Which mountain range forms much of the western backbone of North America?

The Rocky Mountains form much of the western backbone of North America.

The Rockies extend for roughly 4,800 kilometres from northern British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the United States. They are not a single uninterrupted wall: the range includes many parallel subranges, valleys, plateaus, and high basins. The Continental Divide follows the Rockies through much of their length, separating rivers that flow toward the Pacific from those that flow toward the Atlantic or Arctic oceans.

The range developed through tectonic uplift, especially during the Laramide orogeny, which began about 80 million years ago. Its highest summit is Mount Elbert in Colorado, at 4,401 metres. The Rockies are distinct from the Coast Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, although all are part of the broader mountain systems of western North America. Major protected areas include Rocky Mountain National Park, Banff National Park, and Jasper National Park.