When this great spine-like mountain range rose from the sea, it created a new continent and a bridge that joined North and South America, allowing flora and fauna from each to mix and diversify.

Today, the Andes continue to grow and evolve and are home to a rich tapestry of environments, including the largest ice field outside the poles, a desert where penguins nest, and geysers a vertical mile high, where flamingos huddle for warmth.