The American Cordillera (/ˌkɔːrdəlˈjɛrə/ KOR-dəl-YERR-ə) is a chain of mountain ranges (cordilleras), consisting of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of the Americas.

It is also the backbone of the volcanic arc that forms the eastern half of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

In the United States, the Cordillera branches include the Rockies, the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and various small Pacific coastal ranges.

The Andes, with their parallel chains and the island chains off the coast of Chile, extend through Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile to the southernmost tip of South America at Tierra del Fuego.

The Cordillera continues along the Scotia Arc before reaching the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula.