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Cordillera Real (Bolivia)
Encyclopedia
The Cordillera Real is a mountain range in the South America
n Altiplano
of Bolivia
. This range of fold mountain
s, largely composed of granite
, is located southeast of Lake Titicaca
, and east of the Bolivian capital of La Paz
, measuring 125 km in length and 20 km in width. Despite the fact that it is only 17° south of the Equator
, the Cordillera Real is relatively densely glaciated
. This is due to its proximity to the Amazon lowlands
with its associated moist air mass
es.
There are six summits higher than 6,000 m in the mountain range which are, from north to south:
(5871 m), Chacaltaya
(5421 m), and the Condoriri Massif. The Condoriri Massif is a complex
of 13 peaks, all above the 5000 meter mark, including Cabeza de Condor (5540 m) and Pequeño Alpamayo (5370 m). Other peaks of the Condoriri Massif include Pyramida Blanca (5250 m) and Tarija (5320 m).
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n Altiplano
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. This range of fold mountain
Fold mountain
Fold mountains are mountains formed mainly by the effects of folding on layers within the upper part of the Earth's crust. In the time before either plate tectonic theory developed, or the internal architecture of thrust belts became well understood, the term was used for most mountain belts, such...
s, largely composed of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, is located southeast of Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
, and east of the Bolivian capital of La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, measuring 125 km in length and 20 km in width. Despite the fact that it is only 17° south of the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, the Cordillera Real is relatively densely glaciated
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
. This is due to its proximity to the Amazon lowlands
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
with its associated moist air mass
Air mass
In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adopt the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime...
es.
Summits higher than 6,000 m
- Pico del Norte (6070 m)
- IllampúIllampuIllampú is the fourth highest mountain in Bolivia. It is located in the northern section of the Cordillera Real, part of the Andes, east of Lake Titicaca. It lies just north of the slightly higher Ancohuma, near the town of Sorata...
(6368 m) - AncohumaAncohumaAncohuma is the third highest mountain in Bolivia . It is located in the northern section of the Cordillera Real, part of the Andes, east of Lake Titicaca...
(6427 m) - ChachacomaniChachacomaniChachacomani is a mountain in the Cordillera Real of the Andes Mountains, east of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Said to be one of the least climbed peaks in the Cordillera Real, the mountain has an elevation of above sea level. The measured height has never been accurately measured, and may differ by...
(6074 m) - Huayna PotosiHuayna PotosíHuayna Potosí is a mountain in Bolivia, located about 25 km north of La Paz in the Cordillera Real.Huayna Potosí is the closest high mountain to La Paz, a city which is surrounded by high mountains, and itself is the highest capital city in the world. Huayna Potosí is roughly fifteen miles due...
(6088 m) - IllimaniIllimaniIllimani is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real of western Bolivia. It lies just south of La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano. It is the second highest peak in Bolivia, after Nevado Sajama, and the eighteenth highest peak in South America...
(6438 m)
Summits higher than 5,000 m
Other notable peaks include MururataMururata
Mururata is a mountain in the Cordillera Real of Bolivia. Approximately 35km East of La Paz, the Mururata lies to the North of the Illimani. The Mururata offers accessible climbing, as its shape does not contain difficult obstacles ....
(5871 m), Chacaltaya
Chacaltaya
Chacaltaya is a mountain in the Cordillera Real, one of the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Oriental, itself a range of the Bolivian Andes. Its elevation is . Chacaltaya's glacier - which was as old as 18,000 years – had in 1940 an area of , reduced to in 2007 and was completely gone by 2009....
(5421 m), and the Condoriri Massif. The Condoriri Massif is a complex
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
of 13 peaks, all above the 5000 meter mark, including Cabeza de Condor (5540 m) and Pequeño Alpamayo (5370 m). Other peaks of the Condoriri Massif include Pyramida Blanca (5250 m) and Tarija (5320 m).