Fact Finder - Geography

The Rocky Mountains, or simply the Rockies, stretch more than 4,800 kilometers from the northernmost part of British Columbia in western Canada to New Mexico in the Southwestern United States. The range was formed roughly 80 million to 55 million years ago during the Laramide orogeny, where tectonic plates began to slide underneath the North American plate. The highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado, which rises to 4,401 meters. The Rockies serve as a major continental divide, separating water that flows to the Pacific Ocean from water that flows to the Atlantic or Arctic Oceans. The mountains are famous for their stunning national parks, including Yellowstone, Banff, and Glacier National Park. They are also home to diverse wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk, and bighorn sheep. The range is a major destination for outdoor recreation, including skiing, hiking, and climbing, and holds significant mineral wealth, particularly gold, silver, and copper.