IAS NOVA Interactive Atlas · Geography Through Maps
SOUTH AMERICA MOUNTAIN RANGES ATLAS
Trace 55 major South American mountain systems classified as young fold, old and ancient, block and uplift, and volcanic mountains. Hover over a coloured ridge—or tap it—to examine its countries, highest point, origin and geographical importance.
Jump to a mountain range · all 55 systems · scroll within this list
Lines show generalized mountain axes for learning, not surveyed crests or political boundaries. International boundaries and offshore territories are generalized at this scale and do not express a legal position. Base cartography: Natural Earth via world-atlas.
Major Mountain Ranges of South America by Origin
This IAS NOVA Interactive Atlas presents Geography through maps for UPSC, State PSC, SSC, UGC-NET, AP Human Geography, IB Geography, GCSE, A-Level and other examinations worldwide. Filter the map by young fold, old and ancient, block and uplift, or volcanic origin, then select any range to revise its countries, alignment, highest point, formation and geographical importance. The classification identifies the dominant exam-oriented origin; many South American ranges preserve several tectonic episodes.
Young Fold mountains
Andean fold-and-thrust belts created mainly by Nazca–South America convergence, crustal shortening and terrane accretion.
Andes Mountains · Cordillera de Mérida / Venezuelan Andes · Venezuelan Coastal Range · Cordillera Occidental of Colombia · Cordillera Central of Colombia · Cordillera Oriental of Colombia · Serranía del Baudó · Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador · Cordillera Real / Eastern Cordillera of Ecuador · Cordillera Occidental of Peru · Cordillera Central of Peru · Cordillera Oriental of Peru · Cordillera Blanca · Cordillera Huayhuash · Cordillera Vilcabamba · Cordillera Urubamba · Cordillera Vilcanota · Cordillera Apolobamba · Cordillera Real of Bolivia · Cordillera Occidental of Bolivia · Principal Cordillera / Main Cordillera · Frontal Cordillera · Precordillera of Argentina · Patagonian Andes · Fuegian Andes / Cordillera Darwin · Subandean Ranges
Old & Ancient mountains
Precambrian shield uplands and Paleozoic ranges whose present relief reflects long erosion, later uplift and river incision.
Guiana Highlands · Pacaraima Mountains · Parima Mountains · Serra do Imeri · Kanuku Mountains · Acarai Mountains · Tumuc-Humac Mountains · Sierra de la Macarena · Brazilian Highlands · Serra do Espinhaço · Chapada Diamantina · Serra da Canastra · Borborema Highlands · Serra Geral · Tandilia System · Ventania System
Block & Uplift mountains
Fault-bounded ranges, uplifted basement blocks and continental-margin escarpments rejuvenated during Andean or Atlantic-margin tectonics.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta · Chilean Coast Range · Cordillera de Domeyko · Sierras Pampeanas · Famatina System · Serra do Mar · Serra da Mantiqueira · Serra dos Órgãos
Volcanic mountains
Active or geologically young volcanic mountain belts built above Andean subduction zones or oceanic hotspots.
Northern Andean Volcanic Zone · Central Andean Volcanic Zone · Southern Andean Volcanic Zone · Austral Andean Volcanic Zone · Galápagos Volcanic Highlands
Complete Reference: All 55 South American Mountain Systems
Open any entry for its location, countries, alignment, highest point, formation, geographical significance and a memorable fact. Broad cordilleras, important subranges, ancient shield uplands and volcanic belts are included where they are essential to continental physical geography.
Young Fold mountains 26
Andean fold-and-thrust belts created mainly by Nazca–South America convergence, crustal shortening and terrane accretion.
Andes MountainsWestern edge of South America from the Caribbean to Tierra del Fuego
Countries: Venezuela · Colombia · Ecuador · Peru · Bolivia · Chile · Argentina
Alignment: Continental north–south cordillera
Highest point: Aconcagua · 6,961 m
Formation: Long-lived subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath South America shortened, thickened and uplifted the continental margin.
Why it matters: The continent’s dominant watershed and climate barrier; controls river headwaters, rain shadows, glaciers, mineral belts and settlement.
The Andes are the world’s longest continental mountain system and the highest mountain chain outside Asia.
Cordillera de Mérida / Venezuelan AndesWestern Venezuela between the Colombian border and the Lara depression
Countries: Venezuela
Alignment: Southwest–northeast Andean branch
Highest point: Pico Bolívar · about 4,978 m
Formation: Oblique Caribbean–South America interaction and Andean compression uplifted a faulted crystalline and sedimentary belt.
Why it matters: Source region for major rivers and the core of Venezuela’s highest, coolest and formerly glaciated landscapes.
