The Andes mountain range includes Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside Asia at 6,961 metres.
Aconcagua stands in western Argentina near the Chilean border. Although often described as a volcano because of its shape and location among volcanic mountains, it is not an active volcano; it is a mountain formed from uplifted and deformed rock. Its summit is the highest point in the Western and Southern Hemispheres.
The Andes stretch along the western edge of South America through seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. They are the longest continental mountain range on Earth, but that fact is distinct from Aconcagua’s elevation record.
The mountain’s name may have indigenous origins, though its exact etymology is debated. Aconcagua’s normal route is technically less difficult than many high peaks, but altitude and weather make it a serious expedition.