MOUNTAIN RANGES

Compiled by Chilman Sahni

LONGEST MOUNTAIN RANGES

A mountain range is a continuous chain of mountains- a mountain is a land that rises 300m or more above its surroundings.

            RANGE                                                          LOCATION                                     APPROX LENGTH (km)     

1. Andes                                                            South America                                          7,242
2. Rocky Mountains                                         North America                                          6,035
3. Himalayas/Karakoram/ Hindu Kush          Asia                                                              3,862
4. Great Dividing Range                                    Australia                                                     3,621
5. Trans- Antarctic Mountains                          Antarctica                                                   3,541

HIGHEST MOUNTAINS

In 1852, when the Great Trignometrical Survey of India was completed, which measured all the country’s land features, it showed that Everest (then called Peak XV) was the world’s highest mountain. Its height was then reckoned to be 8,840m, which has since been adjusted as improved measuring methods have been used. The mountain’s name was suggested in 1865 as a tribute to Sir George Everest, the Surveyor General of India who had led the survey.

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