The Mérida cable-car system climbs from a tropical city toward alpine terrain near Pico Espejo.
Venezuelan Coastal RangeNorthern Venezuela parallel to the Caribbean coast
Countries: Venezuela
Alignment: East–west Caribbean-margin belt
Highest point: Pico Naiguatá · 2,765 m
Formation: Transpression along the Caribbean–South America plate boundary folded, faulted and uplifted older rocks.
Why it matters: Separates the narrow Caribbean coast from interior basins and concentrates much of Venezuela’s urban population along mountain corridors.
Caracas occupies a high valley enclosed by this coastal mountain system.
Cordillera Occidental of ColombiaWestern Colombia between the Pacific lowlands and Cauca Valley
Countries: Colombia
Alignment: North–south western Andean chain
Highest point: Cerro Tatamá · about 4,200 m
Formation: Accreted oceanic terranes were compressed and uplifted along the active northwestern margin of South America.
Why it matters: Forms a steep barrier above one of Earth’s wettest lowlands and divides Pacific drainage from the Cauca basin.
Its oceanic-rock foundation differs from the more continental crust of Colombia’s eastern cordilleras.
Cordillera Central of ColombiaCentral Colombia between the Cauca and Magdalena valleys
Countries: Colombia
Alignment: North–south volcanic and crystalline chain
Highest point: Nevado del Huila · about 5,364 m
Formation: Andean compression, plutonism and arc volcanism built the high central branch of the Colombian Andes.
Why it matters: Carries major volcanoes, coffee-growing slopes, páramo water towers and the divide between the Cauca and Magdalena rivers.
The Nevado del Ruiz eruption of 1985 produced deadly lahars far beyond the summit.
Cordillera Oriental of ColombiaEastern Colombia from the Colombian Massif toward Venezuela
Countries: Colombia · Venezuela
Alignment: Broad north–northeast fold-and-thrust belt
Highest point: Ritacuba Blanco · about 5,410 m
Formation: Cenozoic shortening inverted sedimentary basins and uplifted thick continental crust on the Andean foreland side.
Why it matters: Contains Bogotá’s high plateau, large páramos and headwaters feeding both the Magdalena and Orinoco systems.
The range splits northward into branches continuing toward Mérida and the Caribbean coast.
Serranía del BaudóPacific coast of Colombia extending toward eastern Panama
Countries: Colombia · Panama
Alignment: North–south coastal accretionary range
Highest point: Alto del Buey · about 1,810 m
Formation: Oceanic crust and island-arc fragments were accreted and uplifted beside the active plate margin.
Why it matters: A low but extremely wet biodiversity barrier between the Pacific shore and the Atrato–San Juan lowlands.
Its rainforest-covered ridges are geologically closer to accreted Pacific terranes than to the main Andes.
Cordillera Occidental of EcuadorWestern Ecuadorian Andes
Countries: Ecuador
Alignment: North–south volcanic western cordillera
Highest point: Chimborazo · 6,263 m
Formation: Subduction-related magmatism and crustal shortening raised a volcanic chain above the Ecuadorian forearc.
Why it matters: Controls Pacific-facing watersheds, highland basins and fertile volcanic soils.
Chimborazo’s summit is Earth’s surface point farthest from the planet’s centre because of the equatorial bulge.
Cordillera Real / Eastern Cordillera of EcuadorEastern Ecuadorian Andes above the Amazon foreland
Countries: Ecuador
Alignment: North–south high volcanic cordillera
Highest point: Cotopaxi · 5,897 m
Formation: Andean shortening and subduction-fed volcanism uplifted the eastern chain and its intermontane basins.
Why it matters: Forms a major divide between Pacific and Amazon drainage and supports glaciers, páramo and active volcano monitoring.
Cayambe is the only major snow-covered summit crossed by the Equator.
Cordillera Occidental of PeruWestern Peruvian Andes from Ecuador toward the Bolivian border
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast high western cordillera
Highest point: Huascarán · 6,768 m in the Cordillera Blanca
Formation: Nazca-plate subduction produced crustal shortening, magmatic arcs and uplift along Peru’s western Andean chain.
Why it matters: Feeds short Pacific rivers and major Amazon tributaries while hosting glaciers, mines and deeply incised valleys.
The range contains both Peru’s highest glaciated massifs and broad volcanic sectors farther south.
Cordillera Central of PeruCentral Peruvian Andes between the western and eastern chains
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast dissected highland chain
Highest point: Huaytapallana / Lasuntay · about 5,557 m
Formation: Andean shortening folded and uplifted Paleozoic–Mesozoic rocks, later deeply cut by rivers and glaciers.
