Americas
The largest mountain ranges are the Andes and Rocky Mountains. The Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range reach similar altitudes as the Rocky Mountains, but are significantly smaller. In North America, the greatest number of fourteeners are in the United States, and more specifically in the U.S. state of Colorado. The highest peaks of the Americas are located in the Andes, with Aconcagua of Argentina being the highest; in North America Denali (Mount McKinley) in the U.S. state of Alaska is the tallest.
Llullaillaco
Llullaillaco is located in the northwestern Argentine Andes, towards the southern end of the Puna. The border between Argentina (Salta Province) and Chile crosses the volcano. It lies in the Puna de Atacama, a region of very high volcanic peaks on a high plateau close to the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places in the world.
The volcano is an imposing mountain, rising by above the Salar de Punta Negra away. With a summit height of , or alternatively , it is the second highest active volcano in the world after Ojos del Salado (, ). The height of the mountain and the clear air in the region make Llullaillaco visible from Cerro Paranal, 189 km away as measured by Google Maps. The region is dry and located at high altitudes, making work in the area difficult.