He completed his series of ascents in 1911. There are over 10 major mountain ranges in Europe, and upwards of 100 minor ranges. [126][127] The mountain peaks were seen as terrifying, the abode of dragons and demons, to the point that people blindfolded themselves to cross the Alpine passes. Ruwenzori Range Virunga Mountains Republic of the Congo Cristal Mountains Cte d'Ivoire Nimba Range Equatorial Guinea Cristal Mountains Ethiopia Bale Mountains Ethiopian Mountains Simien Mountains Gabon In Germany, the medieval St. Bartholomew's chapel was built on the south side of the Knigssee, accessible only by boat or by climbing over the abutting peaks.[70]. Many passes are closed in winter. 6 March 2013. [123], After the fall of Napoleon, many alpine countries developed heavy protections to prevent further invasion. [69] The mean precipitation in the Alps ranges from a low of 2,600mm (100in) per year to 3,600mm (140in) per year, with the higher levels occurring at high altitudes. Frequently they include music (e.g. The cracking creates unpredictable and dangerous crevasses, often invisible under new snowfall, which causes the greatest danger to mountaineers. They pass through many European countries including France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy . [77], Thirteen thousand species of plants have been identified in the Alpine regions. Food is passed from the kitchen to the stube, where the dining room table is placed. There are over 10 major mountain ranges in Europe, and upwards of 100 minor ranges. [28], The Saint Gotthard Pass crosses from Central Switzerland to Ticino; in 1882 the 15km-long (9.3mi) Saint Gotthard Railway Tunnel was opened connecting Lucerne in Switzerland, with Milan in Italy. The Almabtrieb, Alpabzug, Alpabfahrt, Dsalpes ("coming down from the alps") is celebrated by decorating the cows with garlands and enormous cowbells while the farmers dress in traditional costumes. The stress of the movement causes the ice to break and crack loudly, perhaps explaining why the mountains were believed to be home to dragons in the medieval period. [124], Radiocarbon-dated charcoal placed around 50,000 years ago was found in the Drachloch (Dragon's Hole) cave above the village of Vattis in the canton of St. Gallen, proving that the high peaks were visited by prehistoric people. 98 years later followed Gotthard Road Tunnel (16.9km (10.5mi) long) connecting the A2 motorway in Gschenen on the north side with Airolo on the south side, exactly like the railway tunnel. [155], In the high villages, people live in homes built according to medieval designs that withstand cold winters. [121] In 1799 the Russian imperial military engaged the revolutionary French army in the Alps, this episode has been recorded as significant achievement in mountain warfare. The Pyrenees Mountains are a mountain range in Southwest Europe that form a natural boundary between Spain and France. [23], The Alps have been crossed for war and commerce, and by pilgrims, students and tourists. The Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) has defined a list of 82 "official" Alpine summits that reach at least 4,000m (13,123ft). 16871693, "Die Besteigung der Berge - Die Dolomitgipfel werden erobert (German: The ascent of the mountains - the dolomite peaks are conquered)", "Cahier d'architecture Haute Maurienne/Vanoise", "What Role Do the Alps Play within World Tourism? The Ligures and Adriatic Veneti lived in Northwest Italy and Triveneto respectively. Roman road markers can still be found on the Alpine mountain passes. Old traditions are carefully maintained among inhabitants of Alpine areas, even though this is seldom obvious to the visitor: many people are members of cultural associations where the Alpine folk culture is cultivated. The construction of castles in the Alps supported the growing number of dukedoms and kingdoms. [22], The northeast end of the Alpine arc, directly on the Danube, which flows into the Black Sea, is the Leopoldsberg near Vienna. [137] Jean-Jacques Rousseau presented the Alps as a place of allure and beauty, in his novel Julie, or the New Heloise, published in 1761. Historically, the Alps were used to determine the borders of political and administrative gangs, but the Peace of Utrecht was the first significant body of treaty that considered geographical conditions. Additionally, the Alps have led to the creation of large lakes in Italy. (2011). Major mountain ranges of Europe. [46], In simple terms, the structure of the Alps consists of layers of rock of European, African, and oceanic (Tethyan) origin. [49], Due to the ever-present geologic instability, earthquakes continue in the Alps to this day. Hannibal notably crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. [101] The butterflies tend to be large, such as those from the swallowtail Parnassius family, with a habitat that ranges to 1,800m (5,900ft). The mountain range stretches approximately 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) in a crescent . [99] Molluscs such as the wood snail live up the snow line. After World War II, members of the Schutzstaffel that feared prosecution as war criminals, known in modern English only as SS, disappeared into a crowd of refugees. The Dinaric Alps are a mountain range in Southern and Southeastern Europe