Mountains are prominent landforms that have significant heights above sea level and/or the surrounding land. They are steeper than hills. A mountain or mountain range usually has a peak, which is a pointed top. Mountains have different climates than land at sea level and nearby flat land. Climate is the weather over an extended time period for a specific area. The climate of mountains tends to include colder weather, wetter weather, and thinner air. Thin air refers to the fact that at the higher altitudes of a mountain there is less oxygen to breathe. Also, mountains generally have less hospitable conditions for plants and animals. This leads to quite different evolutionary adaptations for those plants and animals that make higher elevations their home.
