Aconcagua

Aconcagua is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere with a summit elevation of . It lies northwest of the provincial capital, the city of Mendoza, about from San Juan Province, and from Argentina's border with neighbouring Chile. The mountain is one of the Seven Summits of the seven continents. Aconcagua is bounded by the Valle de las Vacas to the north and east and the Valle de los Horcones Inferior to the west and south. The mountain and its surroundings are part of the Aconcagua Provincial Park. The mountain has a number of glaciers. The largest glacier is the Ventisquero Horcones Inferior at about long, which descends from the south face to about in elevation near the Confluencia camp. Two other large glacier systems are the Ventisquero de las Vacas Sur and Glaciar Este/Ventisquero Relinchos system at about long. The best known is the northeastern or Polish Glacier, as it is a common route of ascent. Etymology The origin of the name is uncertain. It may be from the Mapudungun Aconca-Hue, which refers to the Aconcagua River and means "comes from the other side"; the Quechua Ackon Cahuak, meaning "Sentinel of Stone"; the Quechua Anco Cahuac, meaning "White Sentinel"; or the Aymara Janq'u Q'awa, meaning "White Ravine". Geologic history