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About This Quiz
Mountain ranges are a series of mountains or hills formed through various geological processes, typically segmented by highlands and valleys. Centuries later with many discoveries under our belt, we have established that the earth is far from being flat, thus it moves a few centimeters a year and the continents continue to ride the drifting geologic plates. As these plates collide, the crust solidifies into mountains, eventually forming mountain ranges.
Some of the youngest mountain ranges on the land’s surface have been associated with the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Alpide Belt. From the Himalayan complex to the Rocky Mountains to the Alps, mountain ranges occur on every continent and vary from the highest and longest to the most famous.
The longest mountain range on the Earth’s land surface, the Andes, extends for 4,350 miles from the southern tip of South America to Colombia, while the Himalaya Range is the highest mountain range on Earth and is home to the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, which towers at 29,029 feet high. These incredible summits are marked by earthquake zones, volcanoes and deep ocean trenches but remain desirable peaks for mountaineers, with many dying to climb while others literally die trying. Will you be dying to ace this quiz? Or will the answers come naturally to you? Test your mountain range knowledge with this quiz!
The Himalayas:
Bhutan
China
India
just #2 and #3
all of these and more
The Himalayas run through the above nations, and also Nepal and Pakistan. The most famous peak in the Himalayas is Everest, the tallest in the world.
The Rockies:
Australia
Canada
the United States
both #2 and #3
The Rocky Mountains are famous, of course. This is part because of the late John Denver's hymn to them, "Rocky Mountain High."
The Andes:
China and TIbet
Chile
Bolivia
pretty much the whole west coast of South America
The Andes are a well-known range, like the Himalayas and the Rockies. They are divided into smaller ranges with names of their own.
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The Alps:
Australia
Canada
China
a who's-who of European countries
"Alpine" is a generic term meaning "of or about mountains," but "the Alps" run through Europe. This includes Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Slovakia.
The Pyrenees:
France
Spain
Italy
both #1 and #2
We've left out tiny Andorra, which is a principality or "microstate." Generally speaking, the Pyrenees range is the border between France and Spain.
The Carpathians:
Canada
Italy
Romania
The Carpathians run through much of Eastern and Central Europe, with Romania making up a large section. Transylvania is mostly in the Carpathians -- which means Count Dracula is from there!
Spain
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The Appalachians:
Canada
Germany
the Ukraine
the United States
The Appalachians are in the northeastern United States, including Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Though beautiful, the Appalachians comprise some of America's poorest regions.
The Apennines:
Canada
Germany
Italy
The Apennine Mountains run the length of Italy and are divided into three sub-ranges. You'll find references to the Apennines in the writings of great Romans. Or, if you're not that highbrow, in "Xena: Warrior Princess."
Sweden
The Hindu Kush:
Afghanistan
Pakistan
China
both #1 and #2
Hindu Kush is also the name of a strain of marijuana, as people who live in places that have legalized marijuana will know. (Or, sometimes, even if you don't live in such a place ...)
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The Adirondacks:
Canada
China
Spain
the United States
In the early to mid-20th century, the Adirondacks were a popular vacation spot for hardworking career types from New York City. This changed when airfares began coming down at the end of the century, making travel farther afield possible.
The Urals:
Korea
Bolivia
Russia and Kazakhstan
The Urals lie in western Russia and extend into Kazakhstan. They form a natural boundary between Europe and Asia.
Argentina and Uruguay
The Kunlun Mountains:
China
The Kunlun Mountains are featured in several works of Western fiction, including the novel, "Lost Horizon" and Marvel's "Iron Fist." In Chinese legend, the mountains were the setting of a lost paradise.
India
Indonesia
Papua New Guinea
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The Caucasus:
Sweden
Russia
Turkey
both #2 and #3
The Caucasus range passes through these countries and also through Georgia, Armenia and Azerbijan. You might recognize it as the root of the word, "Caucasian," which has come to mean any pale-skinned person of European or Russian ancestry.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta:
Canada
Colombia
Sierra Nevada means "snowy mountains" in Spanish, so don't be confused if you see these words form the name of more than one range. For example, the western United States has its own Sierra Nevada.
Costa Rica
China
The Hindu Raj:
China
Korea
Pakistan
The Hindu Raj is, not surprisingly, a neighboring range to the Hindu Kush. It lies in northern Pakistan.
