The climate of the western slopes of the cordillera is in the temperate zone. The Cordillera Mountains are the longest mountain range in the world.

), which occupies the west of North America and extends within the US proper and Alaska, Canada and Mexico. The total length is more than 7 thousand km. km(from 19°N to 69°N). The width of the mountain belt in Alaska reaches 1100-1200 km, in Canada - up to 800 km, on the territory of the United States proper - about 1600 km, in Mexico - up to 1000 km. The southern boundary of K. S. A. is the tectonic depression of the valley of the river. Balsas, separating North and Central America.

Orography. Three longitudinal belts are distinctly expressed in K. S. A. - eastern, inner and western. The eastern belt, or the belt of the Rocky Mountains, is represented by a chain of high massive ridges, for the most part serving as a watershed between the Pacific Ocean basin and the basins of the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean. In the east, the belt abruptly breaks off to the foothill plateaus (Arctic, Great Plains), in the west it is limited in places by deep tectonic depressions (the "Moat of the Rocky Mountains") or valleys of large rivers (Rio Grande), and in places it gradually passes into mountain ranges and plateaus. In Alaska, the Brooks Range belongs to the Rocky Mountain belt; in northwestern Canada, the Richardson Range and the Mackenzie Mountains, bounded in the north and south by the through valleys of the Peel and Liard rivers.

To the south, on the territory of Canada and the USA, up to 32 ° N. sh., the Rocky Mountains proper stretch. Between 45° N. sh. and 32° N. sh. the eastern belt reaches its greatest width and is represented by isolated high (over 4000 m), but small along the ridges and massifs, separated by vast sections of the plateau (“parks”): Savatch Massif, San Juan Mountains, Front Range, Yuinta Mountains. In the area between 32° and 26° N. sh., cut by the valley of the river. The Rio Grande, the belt is indistinct: the mountain ranges are separated by sections of plateaus and basins, which merge in the west with the Bolsons of the Mexican Highlands, and in the east they pass into the Eduarde Plateau. The southernmost segment of the eastern belt forms the Eastern Sierra Madre (height up to 4054 m).

The inner belt of K. S. A., or the belt of internal plateaus and uplands, is enclosed between the eastern belt and the belt of the Pacific ridges in the west. In inner Alaska, it includes vast tectonic depressions occupied by river valleys and alternating with flat-topped mountain ranges up to 1500- 1700 m(mountains Kilbak, Kuskokwim, Ray); in Canada - numerous high plateaus (Yukon, Stikine, Fraser), mountain ranges and ranges that are not inferior in height to the ranges of the Rocky Mountains (Cassiar-Omineka Mountains, 2590 m; Columbian mountains, before 3581 m); within the US and Mexico proper - high-altitude massifs in the area of ​​batholith development in the state of Idaho (height up to 3857 m), the Snake and Columbia Volcanic Plateaus (average heights up to 1000 m), the Great Basin Plateau and northeastern Mexico, as well as the Colorado Plateau and the Mexican Highlands.

The western belt consists of a belt of Pacific ridges, a belt of intermountain depressions, and a belt of coastal chains. The belt of the Pacific ridges, bordering the inner region of K. S. A. from 3., includes the highest ridges of the mountain system, including the Alaska Range with the highest point of the entire mainland - Mount McKinley (6193 m), chain of volcanic Aleutian Islands, Aleutian Range (Iliamna Volcano, 3075 m), alpine node of the massif of St. Elias (Logan, 6050 m), a heavily dissected Coast Range (Waddington, 4042 m), forming a characteristic fjord coast along its entire length. On the territory of the United States and Mexico proper, this belt includes the Cascade Mountains with a series of peaks-volcanoes (Volcano Rainier, 4392 m), Sierra Nevada Range (Whitney, 4418 m), ridges of the California Peninsula (heights up to 3078 m), separated from the inner belt by the depression of the Gulf of California, the Transverse Volcanic Sierra with Orizaba volcanoes (5700 m), Popocatepetl (5452 m), Nevado de Colima (4265 m). Intermontane longitudinal depressions are represented both by sea inlets and straits (Cook Bay, Shelikhov Straits, Georgia, Sebastian-Viscaino Bay), and a series of lowlands and plateaus (Susitna Lowland, Copper River Plateau, Willamette Valley, Great California Valley). The belt of coastal chains, bordering the western edge of the mainland, is the most fragmented part of the K.S.A. Charlotte, Vancouver, Alexander Archipelago). This belt reaches its greatest height in southern Alaska, in the Chugach Mountains (Marques-Baker, 4016 m).

Geological structure and minerals. K. S. A. are formed by different tectonic elements. In the south of the United States, they include the western part of the Precambrian North American Platform (the Colorado Plateau and the eastern ridges of the Rocky Mountains), uplifted by recent movements, where a folded basement (absolute age about 2.4 billion years) is overlain by a Paleozoic and Mesozoic horizontal mantle. To the west, the myo- and eugeosynclinal troughs of the mesozoids of the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains (Nevadids) stretch. In Canada, the mesozoids are separated from the platform by the Cis-Cordillera marginal foredeep, filled with carbonate and saline formations of the Middle Paleozoic and molasses of the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, and in Alaska - from the ancient Yukon massif - by the Tintin deep fault. Similar faults separate the Mesozoic of Mexico from the Precambrian Central American massif. The formation of geosynclinal troughs of the Nevadids took place in the Late Precambrian, and the accumulation of sediments in them continued until the end of the Jurassic. Carbonate (Paleozoic) and terrigenous (Mesozoic) strata of the miogeosyncline up to 10 km. The eugeosyncline is composed of volcanogenic and volcanogenic-sedimentary strata about 15 km. In the Late Jurassic, the mesozoites of Canada and the United States were folded, and in the Early Cretaceous, granitoids were intruded into them. Within the Western Sierra Madre and the California Peninsula, folded and orogenic processes occurred in the Late Cretaceous - Paleocene time (laramides), and the introduction of granites dates back to the Late Cretaceous - Oligocene.

To the west of the Mesozoic, on the Alaska Peninsula and in the Coast Ranges of California and Oregon, as well as in southern Central America, the Cenozoic geosynclinal system extends. It is composed of powerful (up to 25 km) strata of volcanogenic and sedimentary rocks of the Upper Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic. These areas are characterized by volcanism, high seismicity and intense modern tectonic movements. In the north of the Pacific Ocean, geosyncline structures include the Aleutian Trench, and in the south, the Central American Deep Trench; the formation of a deep trough in the Gulf of California is associated with the development of the geosyncline.

