain ranges that forms the western "backbone" of
the Americas.
The Sierra Nevada
• The Sierra runs
• 400 miles (640 km) north-south and its width ranges from 50 miles (80 km) to 80 miles (130 km) across east–
west.
• Notable features include General Sherman,
• the largest tree in the world by volume; Lake Tahoe,
• the largest alpine lake in North America;
• Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft (4,421 m),
• the highest point in the contiguous United States;
• and Yosemite Valley sculpted by glaciers from one-hundred-million-year-old granite,
• containing high waterfalls.
• The Sierra is home to three national parks,
• twenty-six wilderness areas,
• ten national forests,
• and two national monuments.
• These areas include Yosemite, Sequoia,
• and Kings Canyon National Parks;
• and Devils Postpile National Monument.
Political map of the Sierra Navada
The Sierra Navada
5=The Appalachian Mountains
• The Appalachian Mountains,
• often called the Appalachians,
• are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America.
• Here, the term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated
• with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain.
• The general definition used is one followed by the United States Geological Survey
• and the Geological Survey of Canada to describe the respective
countries' physiographic regions.
• The U.S. uses the term Appalachian Highlands and Canada uses the term Appalachian
Uplands;
• the Appalachian Mountains are not synonymous with the Appalachian Plateau,
• which is one of the provinces of the Appalachian Highlands.
The Appalachian Mountains
• The Appalachian range runs
• from the Island of Newfoundland in Canada,
• 2,050 mi (3,300 km) southwestward to Central Alabama in the United States; south of
Newfoundland,
• it crosses the 96-square mile archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon,
• an overseas collectivity of France, meaning it is technically in three countries.
• The highest peak of the mountain range is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina
• at 6,684 feet (2,037 m),
• which is also the highest point in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
The Appalachian Mountains
• The Appalachian Mountains are
• a barrier to east–west travel,
• as they form a series of alternating ridgelines and valleys
• oriented in opposition to most highways and railroads running east–west.
• This barrier was extremely important in shaping the expansion of the United States in
the colonial era.
The Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains
6=The Andes Mountain Ranges
• The ranges of the Andes Mountains,
• about 5,500 miles (8,900 km) long and second only to
the Himalayas in average elevation,
• constitute a formidable and continuous barrier,
• with many summits exceeding 20,000 feet (6,100 metres).
• The Venezuelan Andes—the northernmost range of the
system—
• run parallel to the Caribbean Sea coast in Venezuela west
of Caracas,
• before turning to the southwest and entering Colombia.
The Andes Mountain Ranges
• In Colombia the Andes—which trend generally to the north and south—
• form three distinct ranges:
• the Cordilleras Oriental,
• Central,
• and Occidental.
• The valley of the Magdalena River,
• between the Oriental and the Central ranges,
• and the valley of the Cauca River,
• between the Central and the Occidental ranges,
• are huge rift valleys formed by faulting rather than by erosion.
• An aerial view of the Andes in Colombia shows,
• within relatively short distances,
• a succession of hot lowlands interspersed with high ranges with
snowcapped peaks.
The Andes Mountain Ranges
• Farther to the south—
• along the border between Chile and Argentina—
• the Andes form a single but lofty chain with many of the system’s highest peaks,
• Mount Aconcagua, which, at 22,831 feet (6,959 metres),
• is the highest point on the continent
• and in the Western Hemisphere;
• south of Aconcagua, elevations gradually diminish.
• In southern Chile part of the cordillera descends beneath the sea,
• forming innumerable islands with steep slopes.
• The Andes have been deeply carved by glaciers, particularly in the south.
• Ice masses still occupy some 1,900 square miles (4,900 square km),
The Andes Mountain Ranges
7= The Atlas Mountain Ranges
• The Atlas Mountains are
• a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa.
• It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean;
• the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range,
• which stretches around 2,500 km (1,600 mi) through
• Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
• The range's highest peak is Toubkal, which is in central Morocco,
• with an elevation of 4,167 metres (13,671 ft).
• The Atlas mountains are primarily inhabited by Berber populations.
The Atlas Mountain Ranges
• The terms for 'mountain'
• are Adrar and adras in some Berber languages,
• and these terms are believed to be cognates of the toponym Atlas.
• The mountains are home to a number of animals and plants
• which are mostly found within Africa but some of which can be found in Europe.
• Many of these species are endangered and a few are already extinct.
• The weather is generally cool but summers are sunny,
• and the average temperature there is 25 °C.
The Atlas Mountain Ranges
The Atlas Mountain Ranges
8= The Scandinavian Mountain Ranges
• The Scandinavian Mountains or
• the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula.
• The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously
• into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea,
• forming the fjords of Norway,
• whereas to the northeast they gradually curve towards Finland.
• To the north they form the border between Norway and Sweden,
• reaching 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) high at the Arctic Circle.
• The mountain range just touches northwesternmost Finland
• but are scarcely more than hills at their northernmost extension at the North
Cape (Nordkapp).
The Scandinavian Mountain Ranges
• Galdhøpiggen in South Norway
• is the highest peak in mainland Northern Europe,
• at 2,469 metres (8,100 ft);
• Kebnekaise is
• the highest peak on the Swedish side,
• at 2,104 m (6,903 ft), where
• as the slope of Halti is the highest point in Finland,
• at 1,324 m (4,344 ft), although the peak of Halti is situated in Norway.
• The Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands terrestrial
ecoregion
• is closely associated with the mountain range.
The Scandinavian Mountain Ranges
9= Ural Mountains
• The Urals,
• are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north-south mostly through Russia,
• from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
• The mountain range forms part of the conventional boundary between the continents
of Europe and Asia.
• Vaygach Island and the islands of Novaya Zemlya form a further continuation of the chain
• to the north into the Arctic Ocean.
• The average altitudes of the Urals are around 1,000–1,300 metres (3,300–4,300 ft),
• the highest point being Mount Narodnaya,
• which reaches a height of 1,894 metres (6,214 ft).
Ural Mountains
• The mountains lie
• within the Ural geographical region and significantly overlap with the Ural Federal District
• and the Ural economic region.
• Their resources include metal ores, coal, and precious and semi-precious stones.
• Since the 18th century, the mountains have contributed significantly
• to the mineral sector of the Russian economy.
• The region is one of the largest centers of metallurgy
• and heavy industry production in Russia.
Ural Mountains
10= The Alps Mountain Range
• The Alps
• are the highest and most extensive mountain range
• that is entirely in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi)
• across eight Alpine countries (from west to east)
• Monaco,
• France,
• Switzerland,
• Italy,
• Liechtenstein,
• Germany,
• Austria
• Slovenia.
The Alps Mountain Range
• The Alpine arch extends from
• Nice on the western Mediterranean to Trieste
• on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin.
• The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years
• as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided.
• Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising
• by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks
• such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
• Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border,
• and at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) is the highest mountain in the Alps.
• The Alpine region area contains 128 peaks higher than 4,000 m (13,000 ft).
The Alps Mountain Range
11= The Pyrenees Mountain Ranges
• Pyrenees,

