TOP 10 highest mountains on Earth

Mountains are areas of relief whose height above ground level can reach 500 meters or more. Depending on the height of the mountain, it can be classified into one of three categories:

1. Low altitude. The height rarely exceeds 800 m. An example is the Northern Urals.
2. Medium altitude. Their height can reach 2000 m. They often have smooth tops, sometimes pointed ones. Examples of such mountains are the Khibiny Mountains, as well as the Middle and Polar Urals.
3. Tall. All peaks whose height exceeds 2000m.

Each mountain system has its own highest point.

Andes

The Andes mountain system is the longest and one of the highest. Here are the beds of many rivers, including the Amazon. This is a kind of climate barrier that protects western territories from the influence of the Atlantic, and eastern territories from the influence of the Pacific climate.

The mountain system stretches across seven South American countries and five different climate zones. The highest point in the Andes is Mount Aconcagua, whose peak height is 6962 meters.

Alps

Among the European mountains, the Alps are the longest and most extensive. In Eurasia there are higher and more extensive mountains, but they are partially or entirely located in Asia. Thanks to its favorable location, the Alps are the most studied of the existing mountain systems.

The mountain system stretches across eight countries. In total, the length of the Alpine arc exceeds 1200 km.

In the Alps you can find about a hundred four-thousand-meter mountains. The highest point of the Alps is Mont Blanc, whose height is 4810 meters. This peak stands on the border of Italy and France.

Video about the highest mountains in the world

Caucasus Mountains

The Caucasus Mountains include two large mountain systems: the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. The total length of the system is 1100 km.

The highest point of the Caucasus Mountains is Mount Elbrus. At an altitude of 5642 meters there is eternal snow. Another one of the highest points of the Caucasus is Mount Kazbek with a height of 5033 m. These mountains are distinguished by a large number of eternal glaciers. In total, there are more than two thousand glaciers in the Caucasus with a total area of ​​more than 1,400 square meters. km.

Video about the highest point of the Caucasus - Mount Elbrus

Ural Mountains

The Ural mountain system is relatively low, but very large in extent. The formation of the system was completed approximately 200 million years ago.

The highest point of the Urals is at the Narodnaya peak. The peak height above the ground is 1895 meters. The name of the mountain appeared in 1927, however, experts are still arguing to whom it is dedicated: the Narod River, flowing at the foot of the mountain, or the entire Soviet people.

The mountain is relatively low and almost invisible against the background of other peaks of the Subpolar Urals. There are several glaciers and snowfields here.

Altai Mountains

The highest point of Altai is located on Mount Belukha. The border between Russia and Kazakhstan runs through its massif; the Katun River begins on one of the slopes. Belukha Mountain was named because it is covered with abundant white snow from peak to base. No less interesting are the blue lakes in the Altai Mountains, surprising with their beauty.

The mountain has two peaks - Eastern and Western Belukha. The highest is the Eastern one - 4509 meters at the peak. Western Belukha is 74 meters lower. Between the peaks there is an interesting depression called “Belukha Saddle”, located at an altitude of about 4 thousand meters.

The final height of Belukha became known only in 2012. On maps published in the 1970s, it did not exceed 4500 meters.

Himalayas

The Himalaya mountain system is the highest existing on the planet. The average height of the ridges located here is about 6 thousand meters. This system includes 10 famous “eight-thousanders”. Thanks to all of the above, the Himalayan mountain system is the center of international mountaineering.

The highest point of the Himalayas is Mount Chomolungma - it is also the highest mountain in the world. The more famous name of this mountain range is Everest. In Nepal the mountain is called Sagarmatha. The maximum height is 8848 meters. Due to the fact that several hundred thousand tourists visited the mountain only in the early 2000s, leaving behind hundreds of tons of garbage, it is sometimes called “the highest landfill in the world.”

Cordillera

The Cordillera is the longest mountain system in the world. Some researchers identify two highest points here:

1. Aconcagua is the highest point of the Cordilleri Andes (as part of them). Located in South America. Peak height – 6960-6962 meters.
2. Denali (mountain range better known as McKinley). The height of this mountain is 6190 meters.

Relatively high volcanic activity (there are about 80 active volcanoes on the territory of the mountain system) indicates that the formation of the Cordillera continues to this day, and the appearance of other highest peaks is possible.

Tien Shan

The Tien Shan is a Central Asian mountain system located in five countries. The highest point of the Tien Shan is Pobeda Peak, one of the largest peaks in the world. The height of the mountain peak is 7439 meters. It is one of the five “seven-thousanders” of the former USSR, the conquest of which gives the unofficial title of “Snow Leopard”.

Carpathians

The Carpathians are a relatively low Central European mountain system passing through the territory of eight countries. The eastern part is a seismic zone, the strength of an earthquake can reach up to 8 points.

The highest point of the Carpathians is Gerlachovsky Shtit. Until 1959 it was called Stalin Peak. The height of the mountain is 2654 meters. The summit is relatively soft, smooth, there is a certain amount of glaciers and eternal snow.

Scandinavian mountains

The height of the mountain system is relatively small. The highest point in the Scandinavian Mountains is Mount Galhepiggen, located in southern Norway. Its height is 2469 meters. There are small glaciers and some permanent snow on the mountain. The relief is smooth, which is due to the activity of ancient glaciers. Galhepiggen is a fairly popular Norwegian tourist center.

The Scandinavian Mountains contain the largest concentration of glaciers in modern Europe. Among the other highest points of this mountain system, one can note the Swedish Mount Kebnekaise - 2111 meters.

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