The Andean states ( es, Estados Andinos) are a group of countries in western

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

connected by the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

mountain range. The "Andean States" is sometimes used to refer to all seven countries that the Andes runs through, regions with a shared culture primarily spread during the times of the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

(such as the

Quechua language Quechua (, ; ), usually called ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely ...

and

Andean cuisine Inca cuisine originated in pre-Columbian times within the Inca civilization from the 13th to the 16th century. The Inca civilization stretched across many regions, and so there was a great diversity of plants and animals used for food, many of wh ...

), or it can be used in a geopolitical sense to designate countries in the region that are members of the

Andean Community The Andean Community ( es, Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union comprising the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact ...

trade group and have a local (as opposed to the Southern Cone) cultural orientation. The Andes extend through the western part of South America in the following seven countriesGeography of Latin America
/ref> (arranged from north to south): * (a part of

Caribbean South America Caribbean South America is a subregion of South America consisting of the countries that border the Caribbean Sea: Colombia and Venezuela. By extension, The Guianas, while not bordering the Caribbean Sea directly, are commonly reckoned with t ...

, not considered an Andean state in geopolitics) * (also a part of

) * * * * (a part of the Southern Cone, generally not considered an Andean state in geopolitics) * (a part of the Southern Cone, often not considered an Andean state in geopolitics) When grouped as the "Andean states", the emphasis is on the mountainous regions of these countries. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru are parts of the Andean Community (a trade group), and each contains the Amazon rainforest and Amazonian indigenous people, as well as the Andean Mountains.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andean States States Regions of South America Regions of the Americas

See also

References