In the Cis-Cordillera foredeep (Canada) and in young depressions (Alaska, California) there are oil deposits, in the mesozoids of the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada and Sierra Madre - ores of gold, tungsten, copper, molybdenum (see Climax) , polymetals, in the Cenozoic structures of the Coast Ranges - mercury, as well as coal, etc.

N. A. Bogdanov.

Relief. The eastern belt is characterized by both large arched massifs dissected by river valleys (the Brooks Range, the Mackenzie Mountains, the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the Eastern Sierra Madre) and short anticlinal ridges formed in the area of ​​marginal platform structures (the Rocky Mountains of the United States).

In the relief of the inner belt, high plateaus (Yukon, Stikine, and others) stand out, which are a combination of large flat-topped massifs and wide basins crossed by river valleys; lava plateaus (Fraser, Columbia, Mexico), deeply cut by river canyons; semi-buried highlands (Great Basin), which have a folded base brought to the surface in the form of short numerous ridges surrounded by extensive depressions, as well as deeply dissected plateaus (the Colorado Plateau, etc.), which are a site of platform structures involved in the Cordillera mountain belt.

The belt of Pacific ridges is characterized by large anticline ridges with outcrops of intrusive rocks in the axial part (Alaska Range); close to this type are the massive batholith ridges of considerable length (the Sierra Nevada, the Coastal Range). Another type is volcanic ridges, which have a folded base, complicated by a series of volcanoes planted on it, including active ones. In the belt of longitudinal depressions, accumulative lowlands (Great California Valley) have become widely developed. The belt of coastal chains is most characterized by low, weakly dissected ridges that form rectilinear coasts.

In the northern part of K. S. A. (to the north of 40-49 ° N. latitude), both ancient glacial (troughs, cirques, terminal moraine ridges, loess, outwash and lacustrine plains) and modern nival landforms (kurums , upland terraces, etc.), confined to the highest levels of mountains (Alaska Range, Rocky Mountains). In areas not subjected to glaciation (inner Alaska), thermokarst and polygonal landforms associated with the distribution of rocks and soils are widely represented. In the rest of the C. S. A., water-erosion forms predominate: valley dissection in the most humid regions (Canadian Cordillera), table forms and canyons in arid regions (Colorado and Columbia Plateaus). Desert regions (Great Basin, Mexican Highlands) are characterized by denudation and eolian forms.

Climate. The northern part of K. S. A. is located in the arctic (Brooks Ridge) and subarctic (most of Alaska) belts, the territory up to 40 ° N. sh. - in the temperate zone, to the south - in the subtropical zone, the California Peninsula and the Mexican Highlands - in the tropical zone. On the slopes facing the Pacific Ocean, the climate is predominantly mild, oceanic (at the latitude of San Francisco - Mediterranean), in the interior - continental. On the Yukon Plateau, the average January temperature is about -30 ° C, July 15 ° C. In the Great Basin, winter temperatures drop to -17°C, while summer temperatures often exceed 40°C (the absolute maximum is 57°C). In July, the highest temperatures are observed in the intermountain valleys of the South (32 °С in the lower reaches of the Colorado River), the lowest - in the highlands of South Alaska (8 °С in the Chugach Mountains and the St. Ilya Massif). Humidification is extremely uneven. In the temperate zone, the extreme west is best moistened; in the tropical zone, the extreme east. The inner plateaus receive the least amount of precipitation. On the southern ranges of Alaska, the annual precipitation is 3000-4000 mm, on the coast of British Columbia - up to 2500 mm, on the US internal plateau, it drops to 400-200 mm. The Mojave Desert receives only 50 rainfall. mm in year. To the south-east Mexican highlands rainfall increases to 2000 mm. The greatest thickness of the snow cover (up to 150 cm and more) is observed in the south of Alaska (mountains Chugach, St. Ilya, Wrangel), as well as on the Coast Range and in the Columbian Mountains of Canada.

Glaciation. Large differences in the latitudinal and altitudinal position of the K. S. A., as well as a sharp difference in the moistening of the territory, have led to the uneven development of modern glaciation. The lowest (300-450 m) the snow line is located on the Pacific slope of the mountains of South Alaska, in some places descending to the level of the ocean. On the northern slopes of the Chugach and St. Ilya mountains, the snow limit is at an altitude of 1800-1900 m, on the Alaska Range - from 1350-1500 m(southern slope) up to 2250-2400 m(northern slope). The area of ​​present-day glaciation here reaches 52,000 sq. km 2. In the Brooks Range and the Mackenzie Mountains, glaciation is developed only at the highest peaks. To the south, the snow line rises to 1500-1800 m in the Coast Range and up to 2250 m - in the Columbian Mountains of Canada. As a result, the glaciation area of ​​inland Alaska and the Canadian Cordillera is only 15,000 km2. km 2. On the territory of the United States proper, the snow limit rises to 2500-3000 m in the Cascades and Rockies, up to 4000 m more than - in the Sierra Nevada, up to 4500 m and more - in Mexico. The area of ​​modern glaciation in the United States is estimated at 0.5-0.6 thousand km2. km 2, in Mexico - 0.011 thousand km 2. All the main types of glaciers are represented in K. S. A.: vast ice fields and caps, washed by glaciers (Depont glacier in the Coast Range), foothill glaciers, or foot glaciers (Malaspina), valley glaciers (Hubbard, length 145 km in the Coast Range), cirque and short hanging glaciers, mostly disappearing (Sierra Nevada). On the volcanic peaks, star-shaped glaciers form, sending numerous glacial flows from themselves (there are more than 40 flows on the Rainier volcano).

Rivers and lakes. Within the limits of K. S. A. lie the sources of many river systems of the mainland: Yukon, Peace River - Mackenzie, Saskatchewan - Nelson, Missouri - Mississippi, Colorado, Columbia, Fraser. Since the main watershed is the eastern belt of mountains, most of the precipitation that falls within the boundaries of the K. S. A. flows to the west, into the Pacific Ocean. North of 45-50° N. sh. on the Pacific coast, the rivers are fed mainly by snow with a pronounced spring flood. In the south, rainfall predominates, with a winter maximum on the Pacific coast and a spring and summer maximum in inland regions. In the southern part of the K. S. A., significant areas do not have a runoff into the ocean and are irrigated mainly by short-lived streams that end in drainless salt lakes (the largest of them is the Great Salt Lake). There are numerous freshwater lakes of glacial-tectonic and dam origin in the north (Atlin, Kooteney, Okanagan, and others).

