There of many mountain ranges in the world and they continue to grow, shift and shrink. Ranges can be classified by elevation, length, area, type etc and rest of the article lists mountain ranges in various categories.
List of Mountain Ranges
Quick overview of mountain ranges in the world and their highest peak. Click on the mountain range for more in-depth information about geography, peaks and hikes. This is not a complete list of mountains.
List | Chart
| Range | Highest Peak | Elevation m (ft) | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Himalayas | Mt Everest | 8,849 (29,032) | Asia |
| Karakoram | K2 | 8,586 (28,169) | Asia |
| Hindukush | Tirich Mir | 7,708 (25,289) | Asia |
| Pamir | Kongur (Kungur Tagh) | 7,649 (25,095) | Asia |
| Hengduan | Mount Gongga | 7,556 (24,790) | Asia |
| Tian Shan | Jengish Chokusu | 7,439 (24,406) | Asia |
| Kunlun | Liushi Shan | 7,167 (23,514) | Asia |
| Transhimalaya | Nyenchen Tanglha | 7,162 (23,497) | Asia |
| Andes | Aconcagua | 6,961 (22,837) | South America |
| Alaska | Denali | 6,190 (20,310) | North America |
| St Elias | Mount Logan | 5,959 (19,551) | North America |
| Eastern Rift | Mt. Kilimanjaro | 5,895 (19,340) | Africa |
| Caucasus | Elbrus | 5,642 (18,510) | Eurasia |
| Wrangell | Mount Blackburn | 4,996 (16,390) | North America |
| Ellsworth | Mt. Vinson | 4,892 (16,050) | Antarctica |
| Sudirman | Puncak Jaya | 4,884 (16,024) | Asia |
| Alps | Mont Blanc | 4,810 (15,780) | Europe |
| Transantarctic | Mount Kirkpatrick | 4,528 (14,856) | Antarctica |
| Atlai | Belukha | 4,506 (14,783) | Asia |
| Sierra Nevada | Mount Whitney | 4,419 (14,498) | North America |
| Rockies | Mount Elbert | 4,401 (14,440) | North America |
| Cascades | Mount Rainier | 4,392 (14,411) | North America |
| Atlas | Toubkal | 4,167 (13,671) | Africa |
| Banjaran Crocker | Mt Kinabalu | 4,095 (13,435) | Asia |
| Chugach | Mt. Marcus Baker | 3,991 (13,094 ) | North America |
| Drakensberg | Thabana Nt. | 3,482 (11,424) | Africa |
| Kenai | Mt. Torbert | 3,479 (11,414) | North America |
| Pyrenees | Aneto | 3,404 (11,168) | Europe |
| Japanese Alps | Mount Kita | 3,193 (10,476) | Asia |
| Carpathians | Gerlachovský štít | 2,655 (8,711) | Europe |
| Scandinavian | Galdhøpiggen | 2,469 (8,100) | Europe |
| Great Dividing Range | Mt. Kosciuszko | 2,228 (7,310) | Australia |
| Ural | Mt. Narodnaya | 1,895 (6,217) | Asia |
| Grampians | Ben Nevis | 1,345 (4,413) | Europe |
Tallest Mountain Ranges
Ranges can be classified in many ways, here are highest five ranges in the world. All of them are in Asia.
Additionally, you can find the tallest mountains in the world here.
Longest Mountain Ranges
Here are the 5 longest ranges
- Andes
- Rockies
- Great Dividing Range
- Transantarctic
- Kunlun
Seven Summits
Seven summits are the highest point on each of the seven continents. In 1985, Richard Bass became the first person to climb all of them that too in one year.
- Mt. Everest in Asia
- Cerro Aconcagua in South America
- Mt. Denali in North America
- Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa
- Mt. Vinson in Antarctica
- Mt Elbrus or Mont Blanc in Europe depending on where one considered the boundary of Europe and Asia. Mt Elbrus is in Caucasus range which divides Asia and Europe.
- Puncak Jaya or Mt. Kosciuszko depending where one considers continent Australia to the the Australian continental plate or only Australia and New Zealand, the countries. Puncak Jaya is in Sudirman Range of Papua Province in Indonesia. Mt. Kosciuszko is in Australia, the country.
Major Mountain Ranges
There are hundreds mountain ranges and millions of mountains in the world and some of them are still growing. Here are some of the popular ranges and people travel across the world to see and climb.
- Himalayas – It is in Asia and is the tallest range in the world.
- Andes – It is in South America and is the longest mountain range in the world.
- Alps – It is in Europe and is the most popular and accessible range.
- Rockies – It is in North America and among the longer ranges.
Major Mountains in US and North America
There are many mountain ranges in US as well as in North America and here are some of the majestic ones:
- Alaska Range
- Rockies
- Sierra Nevada
- Cascades
- St. Elias
There are many more ranges in the US.
Types of Mountain Ranges
Mountain range is a collection of mountains are connected to each other through the ground. There are five types of mountain ranges:
- Volcanic Mountains: They are formed when tectonic plates collide and create volcanoes along the plate boundaries that form mountains. Mt Kilimanjaro is a good example of a volcanic mountain.
- Fold Mountains: These are the most common type of mountain in the world where mountains are formed when two or more tectonic plates are pushed together. Himalayas and Andes are examples of fold mountains. Himalayas were formed when Indian plate crashed into Asian plate. Andes were formed when the South American and Oceanic plate collided.
- Fold Block Mountains: These mountains form when cracks in the earth’s crust force blocks of rock up and others down. Higher blocks are called horsts and troughs are called grabens. Sierra Nevada in California is an example of Fold Block Range.
- Dome Mountains: Dome mountains are the result of a great amount of melted rock (magma) pushing its way up under the earth crust without actually erupting. Lassen Peak in Cascade Mountains is the world’s largest lava dome.
- Erosion Mountains: These are not formed movement of Earth’s crust but by erosion by streams and rivers over years through a plateau, leaving mountains standing between the valleys.