Why it matters: Important for headwaters, mining, highland transport and the climatic transition toward Amazon-facing slopes.
The Mantaro River system cuts major valleys through this densely settled central Andean region.
Cordillera Oriental of PeruEastern Peruvian Andes overlooking the Amazon Basin
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast eastern cordillera
Highest point: Ausangate · 6,384 m in the Vilcanota sector
Formation: Crustal shortening uplifted older basement and sedimentary rocks along the eastern flank of the Central Andes.
Why it matters: Creates steep cloud-forest gradients and feeds some of the largest Amazon headwaters.
The range descends through yungas and cloud forests toward the western Amazon lowlands.
Cordillera BlancaAncash region of north-central Peru
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast glaciated range
Highest point: Huascarán · 6,768 m
Formation: Rapid uplift exposed the young Cordillera Blanca batholith beside a major normal fault, then glaciers carved sharp alpine relief.
Why it matters: World’s highest tropical mountain range and a critical glacier-fed water source for valleys on both sides.
Huascarán National Park protects dozens of summits above 6,000 m and hundreds of glacial lakes.
Cordillera HuayhuashSouth of the Cordillera Blanca in central Peru
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Compact north–south glaciated ridge
Highest point: Yerupajá · 6,635 m
Formation: Folded and thrust sedimentary rocks were intruded, uplifted and intensely sculpted by Pleistocene glaciers.
Why it matters: A compact high-relief watershed famous for alpine lakes and some of the Andes’ most difficult climbing terrain.
The principal ridge is only about 40 km long yet contains several summits above 6,000 m.
Cordillera VilcabambaSouth-central Peru northwest of Cusco
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast rugged cordillera
Highest point: Salcantay · 6,271 m
Formation: Andean uplift exposed crystalline and sedimentary rocks later cut by glaciers and deep tributaries of the Urubamba.
Why it matters: Frames the Machu Picchu region and produces extreme elevation gradients from snow peaks to cloud forest.
Machu Picchu stands on a ridge between the Vilcabamba mountains and the Urubamba gorge.
Cordillera UrubambaNorth and northeast of Cusco
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast glaciated range
Highest point: Verónica · about 5,893 m
Formation: Andean compression and uplift raised a crystalline mountain chain later sharpened by glaciers and river incision.
Why it matters: Overlooks the Sacred Valley and contains glacier-fed catchments vital to farming and tourism.
The Urubamba River cuts a deep gorge through the range on its route toward the Amazon.
Cordillera VilcanotaSoutheast of Cusco toward Lake Titicaca
Countries: Peru
Alignment: Northwest–southeast high cordillera
Highest point: Ausangate · 6,384 m
Formation: Central Andean shortening and uplift formed a high range later reshaped by extensive tropical glaciation.
Why it matters: Major watershed containing the Quelccaya Ice Cap and headwaters feeding both Amazon and Titicaca drainage.
Quelccaya is among the largest tropical ice caps on Earth.
Cordillera ApolobambaPeru–Bolivia frontier north of Lake Titicaca
Countries: Peru · Bolivia
Alignment: Northwest–southeast border cordillera
Highest point: Chaupi Orco · about 6,044 m
Formation: Andean crustal thickening uplifted a remote glaciated chain on the eastern side of the Central Andes.
Why it matters: A high biodiversity and water-source region linking puna grasslands with Amazon-facing cloud forests.
Its remoteness has preserved large tracts of high-Andean and yungas ecosystems.
Cordillera Real of BoliviaEast of the Altiplano from Lake Titicaca toward Cochabamba
Countries: Bolivia
Alignment: Northwest–southeast glaciated cordillera
Highest point: Illimani · 6,438 m
Formation: Crustal shortening and magmatic intrusion uplifted Paleozoic rocks along the eastern margin of the Altiplano.
Why it matters: Provides the dramatic skyline of La Paz and glacier-fed water for densely populated highland valleys.
Illimani can be seen from La Paz across the Altiplano on clear days.
Cordillera Occidental of BoliviaWestern Bolivia along the Chilean border
Countries: Bolivia · Chile
Alignment: North–south volcanic western cordillera
Highest point: Nevado Sajama · 6,542 m
Formation: Subduction-related volcanism built high cones and ignimbrite plateaus along the western edge of the Altiplano.
Why it matters: Defines the Chile–Bolivia divide and contains high volcanoes, salars, geothermal fields and arid puna.
Sajama is Bolivia’s highest mountain and an extinct stratovolcano.
Principal Cordillera / Main CordilleraCentral Chile–Argentina frontier
Countries: Chile · Argentina
Alignment: North–south high border cordillera
Highest point: Aconcagua · 6,961 m
Formation: Flat-slab and normal Andean subduction phases shortened and uplifted sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the central Andes.