The most full-flowing mountain rivers, having a large fall and being regulated by lakes, have a huge hydropower potential and are widely used for generating electricity and irrigation. On the river Columbia, more than 10 sites suitable for the construction of hydroelectric power stations have been identified, and some of them have already been used (Grand Coulee, Te Dals, etc.).

natural areas. Owing to the considerable height, the altitudinal zonality of natural landscapes is clearly expressed throughout the entire length of the K. S. A.. At the same time, the stretching of mountain ranges in the direction perpendicular to the main flow of moisture causes significant differences between the landscapes of the coastal (Pacific) and inland parts of the territory. The biggest changes in landscapes are associated with the latitudinal position of the mountain system, with its transition from the subarctic zone to the temperate, subtropical and tropical. There are 4 main natural regions: the Northwest, the Canadian Cordillera, the US Cordillera and the Mexican Cordillera.

The northwestern region, or the Alaska Cordillera, covers most of the state of Alaska and the Yukon Plateau in northwestern Canada. Alpine ranges with extensive glaciation predominate in the south, while plateaus dominate the rest of the territory. The climate is subarctic, on the southern coast - temperate. With the exception of the coast of the Gulf of Alaska, permafrost is developed everywhere. The spectrum of altitudinal belts is represented by foothill woodlands (forest tundra) in river valleys and mountain tundra on high plateaus. Subarctic meadows are developed on the western coast, on the southern Pacific slopes - belts of tall coniferous forests of hemlock and arborvitae (the so-called coastal forest), subalpine light forests, replaced at the peaks by alpine meadows and glaciers. Reindeer, arctic foxes, polar hares, lemmings live in the tundra. Elk, grizzly bear, wolf, fox and other predators are found in the forests. Lots of birds. The bulk of the population and cities are concentrated on the south coast.

The Canadian Cordillera is the narrowest part of the mountain belt, including the southeastern coast of Alaska and partially entering the territory of the United States (up to 44 ° N). The relief is dominated by high mountain ranges with a wide development of ancient glacial forms and modern glaciation. The climate is temperate, from humid to dry. The range of vertical belts includes steppes on the bottoms of intermountain valleys, pine forest steppe on high plateaus, mountain coniferous forests of fir, spruce, red cedar, balsam pine on slopes where podzolic brown forest and mountain forest soils are developed, subalpine coniferous light forests and alpine meadows on mountain meadow and skeletal soils in the top part. The Pacific slopes are occupied by tall forests of Douglas, Sitka spruce, hemlock and arborvitae, coming here from the southern regions of Alaska. There are many different animals in the mountain forests: wapiti reindeer, moose, caribou, grizzly bear; there are wolf, fox, wolverine, lynx, puma, mountain sheep. Fur-bearing animals include marten, ermine, mink, coypu, and muskrat. The population is concentrated mainly in the south, in coastal cities (Vancouver). The steppe lands of the valleys are cultivated, the forest-steppe plateaus are used as pastures.

The US Cordillera, or the Southern Cordillera, correspond to the widest part of the mountain belt and have a wide variety of natural conditions. High wooded ridges, covered with snowfields and glaciers, directly adjoin here to vast drainless desert plateaus. The climate is subtropical, Mediterranean on the coast, arid in the interior. On the slopes of high ridges (Forward Range, Sierra Nevada) belts of mountain pine forests (American spruce, larch), coniferous subalpine woodlands and alpine meadows are developed. The low Coast Ranges are covered with mountain pine forests, groves of relict redwood forests and evergreen hard-leaved shrubs (chaparral). The western slopes of this part of the Cordillera are rich in forest resources, but in the 19th and especially in the 20th centuries. forests were severely cut down and suffered from frequent fires, and the area under them was significantly reduced (Sitka spruce, Douglas, etc., which survived in small numbers on the Pacific coast, were especially affected). Vast areas of the inner plateau are occupied by sagebrush and shrubby semi-deserts and deserts, low ridges are occupied by pine and pine-juniper woodlands. In the lands developed by man, large animals are either destroyed or are on the verge of destruction. The bison are almost completely exterminated, the pronghorn antelope is rare. The rich fauna is preserved only in reserves (Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, etc.). In semi-desert areas, rodents, snakes, lizards, and scorpions are predominantly common. The population is concentrated near the Pacific coast, where large cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco) are located. In the river valleys - arrays of irrigated lands used for subtropical fruit crops. Subtropical woodlands and scrub deserts are used as pastures.

Mexican Cordilleras. Includes the Mexican Highlands and the California Peninsula. The relief is dominated by high plateaus and uplands, strongly dissected in places (Western Sierra Madre). High seismicity is characteristic. The climate is tropical, mostly dry. On the windward slopes, low-growing thorny forests (at the foot) and deciduous tropical forests (at the peaks) are developed. In the inner parts, shrubby creosote and high-altitude succulent deserts, cactus-acacia savannas and mountain coniferous-hard-leaved forests are common. Of the animals in the deserts and semi-deserts, there are puma, pronghorn antelope, meadow wolf, or coyote, many hares, voles, and other rodents. The forests are inhabited by black bears, lynxes, and other predators. Monkeys, tapirs, jaguars are found in tropical forests. Most of the population is concentrated on the Central Mesa plateau, where the main cities of Mexico (Mexico City, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosi) are located, and on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (ports of Tampico, Veracruz). Significant tracts of land in the south are used for plantations of tropical crops and grain crops.

Lit.: Ignatiev G. M., North America, M., 1965; Relief of the Earth, M., 1967; Vitvitsky G.N., Climates of North America, M., 1953; King F. B., Geological development of North America, trans. from English, M., 1961; Bostock, H. S., Physiography of the Canadian Cordillera, Ottawa, 1948; Landscapes of Alaska, Los Ang., 1958; Tamayo J. L., Geografia general de Mexico, 2 ed., v. 1-4, Mex., 1962; Thornbury W. D., Regional geomorphology of the United States, N. Y., 1965.

A. V. Antipova, G. M. Ignatiev.

Cordillera, the largest mountain system in the world, stretching along the western outskirts of North and South America, from 66 ° N.S. (Alaska) to 56°S sh. (Tierra del Fuego).