• mountain chain of southwestern Europe

• that consists of flat-topped massifs and folded linear ranges.
• It stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea on the east
• to the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic Ocean on the west.
• The Pyrenees form a high wall between France and Spain
• that has played a significant role in the history of both countries and of Europe as a whole.
• The range is some 270 miles (430 kilometres) long;
• it is barely six miles wide at its eastern end,
• but at its centre it reaches some 80 miles in width.
• At its western end it blends imperceptibly into the Cantabrian Mountains
• along the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Pyrenees Mountain Ranges
• Except in a few places,
• where Spanish territory juts northward or French southward,
• the crest of the chain marks the boundary between the two countries,
• though the tiny autonomous principality of Andorra lies among its peaks.
• The highest point is Aneto Peak, at 11,169 feet (3,404 metres),
• in the Maladeta (Spanish: “Accursed”) massif of the Central Pyrenees.
The Pyrenees Mountain Ranges
12= The Zagros Mountain Ranges
• Zagros Mountains,
• mountain range in southwestern Iran,
• extending northwest-southeast from the border areas of eastern Turkey and
• northern Iraq to the Strait of Hormuz.
• The Zagros range is about 990 miles (1,600 km) long and more than 150 miles (240 km)
wide.
• Situated mostly in what is now Iran,
• it forms the extreme western boundary of the Iranian plateau,
• though its foothills to the north and west extend into adjacent countries.
The Zagros Mountain Ranges
• The oldest rocks in the Zagros range date
• to Precambrian time (that is, before 541 million years ago),
• and the Paleozoic Era rocks that date to between 541 million and 252 million years ago
are found at or near the highest peaks.
• Most of the rocks in the mountain range, however,
• are limestone and shale from the Mesozoic Era (252 million to 66 million years ago)
• and the Paleogene Period (66 million to 23 million years ago).
• The range was primarily formed by orogenies (mountain-building episodes)
• driven by the movement of the Arabian Plate underneath the Eurasian Plate
• during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (23 million to 2.6 million years ago).
The Zagros Mountain Ranges
• The highest point in the range is Mount Dena,
• elevation 14,465 feet (4,409 metres), located in the middle Zagros.
• Passes through the mountains are used for reaching the fertile intermontane plains,
• which lie at elevations above 5,000 feet (1,500 metres).
• The rivers draining the range’s western face are strong and perennial,
• flowing through enclosed plains or ravines.
• Rainfall in the region is about 40 inches (1,000 mm) annually.
The Zagros Mountain Ranges
13= Altai Mountains

• Altai Mountains,
• complex mountain system of Central Asia
• extending approximately 1,200 miles (2,000 km) in a southeast-northwest direction
• from the Gobi (Desert) to the West Siberian Plain,
• through China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
• The jagged mountain ridges derive their name from the Turkic-Mongolian altan,
• meaning “golden.”
• The system has three main subdivisions:
• the Altai proper (formerly called the Soviet Altai)
• and the Mongolian
• and Gobi Altai.
Altai Mountains

