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| Andean Highlands | |
|---|---|
| Name | Andean Highlands |
| Native name | Altiplano |
| Region | South America |
| Countries | Bolivia; Peru; Ecuador; Colombia; Chile; Argentina |
| Highest point | Aconcagua |
| Elevation m | 6961 |
| Length km | 7000 |
| Geological period | Cenozoic |
Andean Highlands The Andean Highlands form the elevated plateaus, mountain ranges, and intermontane basins of the Andes chain across South America, extending through the territories of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. This region encompasses major highland plateaus such as the Altiplano and hosts renowned peaks including Aconcagua and Huascarán, while intersecting with important cultural centers like Cuzco, La Paz, and Quito. The highlands have been central to pre-Columbian polities like the Inca Empire and modern state formation involving actors such as the Spanish Empire, Republic of Bolivia, and Republic of Peru.
The highlands span the central spine of South America from the Venezuelan Andes and Sierra Nevada de Mérida in the north through the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash to the southern ranges of the Patagonian Andes near Tierra del Fuego. Major physiographic subregions include the Altiplano plateau, the Puna grasslands, and intermontane basins like the Lake Titicaca basin and the Bolivian Altiplano. Rivers originating in the highlands feed trans-Andean systems such as the Amazon River, the Río de la Plata catchment via Andean tributaries, and the Pacific Ocean drainage through rivers like the Santa River (Peru). Prominent urban nodes in the highlands include La Paz, Cusco, Arequipa, Quito, Bogotá, and Salta (Argentina).
The orogeny of the Andes stems from the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, producing volcanic arcs such as the Central Volcanic Zone and the Northern Volcanic Zone. The region records tectonic episodes from the Andean orogeny during the Cenozoic and interactions with microplates such as the Caribbean Plate and the Scotia Plate. Notable geological features include fold-and-thrust belts in the Cordillera Oriental (Bolivia) and the accretionary processes exemplified by the Peruvian Andes and Chilean Andes. Mineral-rich belts produced deposits exploited since the colonial era at sites like Potosí, Cerro de Pasco, and the Atacama Desert margins.
Highland climates range from alpine tundra in locales like Nevado Sajama to semi-arid puna and humid montane forests along the Yungas and Cloud Forest slopes. Seasonal patterns are influenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the north and by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation across the Pacific, affecting precipitation regimes for ecosystems such as the Polylepis woodlands and high Andean wetlands called bofedales. Faunal assemblages include endemic species in the Andean condor range, camelids such as alpaca and vicuña, and amphibians endemic to montane regions catalogued in institutions like the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution.
Human occupation includes early lithic assemblages tied to megafaunal hunting, preceramic settlements near Caral, and formative cultures like the Tiwanaku and Moche. The area became the core of the Inca Empire with administrative centers at Cusco and ceremonial complexes at Machu Picchu; colonial reorganization followed Spanish colonization of the Americas and silver-driven extraction from Potosí (Cerro Rico). Indigenous nations such as the Quechua people, Aymara people, Kichwa, and Uru people maintain linguistic and cultural continuity expressed in festivals like Inti Raymi and practices governed historically by institutions like the Mit'a (Inca) labor system. Modern political movements rooted in highland identity have influenced parties and leaders in the Republic of Bolivia and Peru.
Highland livelihoods combine traditional systems—evidence-based terrace agriculture in regions like the Sacred Valley and potato agrobiodiversity at Chinchero—with extractive industries such as mining at Cerro Rico and hydrocarbon fields in the Bolivian Altiplano. Cropping systems cultivate native tubers documented in works from the International Potato Center and cash crops exported through ports like Callao and Valparaíso. Pastoralism centers on camelids managed in communal lands akin to practices in Puno (Peru) and Oruro (Bolivia), while contemporary sectors include tourism to sites listed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and mining developments operated by corporations registered in jurisdictions like Lima Stock Exchange and Santiago (Chile) financial markets.
Highland urbanism features altitudinal cities such as La Paz (government seat), Quito (capital), and Bogotá (Andean highland plateau). Transportation corridors include trans-Andean highways like the Pan-American Highway and rail links such as the historic lines to Oruro and Antofagasta, while airports like El Alto International Airport and Jorge Chávez International Airport connect highland centers to international networks. Infrastructure projects encompass hydropower dams on rivers sourced in the highlands and regional initiatives sponsored by multilateral banks including the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
Conservation priorities address glacier retreat on peaks like Chacaltaya and Huascarán driven by anthropogenic climate change documented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and monitored in programs at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Biodiversity hotspots in cloud forests overlap protected areas such as Manú National Park and Sajama National Park, with governance involving actors like the Ministry of Environment of Peru and Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas. Challenges include water security for basins feeding Lake Titicaca, contamination from mining legacies exemplified by pollution cases in Puno and remediation efforts supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, alongside indigenous land rights disputes adjudicated in forums like the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Category:Regions of South America Category:Mountain ranges of South America Category:Plateaus of South America