The length is more than 18 thousand km, the width is up to 1600 km in North America and up to 900 km in South America. Located in [Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

Almost along its entire length, it is a watershed between the basins of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as a pronounced climatic boundary. In height they are second only to the Himalayas and the mountain systems of Central Asia. The highest peaks of the Cordillera: in North America - Mount McKinley (6193 m), in South America - Mount Aconcagua (6960 m).

The entire Cordillera system is divided into 2 parts - Cordillera of North America, and the Cordillera of South America, or the Andes.

The main mountain-building processes that resulted in the emergence of the Cordillera began in North America in the Jurassic, in South America at the end of the Cretaceous and took place in close connection with the formation of mountain systems on other continents (Alpine folding). The formation of the Cordillera has not yet ended, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes and intense volcanism (more than 80 active volcanoes). An important role in the formation of the relief of the Cordillera was also played by the Quaternary glaciation, especially north of 44° N. latitude. and south of 40°S.

The Cordilleras lie in all geographic zones (except for the subantarctic and antarctic) and are distinguished by a wide variety of landscapes and a pronounced altitudinal zonality. The snow limit in Alaska is at an altitude of 600 m, in Tierra del Fuego - 500-700 m in Bolivia and South Peru rises to 6000-6500 m. In the northwestern part of the Cordilleras of North America and in the southeast of the Andes, glaciers descend to ocean level in the hot zone they cover only the highest peaks. The total area of ​​glaciation is about 90 thousand km 2 (in the Cordillera of North America - 67 thousand km 2, in the Andes - about 20 tons km 2).

Literature

• Geographic encyclopedic dictionary, M., 1986.

The Cordillera of North America is the northern part of the Cordillera mountain system, stretching along the Pacific coast of the mainland for nine thousand kilometers, and diverging more than one and a half thousand kilometers wide. They start on, their southern border is the valley of the Mexican Balsas River, which separates North and Central America, to the south - the mountains of the Southern Sierra Madre, belonging to the Cordillera of Central America, which pass into the Andes, forming the longest mountain system of the Earth with a length of more than 18 thousand km .
These mountains cross the territory of three countries of North America: the USA (from Alaska to California), Canada and Mexico.
The history of the formation of the Cordilleras of North America is incredibly complex, primarily because of the large area of ​​​​this object and the significant duration of its formation: for example, the age of the rocks of the vast Colorado Plateau and the eastern ridges of the Rocky Mountains is about 2.4 billion years. The process of formation of the Cordilleras of North America is still in its active phase, earthquakes are not uncommon here, and volcanic eruptions also occur.
In the configuration of this part of the Cordillera, three longitudinal mountain belts are clearly visible.
East, he is a belt with the top of Elbert, - a chain of high massive ridges. In the east, it is bounded by a sharp ledge, which is the boundary of the foothill plateaus (Arctic Plateau, Great Plains), and in the west it is bounded by deep tectonic depressions, called the "Moat of the Rocky Mountains", or by the valleys of large rivers like the Rio Grande. The southernmost section of the eastern belt forms the Eastern Sierra Madre, about 4 km high.
The inner belt is enclosed between the eastern belt and the western belt of the Pacific ridges. In Alaska, these are vast tectonic depressions occupied by river valleys and alternating with relatively low mountain ranges, in Canada - numerous high plateaus under 2.5 km high, within the US and Mexico proper - high mountain ranges and volcanic plateaus.
The western (Pacific) belt, which includes the highest ridges, consists of a belt of Pacific ridges, a belt of intermountain depressions, and a belt of coastal chains. The belt of the Pacific ridges includes the Alaska Range with the highest point of the entire mainland - the top of Denali. Part of the western belt are large mountains - the Cascade Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Range and the Transverse Volcanic Sierra. Most of the peaks of the local mountains are cones of active and extinct volcanoes 4 km high and above, the most famous are Rainier, Orizaba, Popocatepetl and Nevada de Colima.
Sedimentary rocks accumulated in the depressions between the mountain ranges for a long time, as a result, huge deposits of various minerals were formed throughout the Cordillera of North America, and metal ores were formed in the thickness of the mountains. There are oil deposits in the Canadian Cis-Cordillera foredeep and in depressions in Alaska and California, in the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada and Sierra Madre - ores of gold, tungsten, copper, molybdenum, polymetals, in the Coast Ranges - mercury and everywhere - deposits of stone coal.
Glaciers occupy almost 70 thousand km 2, most of which are located in the mountains of Alaska, among them Bering stands out - the largest mountain glacier in North America (some glaciologists believe that the whole world).
In the Cordillera lie the sources and headwaters of many major rivers in North America: Yukon, Saskatchewan, Missouri, Columbia, Colorado, Rio Grande. There are lakes, many are salty, the most famous is Bolshoe Salt.
The Cordillera of North America is the northern part of the Cordillera mountain system, stretching along the western edge of North America and into Central America.
The length of the Cordillera of North America is great, this explains the noticeable difference in landscapes - depending on the latitudinal position of the mountain system.
The natural landscapes of the Cordilleras of North America throughout their length, due to their considerable height, have a pronounced altitudinal zonality, which is largely typical of such large mountainous regions.
The division of the Cordillera zone of North America into four main natural regions is accepted: the Northwest, the Canadian Cordillera, the US Cordillera and the Mexican Cordillera.
The northwestern (Alaskan Cordillera) occupies most of the American and Canadian Yukon plateaus. Here is the kingdom of high mountain ranges with powerful glaciation, the climate is from arctic to temperate. Vegetation is poor, as permafrost is everywhere. On the slopes of the mountains - mountain tundra, and above - glaciers, in the valleys of freezing rivers - forest tundra, on the western coast - warmer - subarctic meadows and coastal coniferous forests appear. Reindeer, arctic fox, polar hare, lemming live in the tundra. The forest is the habitat of the grizzly bear, wolf, fox. A lot of birds.
People settled only on the coast, where all the cities and towns are located.
The population is engaged in fishing, hunting for fur-bearing animals and the extraction of the most valuable minerals (gold, oil), since the export of others is too expensive.
The Canadian Cordillera, partly entering the territory of the United States, is the narrowest part of the mountain belt. There are many mountain ranges and glaciers, but the climate is milder - temperate, humid. Steppes appear in the river valleys, and thickets of mountain coniferous forests appear on the plateau: fir, spruce, red cedar, balsam pine. The animal world becomes more diverse, the moose, wolverine, lynx, cougar, mountain sheep, fur-bearing animal appear: marten, ermine, mink, nutria, muskrat.
The local population is the inhabitants of large port cities like Vancouver, as well as farmers: the steppes are plowed up, the forest-steppe plateaus are used as pastures.
The US Cordillera is the widest part of these mountains, so there is a greater variety of natural conditions. High, forested ridges with glaciers are close to vast desert plateaus. The climate is subtropical, and on the coast - Mediterranean, in the interior, where moisture from the ocean no longer gets, it is arid. On the slopes of the Front Range and the Sierra Nevada there are mountain pine forests, the Coast Ranges - which are lower - are covered with groves of relic sequoia and hard-leaved shrubs - chaparral. But the forests in the west are largely cut down or burned down in forest fires - also through the fault of man.
Where people have settled, large animals are either destroyed or are on the verge of destruction: for example, the bison is almost completely destroyed. The rich fauna is preserved only in very large reserves, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks.
The bulk of the population is concentrated along the Pacific coast, where the major cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco are located.
The Mexican Cordillera is the Mexican Highlands and the California Peninsula. The climate is tropical, very dry, the vegetation is poor, with the exception of tropical forests on the slopes of the mountains. Pronghorn antelope, coyote, monkeys, jaguar live here. Most of the population lives in and around Mexico City or in port cities.

