Huascaran | |
---|---|
Huascarán as viewed from Callejón de Huaylas
|
|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 6,768 m (22,205 ft) |
Prominence | 2,776 m (9,108 ft) |
Isolation | 2,196 kilometres (1,365 mi) |
Listing |
Country high point Ultra |
Coordinates | 09°07′18″S 77°36′15″W / 9.12167°S 77.60417°WCoordinates: 09°07′18″S 77°36′15″W / 9.12167°S 77.60417°W |
Geography | |
Location | Yungay, Peru |
Parent range | Cordillera Blanca |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Cenozoic |
Mountain type | Granite |
Climbing | |
First ascent | Huascarán Sur: 20 July 1932 - Huascarán Norte: 2 September 1908 |
Easiest route | glacier/snow/ice climb |
Huascarán (Spanish pronunciation: [waskaˈɾan]) is a mountain in the Peruvian province of Yungay (Ancash Region), situated in the Cordillera Blanca range of the western Andes. The highest southern summit of Huascarán (Huascarán Sur) is the highest point in Peru, the northern part of Andes (north of Lake Titicaca) and in all of the Earth's Tropics. Huascarán is the fourth highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere and South America after Aconcagua, Ojos del Salado, and Monte Pissis. The mountain was named after Huáscar, a 16th-century Inca emperor who was the Sapa Inca of the Inca empire.
The mountain has two distinct summits, the higher being the south one (Huascarán Sur) with an elevation of 6,768 metres (22,205 ft). The north summit (Huascarán Norte) has an elevation of 6,654 metres (21,831 ft). Both summits are separated by a saddle (called 'Garganta'). The core of Huascarán, like much of the Cordillera Blanca, consists of Cenozoic era granite.
Huascarán gives its name to Huascarán National Park which surrounds it, and is a popular location for trekking and mountaineering. The Huascarán summit is one of the points on the Earth's surface farthest from the Earth's center, closely behind the farthest point, Chimborazo in Ecuador.