Why it matters: Contains the Western Hemisphere’s highest summit and vital trans-Andean passes, glaciers and water towers for Santiago and Mendoza.
Aconcagua is not a volcano; it is an uplifted mountain built from deformed sedimentary and volcanic rocks.
Frontal CordilleraEastern flank of the central Andes in western Argentina
Countries: Argentina
Alignment: North–south high basement cordillera
Highest point: Cerro Mercedario · about 6,720 m
Formation: Andean compression uplifted Paleozoic basement and volcanic rocks east of the Principal Cordillera.
Why it matters: Adds a second high barrier east of the Chilean frontier and feeds oasis rivers of San Juan and Mendoza.
Mercedario is among the highest peaks of the Americas but is far less visited than Aconcagua.
Precordillera of ArgentinaLa Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza east of the high Andes
Countries: Argentina
Alignment: North–south fold-and-thrust belt
Highest point: Cerro de la Bolsa · about 4,920 m
Formation: Thin-skinned Andean compression folded and thrust mainly Paleozoic sedimentary rocks eastward.
Why it matters: Classic fold-and-thrust terrain rich in fossils and important to the structural study of the Central Andes.
Its Paleozoic rocks record a crustal fragment that may once have been attached to Laurentia.
Patagonian AndesSouthern Chile and Argentina from the Lake District to the Southern Patagonian Ice Field
Countries: Chile · Argentina
Alignment: North–south glaciated southern Andes
Highest point: Monte San Valentín · about 4,058 m
Formation: Subduction, uplift and repeated glaciation carved a narrow chain of granite massifs, volcanoes, fjords and ice fields.
Why it matters: Controls the stark wet-west/dry-east climate divide and contains the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields.
Fjords drown former glacial valleys on the Chilean side while broad rain shadows extend across Argentine Patagonia.
Fuegian Andes / Cordillera DarwinTierra del Fuego at the southern tip of the continent
Countries: Chile · Argentina
Alignment: West–east curving terminal Andes
Highest point: Monte Shipton · about 2,568 m; estimates vary
Formation: Compression, strike-slip faulting and intense glaciation bent the Andes eastward near the Scotia plate boundary.
Why it matters: Forms ice-covered peninsulas, fjords and the rugged divide between the Pacific and Atlantic ends of Tierra del Fuego.
Unlike most of the Andes, the Fuegian chain trends mainly west–east.
Subandean RangesEastern foothills of Peru, Bolivia and northwestern Argentina
Countries: Peru · Bolivia · Argentina
Alignment: Northwest–southeast foreland fold belt
Highest point: Generally below 3,500 m
Formation: Eastward-propagating Andean thrusts folded sedimentary rocks at the boundary between the high Andes and foreland basins.
Why it matters: Influences Amazon and Chaco drainage, hydrocarbon basins, landslides and cloud-forest ecosystems.
These foothills are the actively deforming front of much of the Central Andes.
Old & Ancient mountains 16
Precambrian shield uplands and Paleozoic ranges whose present relief reflects long erosion, later uplift and river incision.
Guiana HighlandsNorthern South America between the Orinoco and Amazon basins
Countries: Venezuela · Guyana · Brazil · Suriname · French Guiana · Colombia
Alignment: Broad ancient shield upland
Highest point: Pico da Neblina · 2,995 m
Formation: Precambrian rocks of the Guiana Shield were uplifted and deeply eroded into plateaus, scarps and isolated massifs.
Why it matters: Source area for major tributaries and home to tepuis, waterfalls, endemic ecosystems and mineral resources.
Angel Falls drops from Auyán-tepui within the Guiana Highlands.
Pacaraima MountainsVenezuela–Guyana–Brazil borderlands
Countries: Venezuela · Guyana · Brazil
Alignment: West–east sandstone upland belt
Highest point: Mount Roraima · 2,810 m
Formation: Ancient sandstone plateaus overlie Precambrian basement and have been isolated by prolonged tropical erosion.
Why it matters: Forms a major watershed and international frontier with distinctive tepui ecosystems.
Mount Roraima’s flat summit and sheer cliffs inspired early “lost world” literature.
Parima MountainsVenezuela–Brazil border northwest of the Guiana Highlands
Countries: Venezuela · Brazil
Alignment: Northwest–southeast dissected shield uplands
Highest point: Cerro Delgado Chalbaud · about 1,047 m
Formation: Long erosion dissected ancient Guiana Shield rocks into forested ridges and headwater divides.
Why it matters: Includes the source region of the Orinoco and homeland of Indigenous communities.
