Andes
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Andes. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
or, as they are called in Spanish South outh America, Cordilleras (ridges) de los Andes, or simply Cordilleras, a range of mountains stretching along the whole of the W. coast of South America, from Cape Horn to the Isthmus of Panama and the Caribbean Sea. In absolute length (4,500 miles) no single chain of mountains approaches the Andes, and only a certain number of the higher peaks of the Himalayan chain rise higher above the sea-level. Several main sections of this huge chain are distinguishable. The southern Andes present a lofty main chain, with a minor chain running parallel to it on the E., reaching from Tierra del Fuego and the Straits of Magellan, northward to about latitude 28° S., and rising in Aconcagua to a height of 22,860 feet. North of this is the double chain of the central Andes, inclosing the wide and lofty plateaus of Bolivia and Peru, which lie at an elevation of more than 12,000 feet above the sea. The mountain system is here at its broadest, being about 500 miles across. Here are also several very lofty peaks, as Illampu or Sorata (21,484 feet), Sahama (21,054), Illimani (21,024). Further N. the outer and inner ranges draw closer together, and in Ecuador there is but a single system of elevated masses, generally described as forming two parallel chains. In this section are crowded together a number of lofty peaks, most of them volcanoes, either extinct or active. Of the latter class are Pichincha (15,918 feet), with a crater 2,500 feet deep; Tunguragua (16,685 feet); Sangay (17,460 feet); and Coto paxi (19,550 feet). The loftiest summit here appears to be Chimborazo azo (20,581 feet); others are Antisana (19,260 feet) and Cayambe (19,200 feet). Northward of this section the Andes break into three distinct ranges, the eastmost running north-eastward into Venezuela, the westmost running north-westward to the Isthmus of Panama. In the central range is the volcano of Tolima (17,660 feet). The western slope of the Andes is generally exceedingly steep, the eastern much less so, the mountains sinking gradually to the plains. The whole range gives evidence of volcanic action, but it consists almost entirely of sedimentary rocks. Thus mountains may be found rising to the height of over 20,000 feet, and fossiliferous to their summits (as Illimani and Sorata or Illampu). There are about 30 volcanoes in a state of activity. The loftiest of these burning mountains seems to be Gualateïri, in Peru (21,960 feet). The heights of the others vary from 13,000 to 20,000 feet. The passes are generally at a great height, the most important being from 10,000 to 15,000 feet. Rail ways have been constructed to cross the chain at a similar elevation. The Andes are extremely rich in the precious metals, gold, silver, copper, platinum, mercury and tin all being wrought; lead and iron are also found. The llama and its congeners-the guanaco, vicuña and alpaca are characteristic of the Andes. Among birds, the condor is the most remarkable. The vegetation necessarily varies much according to elevation, latitude, rainfall, etc., but generally is rich and varied. From the Andes rise two of the largest water systems of the world-the Amazon and its affluents, and the La Plata and its affluents. Besides which, in the N., from its slopes flow the Magdalena to the Caribbean Sea, and some tributaries to the Orinoco. In the Andes are towns at a greater elevation than any where else in the world, the highest being the silver-mining town of Cerro de Pasco (14,270 feet), the next being Potosi.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
the principal mountain system of South America . On the theory that a range of mountains is a wrinkle in the earth's crust, the Andes and the Rocky Mountains do not seem to be parts of the same great fold. Although intervening mountains connect the two systems, the southern extension of the Rocky Mountains sinks into the Pacific westward of South America. The general direction of the Andes, the countries traversed, and the table-lands inclosed, may be seen at a glance at the map. In height and extent the Andean system is second only to the Himalayas. In mass it may be compared with a huge embankment about 4,400 miles in length, having a width of from 20 to 250 miles, and an average height of nearly 2 1/2 miles. The total bulk may be represented in cubic feet by the figure five followed by fifteen ciphers-a mass about equivalent to the silt that at its present rate would be carried downstream by the Mississippi in three-fourths of a million years. If all the rivers of the world were to play on the Andes, they would require 135,000 years to sweep the mountains away; yet, as compared with the bulk of the earth, the entire range is but a blade of grass resting on a watermelon. For a great part of the length the Andes are a broad embankment from 6,000 to 11,000 feet high, with a ridge of peaks rising still higher, like battlements along either edge. Along the top of the embankment, and between these border walls, are the great upland plains or valleys in which, at their greatest expansion, Pizarro discovered an ancient civilization and effected the conquest of Peru. Bolivia and Peru border here. The highest peak, not only of the Andes but of the New World, and the loftiest volcano in the world is Mt. Aconcagua, 23,290 feet above the sea. At the latitude of Lake Titicaca, one of the largest elevated lakes in the world, the Andean system is at its widest. Toward the north the border ranges approach and knot together in the vicinity of Quito, one of the most intensely active volcanic regions of the globe. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo are here. The equator here crosses an extinct volcano 19,534 feet above the sea. This is the greatest height attained by the equator in its entire course, and is the only region where the equator passes through perpetual ice and snow. By glancing at a map of South America it may be seen that from this knot the mountain ranges radiate like a fan through Colombia. At its southern termination the Andean system runs along the water's edge in a single high ridge, about twenty miles wide, to Cape Horn , though much broken by arms of the sea. The Strait of Magellan cuts off Tierra del Fuego altogether. See South America ; Deserts; Titicaca ; Equator ; Peru ; Colombia 2026 Editor's Note: The Andes gave the world the potato and quinoa, and cradle Machu Picchu — the Inca citadel brought to global fame by Hiram Bingham's 1911 expedition, just as this was written. The range also holds the setting of the 1972 crash whose survivors' ordeal became the book and film Alive . (Ed: BR 2026-07-02)