Consider the following countries:
- I.Bolivia
- II.Brazil
- III.Colombia
- IV.Ecuador
- V.Paraguay
- VI.Venezuela
Andes mountains pass through how many of the above countries?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Only four
The Andes run along South America's western side through seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. From the list, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela lie on the chain; Brazil and Paraguay lie wholly to the east.
- ✓ I Bolivia is one of the countries with large portions of the Tropical Andes.
- ✗ II Brazil is not one of the Andean countries; it lies east of the chain, in the Amazon basin and the Brazilian Highlands.
- ✓ III Colombia includes large portions of the Tropical Andes; the northern Andes split into several ranges (cordilleras) there.
- ✓ IV Ecuador includes large portions of the Tropical Andes; its Andean cordilleras carry volcanoes such as Chimborazo and Cotopaxi.
- ✗ V Paraguay is a landlocked lowland country of the Paraná–Paraguay basin and the Gran Chaco, with no Andean ranges.
- ✓ VI The Andes hotspot extends from western Venezuela, where the northernmost Andes (the Venezuelan or Caribbean cordillera) lie.
Remember · Andes countries (7), north to south: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina. Not Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay or the Guianas.
Sources
- Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF; World Bank, GEF, EU, AFD, Government of Japan and others), Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot ↗ · reference work “the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot extends from western Venezuela to northern Chile and Argentina, and includes large portions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·