Mountain range

A mountain range is a line of tall mountains or hills all connected together. They look like the backbone of the Earth, stretching far across the land. Mountain ranges are found all around the world, from Asia to South America.

Most big mountain ranges were made when huge pieces of Earth's crust pushed against each other. This made the land fold up and rise very high, creating tall peaks and long chains of mountains. Some mountain ranges are even found on other planets!

Inside a mountain range, the land can have high areas, lower points called mountain passes, and valleys between the peaks. Each mountain can look different and be made from different rocks.

Two big areas of the world have many famous mountain ranges. The Pacific Ring of Fire has mountains like the Andes and stretches to Japan. The Alpide belt has ranges like the Himalayas, home to Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth.

Mountain ranges help shape the weather. When wind blows over mountains, the air gets colder and often rains or snows. This can make one side of a mountain very wet and the other side dry.

Even as mountains rise, natural forces like wind and water wear them down over time. This process is called erosion, and it slowly changes mountains into smaller hills.