• A peak in the Altai proper,

• Belukha—at an elevation of 14,783 feet (4,506 metres)—
• is the range’s highest point.
• In the past these mountains were remote and sparsely populated;
• but in the 20th century they were opened to extensive resource exploitation,
• and the ancient ways of life of the local peoples have been rapidly transformed.
Altai Mountain Ranges
14= Great Dividing Range
• Great Dividing Range,
• main watershed of eastern Australia;
• it comprises a series of plateaus and low mountain ranges roughly paralleling
• the coasts of Queensland,
• New South Wales, and
• Victoria for 2,300 miles (3,700 km).
• Geologically and topographically complex,
• the range begins in the north on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.
• Within that state the ranges’ average elevation is 2,000–3,000 feet (600–900 metres),
• but they rise as high as 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) in the Bellenden Ker
• and McPherson ranges and the Lamington Plateau.
Great Dividing Range
• Farther south the highlands average 3,000 feet;
• a segment known as the Australian Alps,
• near the New South Wales–Victoria border,
• contains Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko (7,310 feet [2,228 metres]).
• The highlands finally bend westward in Victoria to terminate in the Grampians,
• while a southern spur emerges from the Bass Strait to form the central uplands of
insular Tasmania.
• The headwaters of a number of Australia’s principal rivers are located
• in the Great Dividing Range.
• The Snowy River flows down the steep eastern slope,
• while the Darling, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, and Goulburn rivers drain the gentle western
slope to join the Murray River.
Great Dividing Range
15= The MacDonnell Ranges
• MacDonnell Ranges,
• mountain system in south central Northern Territory, Australia,
• a series of bare quartzite and sandstone parallel ridges
• that rise from a plateau 2,000 ft (600 m) above sea level and extend east
• and west of the town of Alice Springs for about 230 mi (380 km).
• They reach a maximum elevation of 4,954 ft at Mt.
• Ziel and are the source of the Finke, Todd, and Plenty rivers and Ellery Creek.
• Some streams have carved spectacular gorges (Simpson Gap, Standley Chasm)
• that contain luxuriant vegetation.
The MacDonnell Ranges
• One striking feature is the coloration of the stone,
• which constantly varies as the direction of the sun changes.
• The MacDonnells are the best watered district in central Australia.
• They were explored in 1860 by the Scot John McDouall Stuart
• and were named after Sir Richard MacDonnell, governor of South
Australia (1855–62).
• In 1872 the Overland Telegraph Line was built across the ranges
through Heavitree Gap near Alice Springs.
The MacDonnell Ranges
16= The Drakensberg
• Drakensberg,
• the main mountain range of Southern Africa.
• The Drakensberg rises to more than 11,400 feet (3,475 metres)
• and extends roughly northeast to southwest for 700 miles (1,125 km)
• parallel to the southeastern coast of South Africa.
• Rock and cave art several thousands of years old has been found in the range.
• There are many game reserves and parks.
The Drakensberg
• In 2000 uKhahlamba/Drakensberg Park
• was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• The Drakensberg is part of the Great Escarpment
• and separates the extensive high plateaus of the South African interior
• from the lower lands along the coast.
• From its northeastern termination in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces,
• the range extends through Lesotho to Eastern Cape province.
• The range separates Mpumalanga and Free State provinces and Lesotho
• on the plateau from lower-lying Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal province near the coast.
• The Drakensberg is the main watershed of South Africa
• and is the source of the Orange River.
The Drakensberg
17= Taurus
• Taurus Mountains,
• mountain range in southern Turkey,
• a great chain running parallel to the Mediterranean coast.
• The system extends along a curve from Lake Egridir in the west
• to the upper reaches of the Euphrates River in the east.
• Aladağ (10,935 feet [3,333 metres]) in the Taurus proper
• and Mount Erciyes in the outlying offshoot of the Nur Mountains are the highest peaks;
• many other peaks reach between 10,000 and 12,000 feet (3,000–3,700 metres).
Taurus
• Scattered forests of
• pine, cedar, oak, and juniper are found on the slopes up to 8,000 feet (2,500 metres).
• White limestone ridges are common, and in the western Taurus are many enclosed
basins
• with lakes at elevations averaging 3,200 feet (1,000 metres).
• Except for the large areas of deep-soiled fertile lands in the Cilician Plain below Adana,
• the coastal plains to the south are small, and the entire region is thinly populated
• and isolated from the interior by mountain barriers.
• Of the passageways crossing the mountains, the Cilician Gates (Külek Boğazı)
• is the most famous, having been used by caravans and armies since antiquity.
• Nearby is the only railway line that crosses the Taurus proper, joining Kayseri with Adana.
• Mineral deposits, partly exploited, include silver, copper, lignite, zinc, iron, and arsenic.
The Taurus Mountains