general information

Mountain ranges: eastern belt (Brooks, Richardson, Mackenzie, Sawatch, San Juan, Forward, Uinta, Eastern Sierra Madre), inner belt (Kilbuck, Kuskokwim, Rey, Cassiar, Omineka, Columbian, Yukon Plateau, Stikine, Fraser, Snake, Great Basin, Colorado and Mexican Highlands), western (Alaska, Aleutian, Coastal, Sierra Nevada, Transverse Volcanic Sierra, Sierra Vizcaino, St. Elias Massif, Cascade and Chugach Mountains).

Plateaus, uplands and plateaus: Yukon, Fraser, Colombian, Colorado, Mexican.

Administrative affiliation: USA, Canada, Mexico.
Large cities: Mexico City - 8,851,080 people (2010), Los Angeles - 3,928,864 people. (2014), San Francisco - 852,469 people. (2014), Vancouver (Canada) - 2,313,328 people. (2011).
Languages: English, French, Indian dialects.

Ethnic composition: Whites, African Americans, Indigenous peoples.
Religions: Christianity (many branches and directions), Judaism, Islam.

Monetary units: Canadian dollar, US dollar, Mexican peso.

Large rivers (sources and upper reaches): Yukon, Peace, Athabasca, Mackenzie, Saskatchewan, Missouri, Columbia, Colorado, Rio Grande, Fraser.

Large lakes: Great Salt, Tahoe.

Numbers

Maximum Width: in Alaska - 1100-1200 km, in Canada - up to 800 km, on the territory of the United States itself - about 1600 km, in Mexico - up to 1000 km.

highest point: Mount Denali (Pacific belt, 6144 m).

Other peaks: Mount (5951 m), Volcano Orizaba (5700 m), Volcano Popocatepetl (5452 m), Mount Whitney (4418 m), Mount Elbert (4399 m), Volcano Rainier (4392 m), Volcano Nevado de Colima (4265 m), Mount Marques-Baker (4016 m), Mount Waddington (4042 m), Yliamna volcano (3075 m).

Glaciers: area - about 67 thousand km 2.

Climate and weather

January average temperature: in the north -30°С, in the south -17°С.
July average temperature: in the north +15°С, in the south up to +30°С.

Average annual rainfall: on the southern ridges of Alaska - 3000-4000 mm, on the coast of British Columbia - up to 2500 mm, on the internal plateau of the USA - up to 400-200 mm, in the Mojave Desert - 50 mm per year.

Relative humidity: from 70-80% in the north to 50-60% in the south.

Economy

Agriculture: in the north - reindeer breeding, in the temperate zone - cereals and cattle, in the south - citrus fruits.

Service sector: tourism, transport, trade.

Attractions

Curious facts

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Description and characteristics

The total length of the mountain range is more than 18 thousand km, the maximum width in North America is 1600 km, in South America - 900 km. Almost throughout its entire length, it plays the role of a watershed between the basins of two outstanding oceans - the Atlantic and the Pacific, as well as a pronounced climatic natural boundary. In terms of height, the Cordillera is second only to the Himalayas (the highest mountains in the world, located between the Tibetan Plateau and the Gangetic Plain) and the mountain ranges of Central Asia. The highest peaks of the Cordillera are McKinley Peak (English Mount McKinley; Alaska, North America, 6193 m) and (Spanish Aconcagua; Argentina, South America, 6962 m).

The Cordilleras cross almost all geographical zones (except for the Antarctic and Subantarctic). The mountain system is characterized by a wide variety of landscapes and a clearly defined altitudinal zonality. The snow limit lies at altitudes: in Alaska - 600 m, in Tierra del Fuego - from 600 to 700 m, in Bolivia and Peru it rises to 6500 m. If in the northwest of North America and in the southeast of the Andes glaciers descend almost to ocean level , then in the tropical zone they crown only the highest peaks.

The mountain system is divided into 2 parts, consisting of many parallel ranges: the Cordillera of North America and the Cordillera of South America, called. One mountain branch passes through the Antilles, the other passes into the territory of the South American mainland.

The main processes of mountain building, as a result of which the Cordillera were formed, took place in North America from the end of the Jurassic period to the beginning of the Paleogene, in South America - from the middle of the Cretaceous period, actively continuing in the Cenozoic era. To date, the formation of the mountain system has not been completed, which is confirmed by frequent earthquakes and high-intensity volcanic processes. There are more than 80 active volcanoes, of which the following are the most active: Katmai (eng. Katmai; south p / o Alaska), Lassen Peak (eng. Lassen Peak; North America), Colima (Spanish Volcan de Colima; western regton Mexico), (Spanish Volcan de Antisana; 50 km southeast of Quito, Ecuador), (Spanish Sangay; Ecuador), (Spanish Volcan San Pedro; northern Chile), Orizaba (Spanish Pico de Orizaba ) and Popocatepetl (Spanish: Popocatepetl) in Mexico, etc.