The headwaters of both the Orinoco and Amazon systems lie near this remote divide.
Serra do ImeriBrazil–Venezuela border in the northwestern Guiana Shield
Countries: Brazil · Venezuela
Alignment: Isolated west–east shield massif
Highest point: Pico da Neblina · 2,995 m
Formation: Resistant Precambrian rocks were uplifted and isolated by long tropical denudation.
Why it matters: Contains Brazil’s highest mountain and exceptionally remote rainforest headwaters.
Pico da Neblina is frequently cloud-covered—its Portuguese name means “Peak of the Mist.”
Kanuku MountainsSouthern Guyana between the Rupununi savannas and rainforest
Countries: Guyana
Alignment: East–west twin shield ranges
Highest point: Highest summits about 1,067 m
Formation: Ancient crystalline basement was uplifted and exposed as two forested ranges above surrounding lowlands.
Why it matters: Major biodiversity refuge and watershed beside the Rupununi savanna corridor.
The name Kanuku means “forest” in the Wapishana language.
Acarai MountainsGuyana–Brazil border south of the Guiana Highlands
Countries: Guyana · Brazil
Alignment: East–west low shield divide
Highest point: Mostly below about 1,000 m
Formation: Long erosion shaped Precambrian shield rocks into subdued forested ridges.
Why it matters: Forms part of the divide between rivers flowing toward the Essequibo and the Amazon.
The Essequibo River rises near the Acarai divide.
Tumuc-Humac MountainsBrazil–Suriname–French Guiana frontier
Countries: Brazil · Suriname · French Guiana
Alignment: East–west low ancient divide
Highest point: Generally below about 800 m
Formation: Ancient shield rocks were worn into low, deeply weathered uplands under tropical conditions.
Why it matters: Creates a remote watershed between north-flowing Guianan rivers and Amazon tributaries.
Despite the name, much of the system is a subdued upland rather than a high alpine range.
Sierra de la MacarenaCentral Colombia east of the main Andes
Countries: Colombia
Alignment: North–south isolated massif
Highest point: Highest points about 2,600 m
Formation: An outlying block of Guiana Shield rocks was uplifted beside the Andean foreland.
Why it matters: Biogeographic meeting place of Andean, Amazonian, Orinocan and Guianan ecosystems.
Caño Cristales flows across the massif and is famous for seasonal aquatic-plant colours.
Brazilian HighlandsCentral, eastern and southern Brazil
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: Broad ancient plateau and range complex
Highest point: Pico da Bandeira · 2,891 m
Formation: Precambrian cratons and Brasiliano-age belts were planed by erosion, later uplifted and dissected along the Atlantic margin.
Why it matters: Controls major watersheds, escarpments, soils, mineral belts and the location of many Brazilian cities.
Many named serras are steep plateau edges rather than narrow fold-mountain chains.
Serra do EspinhaçoEastern Brazil from Minas Gerais into Bahia
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: North–south ancient quartzite range
Highest point: Pico do Sol · about 2,072 m
Formation: Proterozoic sedimentary rocks were folded, uplifted and differentially eroded into resistant quartzite ridges.
Why it matters: Major watershed and biodiversity corridor with historic diamond and gold districts.
Its northern continuation includes the celebrated tablelands of Chapada Diamantina.
Chapada DiamantinaCentral Bahia in northeastern Brazil
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: North–south dissected plateau ranges
Highest point: Pico do Barbado · 2,033 m
Formation: Proterozoic sandstones and quartzites were uplifted and cut into mesas, cliffs and deep valleys.
Why it matters: Important ecological refuge, tourism landscape and historic diamond-mining region.
The name means “Diamond Plateau,” recalling the nineteenth-century mining boom.
Serra da CanastraSouthwestern Minas Gerais
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: East–west dissected plateau edge
Highest point: Highest summits about 1,496 m
Formation: Ancient metamorphic rocks were uplifted and eroded into broad plateaus and sharp escarpments.
Why it matters: Contains headwaters of the São Francisco River and extensive cerrado grasslands.
The São Francisco begins near the plateau before flowing across eastern Brazil.
Borborema HighlandsNortheastern Brazil
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: Broad northeast Brazilian shield upland
Highest point: Pico do Jabre · 1,197 m
Formation: Precambrian basement was reactivated and uplifted, then deeply weathered under alternating humid and semiarid climates.
Why it matters: Influences rainfall, river headwaters and settlement across the northeastern interior.
The upland helps create sharp local contrasts between humid coastal slopes and the semiarid sertão.
