A complex evolution has been the one that has had the term that we are now going to analyze. Its etymological origin is found in Latin and specifically in the word cordellum, which was the diminutive of chorda, which can be defined as “string”. However, since then it has been modified and adapted to other languages such as Catalan and Spanish.
A mountain range is a chain of mountains that are joined together. These mountainous successions were formed in the continental limits from the accumulation of sediments, since the compression exerted by the lateral pressure produced folding and generated the elevations.
The action of water, wind and other erosion agents shaped the mountain ranges, creating valleys. This process, which took place over millions of years, had a great impact on the climate, since the mountain ranges act on precipitation, change the direction of the wind and modify the temperature.
In South America, the Andes mountain range is one of the most important mountain ranges. It was formed by the subductive displacement of the Nazca Plate below the so-called South American Plate, when the end of the late Cretaceous period was nearing. This mountain range, which has an average height of four thousand meters and peaks that exceed six thousand, crosses Argentine, Bolivian, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Venezuelan territory.
North America has the Rocky Mountains (also called the Rockies), a mountain system that extends from Alaska to the southwestern United States and runs parallel to the west coast of the continent.
The African continent has its mountain range in Atlas. This joins Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, and has a length of approximately 2,400 kilometers. In it, the highest peak that exists is Toubkal, which exceeds 1,450 meters in height and is located in Morocco.
Starting from that route that this mountain system has, we will have to underline the fact that it is made up of three clearly delimited parts: the Tellian Atlas, the Saharan Atlas and the Moroccan Atlas.
In the case of Asia we can determine that three are the most important mountain ranges that it has:
Himalayas. It has the privilege of being the highest mountain range in the world as it reaches 8,000 meters high. However, the highest peak on the continent and the planet is Everest with 8848 meters. The countries through which this mountain system passes are India, Nepal, China and Bhutan.
Caucasus. Halfway between Europe and Asia is this mountain range that has a length of 1,200 kilometers.
Ural mountains. Just like the previous mountain system, this one is also between the two mentioned continents and has an extension of 2,500 kilometers.
In Europe, the Alps are one of the most relevant mountain ranges since, in their surroundings and thanks to the richness of the land and the presence of important rivers, numerous peoples such as the Celts, Lombards and others settled.
Another prominent mountain range is the Pyrenees, which is located to the north of the Iberian Peninsula and has an extension of 415 kilometers between the Mediterranean Sea and the Cantabrian Sea.
