Visiting the Most Magnificent Mountains on Our Planet

There is no denying the fact that we live on an extremely diverse planet, covered by myriad different landscapes. One of the types of landscape that seems to intrigue us the most are the mountainous regions which can be found in many different locations across the world. From The Rockies and Appalachians of North America, to The Southern Alps of New Zealand, you are never far from the awesome beauty of this specific type of landscape.

Pictured: Machu Picchu, an ancient settlement high in the mountains of Peru.

Of course, nowadays, many people head to the mountainous regions in order to indulge in popular winter sporting activities such as skiing and snowboarding; but for others, the sheer beauty of these areas is a massive draw in itself. There is a lot to be said for taking in deep and crisp breaths full of mountain air and for centuries now, mankind has recognized the fact that this can provide healing qualities for respiratory medical conditions.

Mountains owe their very presence to tectonic plate movements which are still continuing on our planet to this very day. As large landmasses collide with each other, this pushes the land upwards, and in turn, this is exactly how mountains are formed. This process has been occurring on Earth for millions of years and we now know that the mountainous regions were formed at different periods in our planet’s history. It is interesting to note that The Appalachian Mountains in North America are thought to be very ancient mountains indeed (dating back hundreds of millions of years); whereas the mighty Himalayas, in Asia, are known to be relatively new (in fact they are still being formed today as India continues to collide with the Eurasian plate).

Some of the most magnificent mountainous regions to consider visiting on our planet include The Andes, in South America, which runs close to the west coast of the continent. If you get the chance, you really should head to Machu Picchu, which is an ancient settlement high in the mountains that was abandoned long ago.

The Rockies runs along the west coast of North America and are home to some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes. From the United States right up to Canada, this is a tremendously long chain of mountains that still boasts areas of totally unspoilt wilderness.

Europe’s most famous mountains can be found in The Alps. The mountains stretch across the countries of Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy and are easily the most popular destination for Europeans during the winter months. Again, though, this is usually for the enjoyment of winter sports.

In Australia and New Zealand, the highest mountains can be found on the South Island of New Zealand. Mount Cook is the highest peak in this area and reaches 3,754 m (12,316 ft) above sea level. Australia does have moderately high mountains on its east coast, but these are ancient peaks which have been whittled-down in size over the millennia due to the process known as weathering.

Wherever you are in the world, you should never be more than a couple of hours’ flying time from a beautiful mountainous landscape. By all means head to these mountains in order to enjoy some popular winter sports, but also bear in mind that these truly idyllic locations make for a perfectly relaxing vacation at any time of the year.