Serra GeralSouthern Brazil along the edge of the Paraná Plateau
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: Northeast–southwest basalt-capped escarpment
Highest point: Morro da Boa Vista · about 1,827 m
Formation: Cretaceous flood basalts capped older rocks; later Atlantic-margin uplift and erosion produced a long escarpment.
Why it matters: Forms dramatic canyon country and a regional divide between coastal drainage and the Paraná basin.
Its immense basalt flows were linked to the opening of the South Atlantic.
Tandilia SystemBuenos Aires Province of eastern Argentina
Countries: Argentina
Alignment: Northwest–southeast low ancient hills
Highest point: Cerro La Juanita · about 524 m
Formation: Very old crystalline and sedimentary rocks survived as low erosional remnants on the Pampas.
Why it matters: A rare hard-rock upland within the plains, important for quarrying and local tourism.
Tandilia contains some of the oldest exposed rocks in Argentina.
Ventania SystemSouthwestern Buenos Aires Province
Countries: Argentina
Alignment: Northwest–southeast folded hill belt
Highest point: Cerro Tres Picos · 1,239 m
Formation: Paleozoic sediments were folded during the Gondwanide orogeny and later exposed by erosion.
Why it matters: Creates the highest relief in Buenos Aires Province and a distinctive ecological island above the Pampas.
The name “Ventania” refers to the strong winds of these exposed ridges.
Block & Uplift mountains 8
Fault-bounded ranges, uplifted basement blocks and continental-margin escarpments rejuvenated during Andean or Atlantic-margin tectonics.
Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaCaribbean coast of northern Colombia
Countries: Colombia
Alignment: Triangular isolated coastal massif
Highest point: Pico Cristóbal Colón / Pico Simón Bolívar · about 5,775 m
Formation: Major faults uplifted an isolated block of continental crust beside the Caribbean plate boundary.
Why it matters: Rises from tropical coast to permanent-snow elevations over a very short distance and sustains exceptional ecological zonation.
It is the world’s highest coastal mountain massif.
Chilean Coast RangeParallel to the Pacific coast of Chile
Countries: Chile
Alignment: North–south coastal uplift belt
Highest point: Cerro Vicuña Mackenna · about 3,114 m
Formation: Long-lived subduction, faulting and uplift raised forearc rocks between the trench and Central Valley.
Why it matters: Shapes Chile’s narrow coastal plains, fog deserts, river gaps and access between ports and the interior.
In northern Chile, coastal cliffs rise abruptly from the Pacific beside the Atacama Desert.
Cordillera de DomeykoAtacama Desert of northern Chile west of the high Andes
Countries: Chile
Alignment: North–south forearc basement range
Highest point: Cerro Quimal · about 4,278 m
Formation: Inversion and uplift along major faults raised older basement within the Andean forearc.
Why it matters: Borders the Salar de Atacama and some of the planet’s richest copper districts.
The range is named for mineralogist Ignacy Domeyko, a major figure in Chilean science.
Sierras PampeanasCentral and northwestern Argentina east of the Andes
Countries: Argentina
Alignment: North–south tilted basement blocks
Highest point: Cerro General Belgrano · about 6,097 m in the Famatina sector
Formation: Andean compression reactivated ancient basement faults, lifting asymmetric blocks above broad intermontane basins.
Why it matters: Creates oases, rain shadows, mining districts and isolated highland ecosystems far east of the main Andes.
Many ranges have a steep faulted face and a gentler back slope—classic tilted-block topography.
Famatina SystemLa Rioja Province of northwestern Argentina
Countries: Argentina
Alignment: North–south isolated high massif
Highest point: Cerro General Belgrano / Nevado de Famatina · about 6,097 m
Formation: Ancient basement and Paleozoic magmatic rocks were strongly uplifted by Andean fault reactivation.
Why it matters: An exceptionally high isolated range with historic mining and glacier-fed valleys.
Despite its height, Famatina stands east of the main Andean chain.
Serra do MarAtlantic coast of southeastern and southern Brazil
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: Northeast–southwest coastal escarpment
Highest point: Pico Maior de Friburgo · about 2,366 m
Formation: Break-up of Gondwana and later uplift raised the Atlantic margin; erosion carved a steep escarpment into ancient crystalline rocks.
Why it matters: Forces moist Atlantic air upward, supports Atlantic Forest and creates a major transport barrier behind coastal cities.
The escarpment rises immediately behind metropolitan areas including Rio de Janeiro, Santos and Curitiba.
Serra da MantiqueiraSoutheastern Brazil northwest of the Paraíba do Sul valley
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: Northeast–southwest uplifted crystalline range
Highest point: Pedra da Mina · 2,798 m
Formation: Cretaceous–Cenozoic faulting and uplift rejuvenated ancient Brasiliano-age crystalline rocks.
