VilaWeb - Diari escola: Mountains and Cordilleras of the World

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diumenge, 22 de desembre de 2024

> Mountain Ranges of Europe...

> ...America and Africa

> Asia, Topped by the Himalayas

dilluns, 12 de desembre de 2005

The 11th of December is International Mountain Day, founded in 2003 by the Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in order to increase awareness of how important mountains are for life, to highlight the challenges faced by mountain regions and to promote change with the purpose of achieving greater sustainable development.

It is worth remembering, for example, that mountainous areas provide most of the planet's fresh water, have great diversity of flora and fauna and are inhabited by 10% of the world's population. Therefore, it is essential to encourage socio-economic development that will improve the quality of life of the inhabitants while taking care of the environment.

With this purpose in mind, International Mountain Day 2005 observed the theme 'Sustainable Tourism for Poverty Alleviation in Mountain Areas', in order to emphasize the importance of fostering a form of tourism that will enrich mountainous areas and respect local cultures, the environment and nature.

The topic of our discussion below shall be mountains, but from a geographical point of view, as we shall focus on the most representative mountain ranges, or cordilleras, on Earth.

+ Webs relacionades dins Nosaltres.Com: Geografia i geologia.

Mountain Ranges of Europe...

+ Mont Blanc is the highest point in Europe.

Europe is, after Australia, the lowest continental region on Earth. Nevertheless, it has several notable mountain ranges, such as the Alps, crowned by Mont Blanc at 4,807 m, the highest point in Europe, although in the Caucasus, where the continents of Europe and Asia meet, rises Mount Elbrus, a 5,642 m high extinct volcano. Other major ranges include the Pyrenees in Southern Europe, stretching between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the Carpathian mountains in the south-eastern part of Central Europe; the Urals, that form the dividing line between Europe and Asia, specifically between the European part of Russia and the immense Siberian plains in Asia.

...America and Africa

+ Kilimanjaro is an extinct volcano.

In the Americas, the most mountainous section is in the West: in North America, there are the Rocky Mountains, from Alaska to the Southern USA; in South America, the impressive Andes, the longest mountain range in the World, spanning almost 8,000 km and crowned by Mount Aconcagua at around 7,000 m high, which makes it the highest mountain outside Asia. As far as Africa is concerned, the south and the east are the areas of greatest altitude, although in north there are also the Atlas Mountains. The highest point on the continent is the majestic Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, which is of volcanic origin and is 5,895 metres above sea level.

Asia, Topped by the Himalayas

+ Hillary and Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953.

Asia is the continent with the greatest overall altitude, with imposing ranges such as the Hindu Kush, Pamir, Tien Shan and Karakoram, a massif that includes K2, the second highest mountain in the world at 8,611 m and a veritable challenge to even the best mountaineers. But it is in the Himalayan range where almost all of the world's most elevated mountains are found, led by Everest at almost 8,850 metres. It is a known fact that the summit of Mount Everest, situated on the border between Tibet and Nepal, was not conquered until 1953 by the mountain climber Edmund Hillary and the sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

MATERIALS

Dia Internacional de la Muntanya
Format:Web
Informació d'aquest esdeveniment commemoratiu, tingut l'11 de desembre. En anglès, francès i espanyol.
Mountain Voices
Format:Web
Pàgina que recull el testimoni oral de gent de muntanya d'indrets diversos.
Peakware
Format:Web
Enciclopèdia en línia de les muntanyes.
Muntanyes del món
Format:Web
Treball escolar. Fitxa i fotografies.
Mountains on the Earth
Format:Web
Portal sobre muntanyes i temes relacionats.
Formació de Catalunya
Format:Web
Pàgina explicativa de la constitució geològica i del relleu del Principat. Comprèn qüestions de geologia.

QUE HO SABIES?

Legend has it that Mount Ararat, in Eastern Turkey, was the place where Noah's Ark landed at the end of the biblical downpour.
Mountains occupy approximately 25% of the surface of the Earth.
The highest point in North America is Mount McKinley (6,194 m), in the frozen lands of Alaska, and the highest point in Oceania is Mount Jaya (5,030 m), on the island of New Guinea.