that form a natural boundary between the Adriatic Sea and the Balkan Peninsula. Crystals, such as cinnabar, amethyst, and quartz, are found throughout much of the Alpine region. [90], The Alps are a habitat for 30,000 species of wildlife, ranging from the tiniest snow fleas to brown bears, many of which have made adaptations to the harsh cold conditions and high altitudes to the point that some only survive in specific micro-climates either directly above or below the snow line. The Latin word Alpes could possibly come from the adjective albus[7] ("white"), or could possibly come from the Greek goddess Alphito, whose name is related to alphita, the "white flour"; alphos, a dull white leprosy; and finally the Proto-Indo-European word *albs. The Cistercians built their temple at Lake Constance. The highest peak in the range is Feldberg Mountain, which has an elevation of 1,493 m. The Black Forest has a length of approximately 160 km. The Ural Mountains are a rich source of minerals including coal, metal ores, and precious stones, and mining in the region significantly contributes to Russia's economy. Other meals are still served traditionally on carved wooden plates. [18] In areas like Chiasso, Switzerland, and Allgu, Bavaria, the demarcation between the mountain range and the flatlands are clear; in other places such as Geneva, the demarcation is less clear. [50] Typically, the largest earthquakes in the alps have been between magnitude 6 and 7 on the Richter scale. Geografick zajmavost a tip na pjemn vlet", "Alp | Origin and meaning of alp by Online Etymology Dictionary", "Alpine Convention - the Convention - the Alpine Convention in a nutshell - the Alps - Home", "Die Alpen: Hydrologie und Verkehrsbergnge (German)", "Ronce, le gardien silencieux du col du Mont-Cenis", "Was die Tunnelbauer im Gotthard antrafen", "The 4000ers of the Alps: Official UIAA List", "Present-day uplift of the European Alps: Evaluating mechanisms and models of their relative contributions", "Hypsometric analysis to identify spatially variable glacial erosion", "Spatial and temporal variations of glacial erosion in the Rhne valley (Swiss Alps): Insights from numerical modeling", "Recent waning snowpack in the Alps is unprecedented in the last six centuries", "100-year mass changes in the Swiss Alps linked to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation", "Atlantic influence on spring snowfall over the Alps in the past 150 years". In 1800, Napoleon crossed one of the mountain passes with an army of 40,000. [69], The rivers form lakes, such as Lake Geneva, a crescent-shaped lake crossing the Swiss border with Lausanne on the Swiss side and the town of Evian-les-Bains on the French side. Guests, such as Rudolf Hess, stayed over, sleeping in tents or over the garage. With over 120million visitors a year, tourism is integral to the Alpine economy with much of it coming from winter sports, although summer visitors are also an important component. Here, the definition of Western Europe includes: Austria. In Austria, the Mondsee lake shows evidence of houses built on piles. The countries with the greatest alpine territory are Austria (28.7% of the total area), Italy (27.2%), France (21.4%) and Switzerland (13.2%). [45], According to geologist Stefan Schmid, because the Western Alps underwent a metamorphic event in the Cenozoic Era while the Austroalpine peaks underwent an event in the Cretaceous Period, the two areas show distinct differences in nappe formations. The Celts mined salt in areas such as Salzburg, where evidence was found of the Hallstatt culture. [6] Train travel is well established in the Alps, with, for instance 120km (75mi) of track for every 1,000km2 (390sqmi) in a country such as Switzerland. [60], Although the Alpine topography shows marked glacial morphologies,[61] the mechanisms by which glacial reshaping occurs are unclear. The range has a length of approximately 26 km and extends from Kodzko Land to the historic Lower Silesian region. From his description of a "blue like that of a gentian" sky it is thought that he reached a significantly high altitude. The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. Roofs are traditionally constructed from Alpine rocks such as pieces of schist, gneiss, or slate. [45] High "massifs" with external sedimentary cover are more common in the Western Alps and were affected by Neogene Period thin-skinned thrusting whereas the Eastern Alps have comparatively few high peaked massifs. [117], The Great St Bernard Hospice, built in the 9th or 10th centuries, at the summit of the Great Saint Bernard Pass was a shelter for humans and destination for pilgrims. From Constantine I, Pepin the Short and Charlemagne to Henry IV, Napolon and more recently the German Gebirgsjgers during World War II. [8], In his commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil, the late fourth-century grammarian Maurus Servius Honoratus says that all high mountains are called Alpes by Celts.