Indonesia
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The Blue Ridge Mountains:
Canada
England
United States
A few years back, the "Top Gear" crew of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was recommended to them by American viewers. However, despite the fantastic views, they quickly got tired of the 45-mph speed limit!
Wales
The Brooks Range:
Canada
Nepal
the United States
both #1 and #3
This sparsely-populated range runs through the Yukon and into Alaska. America named it the Brooks Range after an American geologist stationed in Alaska, Charles Brooks.
The Taurus Mountains:
Canada
Japan
Turkey
The Taurus Mountains were probably named after the bull god of the local people. They contain some of the largest limestone caverns in the Middle East.
Uzbekistan
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The San Juan Mountains:
Belize
France
New Zealand
the United States
This small range is located in Colorado and New Mexico. Visitors like to ski in the San Juans, and to visit ghost towns left over from mining days.
The Rwenzori Mountains:
Australia
Papua New Guinea
Indonesia
Uganda and Congo
These beautiful mountains are located in eastern Africa. Their snowpack and rainfall are one source of the Nile River.
The Poconos:
Canada
Scotland
Sweden
United States
The Poconos are a low mountain range in Pennsylvania. They are a popular spot for camping, hunting and fishing.
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The Grampians:
Canada
Japan
Korea
Scotland
Scotland is the most mountainous part of the UK (not generally known for its mountains). Ben Nevis, the UK's highest peak, is in the Grampians, part of the Scottish Highlands.
The Olympic Mountains:
Bhutan
China
Pakistan
United States
The Olympic Range is part of the larger Coast Mountain Range, which runs up the Pacific coast into Canada. Mount Olympus is the highest peak.
The Tatra Mountains:
England
Poland
Slovakia
both #2 and #3
The Tatra Mountains are part of the larger Carpathian range. Poles and Slovaks both enjoy winter sports on the slopes of the Tatras.
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The Altai Mountains:
Austria
France
Mongolia
This range also impinges on Russia, China and Kazakstan. But we're singling out little Mongolia here because its language gave the mountains their name: "Altai" means "gold mountain" in Mongolian.
India
The Karakoram Range:
China
India
Pakistan
all of these
The Karakoram Range is an Asian range of mountains, some of whose peaks are identified by a K-number. The most famous of these is, of course, K2.
Pamir Mountains:
Afghanistan
China
Indonesia
both #1 and #2
Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan all have a share in these snowy mountains of central Asia. The high, glacial Pamir Range is sometimes called "The Roof of the World."
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The Snowy Mountains:
Austria
Australia
The Snowy Mountains are located in New South Wales. The highest peak is Mt. Kosciusko.
Argentina
Azerbijan
The Dolomites:
England
Italy
The name makes them sound like a religious order, but the Dolomites are named for an explorer, Deodat de Dolomieu. Still, if you're feeling meditative, you could do worse than to walk the long trails that run through the Dolomites, the "alte vie."
Venezuela
Wales
The Cambrian Mountains:
Italy
Greece
Mexico
Wales
Most people associated the word "Cambrian" with the geologic Cambrian period, but they're also a range of low mountains in Wales. In Welsh, they are called the "Mynyddoedd Cambria," because Welsh people love consonants more than anything else in the world.
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Cordillera Vilcanota:
Australia
Hungary
Peru
The Cordillera Vlicanota is part of the Andes Range. That parent range stretches virtually the entire length of South America.
Papua New Guinea
Lone Wolf Bonus Round ... Mount Kilimanjaro:
Egypt
Korea
Libya
Tanzania
Okay, it's not really part of any range, but we couldn't leave out this dormant volcano, which towers over the grasslands of Tanzania.
Lone Wolf Bonus Round, Part 2! Mount Fuji:
China
Japan
Mt. Fuji is almost as emblematic with Japan as its rising sun flag. An active volcano, it's a popular subject for painters visiting Japan.
Korea
New Zealand
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Lone Wolf Bonus Round, Part 3! Table Mountain:
Austria
England
New Zealand
South Africa
Table Mountain is a freestanding mountain that towers over Cape Town. As its name suggests, it is flat on top, cutting a striking profile on the horizon.
You Got:
/35
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