Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Andes and the tallest peak outside Asia.
Aconcagua rises to about 6,961 meters in western Argentina, close to the border with Chile. It belongs to the Seven Summits list as the highest mountain in South America and is also one of the world’s highest mountains outside the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges.
The mountain is not a volcanic cone, despite its dramatic profile; it is part of the Andes, formed by the interaction of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. Its summit lies within Aconcagua Provincial Park.
Swiss guide Matthias Zurbriggen made the first recorded successful ascent in 1897, during an expedition led by Edward FitzGerald. Denali is North America’s highest peak, while Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest, so neither is the highest outside Asia.