The Andes form one of the world's major mountain systems. Running along the Pacific coast, the Andes extend north about 7,250 kilometers from Cape Horn to the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela. This feature earned them the title, "The Backbone of South America."The Andes have a relatively narrow width, which is approximately 325 kilometers, except in Bolivia, where the width is approximately 650 kilometers.
Another amazing fact about the Andes is that they form one of longest uninterrupted high barriers of the world. They are not actually a single range, though. The Andes are actually a series of ranges separated by plateaus and basins.
More than 40 of the peaks in the Andes are higher than 6,100 meters. At Tierra del Fuego, the Andes form a single range, with an elevation less than 2,000 meters with occasional higher peaks. The highest peak in the Western Hemisphere is Aconcagua, which is 3,960 meters.