Relief structure

The relief of the Cordillera is quite complex, the system is subdivided into folded-blocky ridges, volcanic mountains and developing young platform depressions (accumulative plains). Mountain folds were formed at the junction of 2 lithospheric plates, in the area of ​​compression of the earth's crust, which is crossed by many faults starting at the bottom of the ocean.

The largest relief structures of the Cordillera include: Alaska Range (English Alaska Range; Alaska), Coast Ranges (English Coast Ranges), Rocky Mountains (English Rocky Mountains; western USA and Canada), Colorado Plateau (English Colorado Plateau; west USA), Cascade Mountains (Eng. Cascade Range; West of North America), Sierra Nevada (Spanish: Sierra Nevada; North America). The ranges are cut by deep river valleys called canyons.

Cordillera

Andean Cordillera, or (Spanish Cordillera de los Andes) - the southern part of the Cordillera with a length of about 9 thousand km, they border the entire South American continent from the northwest. The average width of the Andes is 500 km (maximum width: 750 km), the average height is about 4 thousand meters.

The Andean ranges are a giant inter-oceanic divide. In the mountains, the rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin originate and flow to the east (and many of its tributaries, tributaries of Paraguay, the Patagonian rivers), to the west - small rivers of the Pacific Ocean basin.

The Andean ranges serve as the most important climatic barrier, protecting the territories lying to the west of the Main Cordillera chain from the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, and the eastern territories from the influence of the Pacific Ocean. The mountains stretch across 5 climatic zones: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and temperate.

Due to the impressive length, the individual landscape parts of the Andes are strikingly different from each other. According to the nature of the relief and climatic differences, 3 main regions are distinguished: Northern, Central and Southern Andes.

The Andes stretch from north to south through the territories of 7 South American states: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. Behind (Spanish Drake) is the Antarctic Peninsula, which is a continuation of the South American Andes.

Minerals

The Cordilleras are characterized by a variety of minerals, in particular, huge reserves of ferrous and non-ferrous ores. The Andes are predominantly rich in non-ferrous metal ores, there are significant deposits of tungsten, vanadium, bismuth, tin, molybdenum, lead, arsenic, zinc, antimony, etc.

The territory of Chile has large deposits of copper. In the foothills of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Venezuela there are oil and gas deposits, as well as brown coal deposits. In the Bolivian Andes there are iron deposits, in the Chilean Andes - sodium nitrate, in the Colombian - underground pantries of platinum, gold, silver and emeralds.

Cordillera: Climate

Northern Andes. The northern part of the Andes belongs to the subequatorial zone of the northern hemisphere with alternating dry and wet seasons. The rainy season is from May to November. The Caribbean Andes are located at the junction of the tropical and subequatorial belts; a tropical climate with low rainfall dominates here all year round.

The equatorial belt is characterized by an abundance of precipitation and an almost complete absence of seasonal temperature fluctuations, for example, in (Spanish Quito - the capital of Ecuador) fluctuations in average monthly temperatures per year is about 0.4 ° C. The altitudinal zonality is clearly expressed here: in the lower part of the mountains the climate is hot and humid with almost daily precipitation, in the lowlands there are many swamps. As the altitude increases, the amount of precipitation decreases, but the massiveness of the snow cover increases. From a height of 2.5 - 3 thousand meters, daily temperature fluctuations increase (up to 20 ° C). At altitudes of 3.5 - 3.8 thousand meters, the average daily temperatures are about + 10 °C. Even higher - the climate is dry, harsh, with frequent snowfalls; at positive daytime temperatures, severe frosts occur at night. Above 4.5 thousand meters - the zone of eternal snow.

Central Andes. One can note an obvious asymmetry in the distribution of precipitation: the eastern Andean slopes are moistened much more intensively than the western ones. To the west of the Cordillera Main chain, the climate is desert, with very few rivers, in this part of the Andes extends (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama), the driest place on the planet. In some places the desert rises up to 3 thousand meters above sea level. Few oases are mainly located in the valleys of small rivers, fed by water from the melting of mountain glaciers. The average January temperature of the coastal zones ranges from +24°C (in the north) to +19°C (in the south); mid-July - from +19°C (in the north) to +13°C (in the south). Above 3 thousand meters there is also little precipitation, there are invasions of cold winds, then the temperature sometimes drops to -20 ° C. The average July temperature is not higher than +15°C.

Fog is frequent at low altitudes. The climate is very severe, the average annual temperatures do not rise above +10°C. It has a great softening effect on the climate of the surrounding area.

Southern Andes. The Chilean-Argentinean Andes are characterized by a subtropical climate, with dry summers and wet winters. As the distance from the ocean increases, the continentality of the climate increases, and seasonal temperature fluctuations increase.

As you move south, the subtropical climate of the western slopes gradually turns into a temperate oceanic climate. Powerful western cyclones bring a huge amount of precipitation to the coast - more than two hundred days a year there are heavy rains, thick fogs are frequent here, the sea is constantly stormy. The eastern slopes are drier than the western ones, the average summer temperature on the western slopes of the mountains ranges from +10°C to +15°C.

At the southernmost tip of the Andes (Tierra del Fuego), the climate is very humid, shaped by powerful southwesterly winds. Precipitation falls for most of the year, often in the form of drizzle; low temperatures prevail throughout the year with very little seasonal variation.

Vegetation

Impressive heights, a pronounced difference in the moisture content of the western and eastern slopes of the mountains - all this determines the great diversity of the vegetation cover of the Andes, 3 altitudinal belts are usually distinguished here:

• Tierra caliente (Spanish Tierra caliente - "Hot Land"), the lower forest belt in the mountains of Central (up to 800 m) and South America (up to 1500 m);
• Tierra fria (Spanish Tierra fria - "Cold Earth"), the upper forest belt in Central and South America, from 1700-2000 m (in low latitudes) to 3500 m (under the equator);
• Tierra Ellado (Spanish: Tierra helado - "Frosty Land"), a high mountain belt (between 3500-3800 and 4500-4800 m) with a harsh climate.

IN Venezuelan Andes shrubs and deciduous forests grow. The lower slopes ("tierra caliente") from the Northwestern to the Central Andes are covered with humid tropical (equatorial) and mixed forests, which are characterized by various palm trees, banana and cocoa trees, ficuses, etc.

