Acordillera is a chain or network ofmountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of theAmericas. The term isborrowed fromSpanish, where the word comes fromcordilla, adiminutive ofcuerda ('rope').

The term is most commonly used inphysical geography^[1] and is particularly applied to the various largemountain systems of theAmerican Cordillera, such as theAndes ofSouth America, and less frequently to other mountain ranges in the "ridge" thatrims thePacific Ocean. InColombia andVenezuela, cordilleras are named according to their position:Cordillera Occidental,Central, andOriental. Various local names are used for the cordilleras inEcuador,Peru,Bolivia,Chile andArgentina.

Such mountain systems have a complex structure, which is usually the result offolding andfaulting accompanied byvolcanic activity. In South America, the ranges include numerousvolcanicpeaks. The Andes cordillera hasOjos del Salado, the highestactive volcano in the world and second-highest point in theWestern Hemisphere (though not itself a volcano, Argentina'sAconcagua, at 6,960 m (22,830 ft), is the highest point in the Western Hemisphere).^[2] Some of the volcanoes have been active inhistorical times.

Aside from the volcanic peaks, the cordillerancrests include many narrow ridges, some of which reach into thezone of permanent snow. Between the ranges are numerous inhabitedvalleys,basins and lowplateaus, with a wide range ofelevations.

• Alborz Cordillera,northern Iran (also written asElburz)
• American Cordillera, the mountain ranges forming the western backbone ofNorth America andSouth America
  • North American Cordillera (also calledPacific Cordillera orWestern Cordillera of North America), comprising the mountain ranges of western North America
    • Cordillera Central, Costa Rica
    • Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic on the island ofHispaniola
    • Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico
    • Cordillera Neovolcánica, an activevolcanic belt inMexico
    • Mexican Cordillera, consisting of the Juarez Segment, the Huayacocotla Segment, the Victoria Segment, and the Nuevoleones Cordillera

      

  • Cordillera de losAndes (also called the Andes Mountains or South American Cordillera), comprising the mountain ranges of western South America
    • Cordillera Blanca, inPeru
    • Cordillera de Mérida, inVenezuela
    • Cordillera Central, Andes (Spanish: "central mountains"), several mountain ranges share the name, such as theone in Bolivia,Colombia,Ecuador andPeru
    • Cordillera Occidental ("western mountains"), several mountain ranges share the name, such as theone in Bolivia,Colombia,Ecuador andPeru
    • Cordillera Oriental ("eastern mountains"), several mountain ranges share the name, such as theone in Bolivia,Colombia,Ecuador andPeru
    • Cordillera de la Costa ("coastal mountains") ofChile
    • Cordillera Paine, inTorres del Paine National Park inChilean Patagonia
  • Cordillera de la Costa of Venezuela
• Annamese Cordillera (Annamite Range), inLaos andVietnam
• Arctic Cordillera, the mountain ranges along the northeastern edge of theArctic Archipelago and the northeasternmost part of theLabrador Peninsula in Labrador and Quebec, Canada
• Central Cordillera ofNew Guinea
• Cordillera Central ofLuzon andSouthern Pacific Cordillera ofMindanao in thePhilippines
• Cordilleras Béticas,Central andCantábrica (including thePicos de Europa) inSpain
• East Australian Cordillera, more commonly known as theGreat Dividing Range, the most significanttopographic feature of theeast coast ofAustralia
• High-Mountain Asia, mountain ranges surrounding theTibetan Plateau, including theHimalayas,Hindu Kush,Kunlun Mountains,Tian Shan,Karakoram,Pamir-Alay andHengduan Mountains

• Mountains
• Cordilleras

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Spanish-language text