Mountain Field Guide

🏔️ Overview Suriname is better known for tropical rainforest, broad rivers, and low coastal wetlands than for high mountains. However, much of the country’s remote interior forms part of the ancient Guiana Shield, where forest-covered ridges, granite domes, sandstone plateaus, and isolated peaks rise above the surrounding rainforest. The highest and most mountainous terrain is …

🏔️ Overview Peru is one of the world’s great mountain countries. The Andes extend through the nation from northwest to southeast, forming a vast highland region between the arid Pacific coast and the Amazon Basin. These mountains contain tropical glaciers, active volcanoes, deeply cut river valleys, high plateaus, alpine wetlands, and dozens of summits exceeding …

🏔️ Overview Paraguay is not usually considered one of South America’s major mountain countries. Unlike its western neighbors, it does not contain any part of the Andes, and its highest summit rises to less than 1,000 meters above sea level. Nevertheless, Paraguay has several distinctive ranges, forested ridges, rocky hills, and isolated massifs that play …

🏔️ Overview Guyana’s mountains rise from one of the wildest and least densely populated landscapes in South America. Although the country is often associated with its Atlantic coastal plain and tropical rainforests, its interior contains extensive highlands, forested ridges, sandstone escarpments, and dramatic flat-topped mountains known as tepuis. Most of Guyana’s highest mountains are found …

🏔️ Overview The mountains of the United States extend from the frozen wilderness of Alaska to the tropical volcanoes of Hawaii, the rugged ranges of the American West, and the forested ridges of the eastern Appalachians. Together, these landscapes include active volcanoes, enormous glaciers, desert peaks, alpine tundra, ancient folded mountains, granite cliffs, and some …

🏔️ Overview Mexico is one of North America’s great mountain countries. Its landscape includes enormous stratovolcanoes, pine-covered ridges, desert ranges, deeply carved canyons, tropical highlands, and isolated summits rising above both the Pacific and Gulf coasts. The country’s mountains form the southern continuation of the North American Cordillera. The Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre …