Buenos Aires to Santiago

The Andes extend along the length of South America from the Caribbean coast to the southern tip at Cape Horn.

The Cuerno Este (2,200m) part of the Cordillera de Paine at the very southern tip of the Andes Range in Chile.

This satellite image of the Andes reveals how the mountains affect the climate of the continent. The rain shadow to the west of the mountains has left the region dry, while the east is moist.

The Andes can be seen on this topographic map of South America as the orange and grey region running along the continent's eastern coast.

The view over the Andes mountains on a flight from Mendoza to Santiago.

Mount Aconcagua located between Mendoza and Santiago is the highest mountain in the Andes, reaching 6,962m high.

The Andes is home to the highest peaks in the Americas, with several reaching higher than 6,000m.

This diagram illustrates the tectonic activity that formed the Andes, as the Nazca Plate (left) is pulled beneath the South American Plate (right).

A view over the Andes from space. It is possible to see the rain shadow in the bottom left of the image as the grey/brown desert to the right of the mountains while the coastal region is green.

The Andes were formed by the movement of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate.

The southern portion of the Andes range is mostly snow-capped as temperatures are cooler here.

This satellite image reveals the volcanic landscape of the Andes. Volcanoes are found along the length of the range, and make up some of the highest peaks in the Andes.

This diagram illustrates how a rain shadow is caused. Rain is forced upwards by the height on the mountains; as it falls on one side of the mountains, the other side is left dry.

Hairpin bends snake up the mountainside on the ascent to the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores tunnel.

Sharp bends in a section of Chile Route 60, leading towards the Argentine border through the Andes.

National Route 7 stretches from Buenos Aires to the Andes. In the mountains, the road passes through a number of tunnels such as this.

National Route 7 traverses Argentina from Buenos Aires to the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores tunnel in the Andes on the border with Chile.

One of the winding routes through the Andes in Mendoza Province.

The road up the Andes towards the Christ the Redeemer statue on the Argentina side of the Andes.

Map showing the Inca trails throughout the Andes Mountains. Many of the contemporary mountain passes follow these routes.

c. 1910 - A train approaches a railway station high in the Andes on the Chile-Argentina border.

A line of traffic follows the road in one of the mountain passes of the Andes. Some 1,500 vehicles pass through the Andes along National Route 7 each day during the summer.

A rail bridge straddles a gorge in the Andes mountains.

A road winds alongside an abandoned railroad in the Andes between Chile and Argentina.

This map shows the major road routes across the Andes from Argentina to Chile.

The entrance to the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores tunnel, also known as the Tunnel of Christ the Redeemer after the statue that stands nearby.

The flags of Argentina and Chile stand either side of the statue of Christ the Redeemer to mark peace between the two nations.

1881 - Map depicting the boundaries of Chile and Argentina within Patagonia laid down by the Boundary Treaty of 1881.

Chile declared independence from Spanish colonial rule in 1816, supported by Argentina.

1884 - Map of Patagonia with borders drawn up by Chile after the 1881 border treaty.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer was erected high in the Andes between Mendoza and Santiago in 1904 to celebrate peace between the two nations.

Leaders of the Argentina and Chile armies celebrate after defeating the royalists at the Battle of Maipu in 1818.

Chile and Argentina share the southern portion of the South American continent.

The seven metre high statue of Christ the Redeemer stands on the boundary of Chile and Argentina marking peace between the two nations.

1890 - Map showing the disputed region in the Andes (top left) that was only resolved in 1902 by the intervention of the British King.