Why it matters: Contains some of Brazil’s highest summits, cool uplands and headwaters feeding major southeastern basins.
The name is commonly interpreted from a Tupi expression referring to “mountains that cry,” evoking abundant springs.
Serra dos ÓrgãosRio de Janeiro State within the Serra do Mar system
Countries: Brazil
Alignment: Northeast–southwest granitic subrange
Highest point: Pedra do Sino · 2,275 m
Formation: Jointing, uplift and deep tropical weathering sculpted ancient granitic and gneissic rocks into spectacular spires.
Why it matters: Important Atlantic Forest refuge and water catchment immediately inland from Rio de Janeiro.
The jagged skyline was named for its resemblance to the pipes of a church organ.
Volcanic mountains 5
Active or geologically young volcanic mountain belts built above Andean subduction zones or oceanic hotspots.
Northern Andean Volcanic ZoneColombia and Ecuador
Countries: Colombia · Ecuador
Alignment: North–south segmented volcanic arc
Highest point: Chimborazo · 6,263 m
Formation: Nazca-plate subduction feeds stratovolcanoes where the slab descends beneath the Northern Andes.
Why it matters: Includes densely populated volcanic landscapes with fertile soils, glaciers, lahars and major monitoring challenges.
Important volcanoes include Nevado del Ruiz, Galeras, Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Chimborazo.
Central Andean Volcanic ZoneSouthern Peru, western Bolivia, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina
Countries: Peru · Bolivia · Chile · Argentina
Alignment: Northwest–southeast high volcanic arc
Highest point: Ojos del Salado · 6,893 m
Formation: Subduction beneath thick Central Andean crust produces giant stratovolcanoes, calderas and ignimbrite plateaus.
Why it matters: Contains the world’s highest volcanoes and major geothermal, borate, lithium-brine and tourism landscapes.
Ojos del Salado is the highest active volcano on Earth.
Southern Andean Volcanic ZoneCentral-southern Chile and adjacent Argentina
Countries: Chile · Argentina
Alignment: North–south active volcanic arc
Highest point: Tupungato · about 6,570 m
Formation: Nazca-plate subduction feeds a long chain of stratovolcanoes interrupted where slab geometry changes.
Why it matters: Major source of volcanic hazards, glacier-fed water and fertile soils near Santiago and Chile’s Lake District.
Villarrica, Llaima, Osorno and Calbuco are among the zone’s best-known active volcanoes.
Austral Andean Volcanic ZoneSouthernmost Patagonian Andes
Countries: Chile · Argentina
Alignment: Short north–south remote volcanic arc
Highest point: Lautaro · about 3,607 m
Formation: The Antarctic Plate subducts beneath South America, feeding a sparse arc through ice-covered Patagonia.
Why it matters: Remote ice-clad volcanoes influence glaciers and provide evidence of an unusual plate-boundary transition.
Several volcanoes rise through or beside the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
Galápagos Volcanic HighlandsGalápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean
Countries: Ecuador
Alignment: Northwest–southeast hotspot archipelago
Highest point: Volcán Wolf · 1,707 m
Formation: A mantle hotspot interacts with the nearby Galápagos Spreading Center to build broad basaltic shield volcanoes.
Why it matters: Globally important natural laboratory for volcanism, island biogeography and evolution.
The youngest and most active volcanoes lie in the western islands, above the present hotspot.
Test Yourself
Answer all 15 questions. Each choice is checked instantly and followed by a short explanation.
Q1What is the highest mountain in South America?
Aconcagua reaches about 6,961 m in the Principal Cordillera of Argentina and is the highest summit outside Asia.
Q2Which process is chiefly responsible for building the Andes?
Subduction of oceanic lithosphere—especially the Nazca Plate—beneath South America drives shortening, uplift, earthquakes and much Andean volcanism.
Q3Which three parallel cordilleras dominate the Colombian Andes?
In Colombia the Andes divide into the Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental.
Q4Huascarán, Peru’s highest mountain, stands in which range?
Huascarán rises to 6,768 m in the Cordillera Blanca, the world’s highest tropical mountain range.
Q5Which summit is the highest active volcano on Earth?
Ojos del Salado reaches about 6,893 m in the Central Andean Volcanic Zone on the Chile–Argentina frontier.
Q6Flat-topped tepuis such as Mount Roraima are characteristic of:
Long erosion of ancient sandstone plateaus in the Guiana Highlands produced isolated tepuis with sheer cliffs and distinctive ecosystems.
Q7Which isolated massif is the world’s highest coastal mountain system?
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta rises from Colombia’s Caribbean coast to snow-peak elevations near 5,775 m.