In the tierra fria zone, the nature of the vegetation changes noticeably: tree-like ferns, bamboos, cinchona, and coca bushes are typical for this zone. Between 3000 and 3800 m shrubs and stunted trees grow: creepers and epiphytes, tree ferns, myrtle, heather and evergreen oaks are common. Even higher, predominantly xerophytic vegetation grows, moss swamps and lifeless rocky cliffs are located. Above 4500 m there is a belt of ice and eternal snow.

South, in the subtropics Chilean Andes evergreen shrubs predominate. High mountain plateaus in the north are covered with wet equatorial meadows - (Spanish: Paramo), in Peruvian Andes and in the east of Tierra helado - dry mountain-tropical cereal steppes of Khalka (Spanish: Hulka), on the Pacific west coast - desert vegetation, in the Atacama Desert - numerous succulent epiphytes and cacti. Between 3000 m and 4500 m semi-desert vegetation (dry puna) prevails: dwarf shrubs, lichens, cereals and cacti. To the east of the Main Cordillera, a large amount of precipitation falls, here there is steppe vegetation with cushion-shaped shrubs and various grasses: feather grass, fescue, reed grass.

Tropical forests (cinchona, palm trees) rise along the wet slopes of the Eastern Cordillera up to 1500 m, turning into undersized evergreen forests (bamboos, ferns, lianas); and above 3000 m - in the high-mountain steppes. A typical representative of the flora of the Andean highlands (found up to 4500 m) is polylepis (Polylepis, Rosaceae family) - this plant is common in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador.

In the middle part of the Chilean Andes, today the mountain slopes are practically bare, there are only separate groves consisting of pines, araucaria, beeches, eucalyptus and plane trees.

The slopes of the Patagonian Andes are covered with subarctic multi-tiered forests of tall trees and evergreen shrubs; there are many lianas, mosses and lichens in the forests. To the south there are mixed forests in which magnolias, beeches, tree ferns, conifers and bamboos grow. Oriental Patagonian Andes overgrown mainly with beech forests. The extreme south of the Patagonian slopes is characterized by tundra vegetation.

Mixed forests of tall deciduous and evergreen trees (canelo and southern beeches) occupy a narrow coastal strip in the west of the Andean ranges of Tierra del Fuego; almost immediately above the border of the forest, a snow belt extends. Subantarctic alpine meadows and peatlands are widespread in the east.

Animal world

The Andean fauna is characterized by a large number of endemic species. Alpacas and llamas live in the mountains (the local population uses representatives of these species to obtain meat and wool, as well as pack animals), various types of monkeys, pudu deer, relic spectacled bear and gaemal (endemic) guanaco, vicuña, sloth, Azar fox, marsupial opossum, chinchilla, anteater and degu rodents. In the south live: Magellanic dog, blue fox, tuko-tuko (endemic rodent), etc.

A variety of birds live in abundance in the "foggy forests" (tropical rainforests of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and northwestern Argentina), among them are hummingbirds, which can be found even at altitudes of more than 4 thousand meters. The endemic condor lives at altitudes up to 7 thousand m. Some species of animals, such as chinchillas (which were uncontrollably exterminated in the 19th and early 20th centuries for valuable skins), as well as the Titicaca whistler and wingless grebes, living only in the vicinity of Lake Titicaca (Spanish: Titicaca), today are on the verge of extinction.

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cordillera

CORDILERA (Spanish: Cordilleras) is the largest mountain system in the world (more than 18 thousand km long), bordering the western outskirts of the continents of the North. and Yuzh. America from 66°C. sh. (Alaska) to 56°S. sh. (Tierra del Fuego). Subdivided into Cordillera North. America and the Cordillera South. America, or the Andes. The highest peaks: in the North. America - McKinley (6193 m), in the South. - Aconcagua (6960 m). Many active volcanoes (Katmai, Saint Miguel, Lyayma, etc.). High tectonic activity. The Cordilleras are the climatic boundary, as well as the watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific ca.

Cordillera

(Spanish Cordilleras, literally ≈ mountain ranges), the greatest mountain system in the world, stretching along the western outskirts of North and South America, from the Arctic coast of Alaska (66╟ N) to the southern shores of Tierra del Fuego (56╟ S). sh.). The length is more than 18 thousand km. Located on the territory of Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile. Forms a high barrier between the plains of the eastern parts of the continents and the Pacific coast. For almost its entire length, Canada forms a watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is also a sharply defined climatic boundary between the countries that lie on both sides of the mountain range. Kabul is second only to the Himalayas and the mountain systems of Central Asia in height. The highest peaks of China are: in North America ≈ Mt. McKinley (in Alaska), 6193 m, in South America ≈ Mt. Aconcagua, 6960 m. The entire system of K. is divided into 2 parts - the Cordillera of North America and the Cordillera of South America , or Andes, and consists of numerous parallel ridges fringing a discontinuous belt of internal plateaus and plateaus (in North America - Yukon, Fraser, Colombian, B. Basin, Colorado, Mexican; in South - Peruvian and Central Andean). Three parallel systems of mountain ranges are expressed in North America, one of which runs eastward from the zone of plateaus (Rocky Mountains), the other directly westward from this zone (the Alaska Range, the Coastal Range of Canada, the Cascade Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, etc.). .) and the third ≈ along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, partially ≈ on coastal islands. In Central America, K. go down and bifurcate. One of their branches goes through the Antilles, the other through the Isthmus of Panama passes into the territory of South America. The Andes in the northern and central parts consist of four, and in the rest of the length of two systems of parallel ridges, separated by deep longitudinal depressions or intermountain plateaus.

The highest are the ridges of the middle part of the Andes, where the height of individual peaks reaches more than 6700 m (Aconcagua, 6960 m; Ojos del Salado, 6880 m; Sajama, 6780 m; Lullaillaco, 6723 m). The width of the mountain belt in North America reaches 1600 km, in South ≈ 900 km. The main mountain-building processes that resulted in rock formations began in North America in the Jurassic, and in South America (where structures of the Paleozoic Hercynian folding play a large part) at the end of the Cretaceous, and took place in close connection with the formation of mountain systems on other continents. Alpine folding). Mountain-building movements actively continued in the Cenozoic. These movements largely determine the main orographic elements. The folded structures of Kazakhstan are closely connected with the mountain systems of the north-east. Asia and Antarctica. K.'s formation has not yet ended, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes and intense volcanism. There are more than 80 active volcanoes here, of which the most active are Katmai, Lassen Peak, Colima, Antisana, Sangay, San Pedro, and the volcanoes of Chile. ╟ s. sh. and to the south from 40╟ s. sh.

