Ural Mountains

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Ural Mountains (Russian Ural’skiye Gory), mountain chain in Russia, extending 2,400 km (1,500 mi) from its northern boundary at the Arctic Ocean to its southern limits at the steppes of Kazakhstan, traditionally separating the continents of Europe and Asia. The chain is divided roughly into four main divisions: the Polar, Northern, Middle, and Southern Urals. The Polar Urals (above latitude 64° North) are treeless arctic tundra. The Northern Urals (latitude 64° North to latitude 61° North) constitute a distinct craggy, treeless, narrow range with crests averaging 300 to 500 m (1,000 to 1,500 ft) in height. This range contains the highest Ural crest, Gora Narodnaya (1,894 m/ 6,214 ft). Other Northern peaks include Mount Sablya, Telpos-Iz, and Isherim. The only trees in the area are sparse growths of larch (a type of pine tree).

Pyrenees

Pyrenees (French Pyrénées; Spanish Pirineos), mountain range of southwestern Europe, extending from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea and separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe. Except in a few places, such as the area occupied by the tiny semiautonomous principality of Andorra, the boundary between France and Spain runs along the crest of the chain; approximately two-thirds of the mountains lie in Spain. The Pyrenees extend for 435 km (270 mi) and cover 55,400 sq km (21,400 sq mi); the maximum breadth of the system is about 130 km (80 mi).

The Pyrenees form a regular and continuous chain, divisible into western, central, and eastern sections. The western section, which runs from the Bay of Biscay to Somport Pass and merges into the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain, has the lowest altitudes of the chain, with most of its peaks ranging between 900 and 1,200 m (3,000 and 4,000 ft) above sea level. The central Pyrenees extend to the Col de la Perche and contain the highest peaks of the system, including Pico de Aneto (3,404 m/11,168 ft), the highest point in the chain; Monte Perdido (3,355 m/11,007 ft); and Vignemale (3,298 m/ 10,820 ft). The summits of the eastern Pyrenees, which extend to the Mediterranean, range between 2,100 and 2,700 m (7,000 and 9,000 ft).

Mount Saint Helens

Mount Saint Helens, active volcano, southwestern Washington, in the Cascade Range. The volcano, which had been dormant since 1857, began to show signs of renewed activity in early 1980 when a column of magma (molten rock) began pushing up inside the mountain, causing the north face of the mountain to bulge out. On May 18, 1980, an earthquake caused a landslide on the mountain’s north face, taking off the top of the mountain. The landslide triggered the main eruption by “uncorking” the column of magma that had been building up. The eruption spewed a cloud of ash and gases as high as 19 km (12 mi). The release of the pressurized gases produced a turbulent blast of wind that knocked down trees and stripped their branches. The skies darkened as wind carried the ash-filled air over much of eastern Washington and beyond.

Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley, also Denali, mountain, south central Alaska, in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve. The mountain rises 6,194 m (20,320 ft) above sea level and is the highest peak in North America. Known to the Native Americans as Denali (The High One), the mountain was named for President William McKinley in 1896. The summit of Mount McKinley was first reached in 1913 by the Anglo-American clergyman and explorer Hudson Stuck and three companions.

Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro, highest mountain in Africa, located in northeastern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano. Its two peaks stand 11 km (7 mi) apart and are connected by a broad ridge. Kibo, the higher peak, rises to 5,895 m (19,341 ft) above sea level, and the summit of Mawensi is 5,149 m (16,893 ft) above sea level. Although Kilimanjaro lies 3° south of the equator, an ice cap covers the crater of Kibo year-round; this ice cap is pierced by several small craters. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (1938), one of the most famous stories of American writer Ernest Hemingway, is set in the region. Kilimanjaro has a number of different vegetation zones on its steep slopes. Coffee and plantains are grown on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. The mountain was successfully scaled for the first time in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller.

Cascade Range

Cascade Range, lofty mountain range of the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada, about 1130 km (about 700 mi) long. The range extends from northern California through Oregon and Washington into British Columbia, Canada. In the U.S. the Cascades lie from about 160 to 240 km (about 100 to 150 mi) inland from the Pacific Ocean.

The Cascades form an important climatic divide, with the western slope receiving abundant precipitation but the eastern slopes very little. As a result, the western part of the range is heavily wooded and the eastern section is covered mainly by grass and scrub plants. In the Cascades are many lakes and several large rivers that are harnessed for hydroelectric power. The name of the range is taken from the great cascades of the Columbia River.

Alps

Alps, great mountain system of south central Europe, forming an arc some 1200 km (750 mi) long from the Gulf of Genoa to the Danube River at Vienna. The Alps are the highest and most densely settled mountain belt of Europe, occupying an area of about 200,000 sq km (about 80,000 sq mi) and inhabited by some 20 million people. The valleys of the Alps are areas of year-round settlement; the flatter upland tracts comprise pastures and seasonally inhabited settlements, and the zone above the timberline serves as pasture and for recreation. Important economic activities include tourism, dairy farming, forestry, the production of hydroelectric power, and the extraction of salt and iron ore. With its important pass routes between central and southern Europe, the Alps have been an area of transit trade since ancient times.