Q8The Sierras Pampeanas are best classified as:
Andean compression reactivated ancient faults and raised asymmetric basement blocks above intermontane basins.
Q9Which mountain belt contains Aconcagua and forms the high central Chile–Argentina frontier?
The Principal or Main Cordillera carries the central international divide and includes Aconcagua.
Q10The Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields lie mainly in the:
Repeated glaciation shaped the Patagonian Andes into granite massifs, fjords and two great continental ice fields.
Q11Which Brazilian range contains Pedra da Mina, one of the country’s highest summits?
Pedra da Mina reaches about 2,798 m in the Serra da Mantiqueira of southeastern Brazil.
Q12What makes the Cordillera Blanca globally distinctive?
The Cordillera Blanca has dozens of peaks above 6,000 m and extensive tropical glaciers, though those glaciers are rapidly shrinking.
Q13Why are the Galápagos mountains volcanic?
A mantle hotspot interacting with the nearby Galápagos Spreading Center builds broad basaltic shield volcanoes.
Q14Which old hill system contains the highest point of Buenos Aires Province?
Cerro Tres Picos reaches 1,239 m in the Ventania System, the highest relief in Buenos Aires Province.
Q15Which Andean volcanic zone includes Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Nevado del Ruiz?
The Northern Andean Volcanic Zone extends through Colombia and Ecuador and includes these major stratovolcanoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many South American mountain systems are included?
The atlas maps 55 selected major ranges, subranges, shield uplands and volcanic mountain belts. South America contains many additional local serras and cordilleras; this selection prioritises systems most useful for continental geography and examinations.
What is the highest mountain in South America?
Aconcagua in Argentina reaches about 6,961 m. It is part of the Principal Cordillera of the central Andes and is also the highest summit in the Western and Southern hemispheres.
Which countries contain the Andes?
The continuous Andean system runs through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Its geological influence also reaches adjoining foreland and Caribbean-margin zones.
What are the main mountain regions of South America?
The continent is dominated by the young Andes in the west, the ancient Guiana Highlands in the north, the Brazilian Highlands and Atlantic ranges in the east, and several uplifted block and old hill systems in Argentina and Brazil.
Why are there so many volcanoes in the Andes?
Oceanic plates descend beneath South America along the Pacific margin. Water released from the slab promotes melting, but changes in slab angle create volcanic gaps and four principal active zones: Northern, Central, Southern and Austral.
How are the Andes different from the Brazilian and Guiana highlands?
The Andes are a young, high and tectonically active convergent-margin system. The Brazilian and Guiana highlands are built mainly on ancient Precambrian crust and have been shaped by very long erosion followed by regional uplift and incision.
Do the coloured lines show exact mountain boundaries?
No. They show generalised centre axes suitable for a continental study map. Mountain systems occupy broad, overlapping areas and their geological, topographic and cultural boundaries do not always coincide.
Why are volcanic zones shown separately from Andean cordilleras?
The volcanic arcs overlap parts of the Andes but are discontinuous and controlled by slab geometry. Showing them separately helps students compare structural mountain chains with active magmatic belts.
Which examinations can use this atlas?
It supports UPSC, State PSC, SSC, UGC-NET, AP Human Geography, IB Geography, GCSE, A-Level, Latin American geography courses and other school, university and competitive examinations worldwide.
Sources and Method
The atlas combines a generalized political basemap with educational mountain axes and a dominant-origin classification. Principal references are:
- U.S. Geological Survey — Nazca–South America Plate Convergence, for the fundamental tectonic setting of the Andes.
- U.S. Geological Survey — World Map of Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics, for continent-scale Andean subduction context.
- INGEMMET — Plate Tectonic Setting of the Andean Cordillera, for Central Andean structural development.
- INGEMMET — Structural Evolution of the Cordillera Huayhuash, for Peruvian range-scale geology.
- SEGEMAR — Geological Mapping of the Sierras Pampeanas, for Argentina’s tilted basement ranges.
- Geological Survey of Brazil — Mantiqueira Province, for eastern Brazilian ancient belts.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Huascarán National Park, for the Cordillera Blanca’s glaciated tropical mountain landscape.
- Smithsonian Institution — Global Volcanism Program, for active Andean and Galápagos volcanoes.
- Natural Earth — 1:110m Admin 0 Countries, for the generalized political basemap.
Method note: Mountain extents vary among geological, topographic and cultural sources. Lines therefore show approximate centre axes at continental scale, not precise boundaries. Heights are rounded educational values; glacier-covered, volcanic and difficult-to-survey summits can have revised estimates. Overlapping Andean cordilleras and volcanic zones are intentionally shown as separate learning layers.