Within China there are significant deposits of copper, zinc, lead, molybdenum, tungsten, gold, silver, platinum, tin, oil, and others. K. This mountain system lies in all geographical zones (except for the Antarctic and Subantarctic). The climate of K. varies greatly depending on the latitude of the area, the height, and the exposure of the slopes. The marginal ranges are abundantly moistened in the temperate and subarctic zones (western slopes) and in the equatorial and subequatorial zones (mainly eastern slopes). The internal plateaus have a sharply continental climate; in the subtropical and tropical zones they are distinguished by exceptional aridity. Significant parts of the plateaus, internal depressions and slopes of the ridges, mainly in the tropical zones, are occupied by steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. The heavily moistened outlying mountain chains are covered with dense forests. Coniferous forests (in the north) and mixed forests of evergreen beeches and conifers (in the south) are widely developed in the temperate zones; closer to the equator, mixed (deciduous-evergreen) subtropical and tropical forests are developed. On the wet slopes of the ridges of the equatorial, subequatorial and subtropical belts there are complex spectra of high belts, from hylae to eternal snows. The snow limit lies in Alaska at an altitude of 600 m, in Tierra del Fuego 500–700 m, in Bolivia and Southern Peru it rises to 6000–6500 m. tops.

G. M. Ignatiev.

Wikipedia

Cordillera

Cordillera, the largest mountain system in the world, stretching along the western outskirts of North and South America, from 66 ° N. sh. (Alaska) to 56°S sh. (Tierra del Fuego).

The entire Cordillera system is divided into 2 parts - the Cordillera of North America and the Cordillera of South America, or the Andes.

Length - more than 18 thousand km, width - up to 1600 km in North America and up to 900 km in South America. It is located in Canada, the USA, Mexico, the states of Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

Almost along its entire length it is a watershed between the basins of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as a pronounced climatic boundary. In height they are second only to the Himalayas and the mountain systems of Central Asia. The highest peaks of the Cordillera: in North America - Mount Denali (McKinley, 6190 m), in South America - Mount Aconcagua (6962 m).

The Cordillera lie in all the geographical zones of America and are distinguished by a wide variety of landscapes and a pronounced altitudinal zonality. The snow limit in Alaska is at an altitude of 600 meters, in Tierra del Fuego - 500-700 meters, in Bolivia and Southern Peru it rises to 6000-6500 meters. In the northwestern Cordillera of North America and in the southeast of the Andes, glaciers descend to ocean level; in the hot zone, they cover only the highest peaks. The total area of ​​glaciation is about 90 thousand km² (in the Cordillera of North America - 67 thousand km², in the Andes - about 20 thousand km²

Cordillera (disambiguation)

Cordillera:

• Cordillera - mountain range in North and South America
• The Central Cordillera is the largest mountain range in the Philippine archipelago.

Cordillera (Moon)

""" Cordillera """ - concentric lunar mountains surrounding the Eastern Sea on the far side of the moon. From the Earth, only the eastern part of the mountains, located in the southwestern part of the visible side of the Moon, can be observed. The mountains are about 956 km in diameter and are the third, outermost, concentric structure around the Eastern Sea. The inner two concentric structures around the sea form the Ruk Mountains. The height of the mountains above the surrounding area is about 1250 m. Lake of Autumn, the craters Schlüter and Hartwig adjoin the northeastern section of the mountains. The eastern section of the mountains is crossed by the Eichstedt crater. Krasnov, Wright, Shaler craters and the Bouvard valley adjoin the southwestern section.
The Cordillera Mountains owe their origin to an impact event that gave rise to the Eastern Sea. According to one point of view, the mountains represent the outer rim of the sea crater, according to another, the Cordilleras are formed by material ejected during the impact, and the outer rim of the sea forms the Ruk Mountains. The period of formation of the mountains of the Cordillera is not exactly known, presumably refers to the late Imbrian period.

In accordance with the tradition of naming the lunar mountains by the names of the terrestrial mountains, the name of the terrestrial mountains of the Cordillera is used - the mountain system along the western outskirts of North and South America.

Examples of the use of the word cordillera in the literature.

Just on the surface of Venezuela, a huge river loomed in a graceful semi-steep, which, both in the first bend, where it receives the waters of the Apure tributary, and in the second bend, where the Guaviare and Atabapo carry waters into it from Cordillera, could only be called throughout its entire length by the magnificent name Orinoco.

The sculptor conscientiously fashioned miniature Cordillera, Appalachians, Viana Highlands.

Let me remind you that in just a few generations they have carved a road between the ice of Laurasia and Cordillera and penetrated the plain, where the taiga, after the retreat of the glaciers, turned into fertile meadows.

There they boarded a sports plane and rushed to the foothills at the utmost speed. Cordillera where a helicopter was waiting for them on a tiny camouflaged airstrip.

On the first day, its participants met in the Chilean capital of Santiago in a specially built for this purpose Congress Center, located in the aristocratic quarter of the Providencia district, almost at the very foot of the Andean Cordillera.

Fabienne begins to guess: an unprecedented storm raging over the Andean Cordillera, changed front and moved to the sea.

Soon they frightened off hundreds of roe deer and guanacos, like those that so violently fell upon them in the heights. Cordillera.

Find out, please, whether Interpol has undertaken any searches in Cordillera?

This piece of land, washed by the raging Caribbean Sea and sent out to meet him with his terrible tropical jungle, over which rises an arrogant ridge Cordillera and is now full of mystery and romance.

Having passed the capital of Araucania, we pass through the Antuco mountain pass through Cordillera, the volcano will remain aloof, in the south.

It was necessary, before setting out on the road, to decide which pass through Cordillera choose, without deviating from the intended course.

Nevertheless, the detachment moved quickly forward, and by six o'clock in the evening, remaining forty miles behind Cordillera only dimly blackened on the horizon, lost in the evening fog.

He described, without missing a single episode, the whole journey from one ocean to another: about crossing Cordillera, about the earthquake, the disappearance of Robert, his kidnapping by a condor, the shot of Talcava, the attack of the red wolves, the boy's self-sacrifice, the acquaintance with Sergeant Manuel, the flood, the shelter on the ombu, the lightning, the fire, the caimans, the tornado, the night on the Atlantic Ocean.

Enrico began to question the planter about the road to Cordillera and mentioned oil.

A week later, they left San Antonio on the same day for Cordillera three different expeditions.