[9]. [58] The 1,817km2 (702sqmi) of the Alps covered by glaciers in 1876 had shrunk to 1,342km2 (518sqmi) by 1973, resulting in decreased river run-off levels. For the German river, see, The Alps seen from outer space, taken from the, Christianity, feudalism, and Napoleonic wars, Depending on the definitions used, a small mountain range in western. While the location and manner of his death suggests that tzi was traveling. The range extends for approximately 491 km from the Mediterranean Sea to the Bay of Biscay, and separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe. The Scandinavian Mountains also contain the highest points in Sweden and Finland, with elevations of 2,104 m and 1,324 m above sea-level, respectively. [165] Both races continue to be held each January on successive weekends. [12] A natural vegetation limit with altitude is given by the presence of the chief deciduous treesoak, beech, ash and sycamore maple. 1 min read. Evidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the Palaeolithic era. [131] In the 18th century four Chamonix men almost made the summit of Mont Blanc but were overcome by altitude sickness and snowblindness. [6][93], The largest mammal to live in the highest altitudes are the alpine ibex, which have been sighted as high as 3,000m (9,800ft). Furthermore, the decrease of glaciated areas combined with a succession of winters with lower-than-expected precipitation may have a future impact on the rivers in the Alps as well as an effect on the water availability to the lowlands. [113] The Romans built settlements in the Alps. The Himalayas are perhaps the most famous of all mountain ranges. Belgium. [55], Alpine glaciers can be straight rivers of ice, long sweeping rivers, spread in a fan-like shape (Piedmont glaciers), and curtains of ice that hang from vertical slopes of the mountain peaks. [132], Conrad Gessner was the first naturalist to ascend the mountains in the 16th century, to study them, writing that in the mountains he found the "theatre of the Lord". [40] The molasse regions in Switzerland and Bavaria were well-developed and saw further upthrusting of flysch. [52] The underlying mechanisms that jointly drive the present-day uplift pattern are the isostatic rebound due to the melting of the last glacial maximum ice-cap or long-term erosion, detachment of the Western Alpine subducting slab, mantle convection as well as ongoing horizontal convergence between Africa and Europe, but their relative contributions to the uplift of the Alps are difficult to quantify and likely to vary significantly in space and time. [147], The Alps, Adolf Hitler, and improbable powerful organizations have been subject to crime fiction. This causes erosion and the formation of valleys over time. The habitats range from meadows, bogs, and woodland (deciduous and coniferous) areas to soil-less scree and moraines, and rock faces and ridges. The mountains run through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and Kazakhstan. In the early years of the "golden age of alpinism" initially scientific activities were mixed with sport, for example by the physicist John Tyndall, with the first ascent of the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper being the highlight. [104] By the 6th century BC the La Tne culture was well established in the region,[108] and became known for high quality Celtic art. [98], Reptiles such as adders and vipers live up to the snow line; because they cannot bear the cold temperatures they hibernate underground and soak up the warmth on rocky ledges. [170] Most of Europe's highest railways are located there. The most common bird is the alpine chough which can be found scavenging at climber's huts or the Jungfraujoch, a high-altitude tourist destination. In fact the Caucasus Mountains, in a twisted geographic sense, mark the beginning origins of the Caucasian race. [76], Various models of climate change have been projected into the 22nd century for the Alps, with an expectation that a trend toward increased temperatures will have an effect on snowfall, snowpack, glaciation, and river runoff. [68] Tributary valleys, some of which are complicated, channel water to the main valleys which can experience flooding during the snowmelt season when rapid runoff causes debris torrents and swollen rivers. [149] Massive numbers of refugees entered Italy illegally, by navigating the Alps. [90], The extreme and stressful climatic conditions give way to the growth of plant species with secondary metabolites important for medicinal purposes. [142], By the mid-19th century scientists began to arrive en masse to study the geology and ecology of the region. These maps templates are for all our . The range has a length of 645 km and passes through the following countries: Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Albania. [86], Alpine plants such as the Alpine gentian grow in abundance in areas such as the meadows above the Lauterbrunnental. The lowest of the Alpine passes at 985m (3,232ft), the Semmering crosses from Lower Austria to Styria; since the 12th century when a hospice was built there, it has seen continuous use. [24], In the medieval period hospices were established by religious orders at the summits of many of the main passes. Monte Rosa 4. The highest peak in the range is Mount Narodnaya, which has an elevation of 1,894 m. Black Forest is a mountain range located in the southwestern German state of Baden-Wrttemberg. [83] This limit usually lies about 1,200m (3,900ft) above the sea on the north side of the Alps, but on the southern slopes it often rises to 1,500m (4,900ft), sometimes even to 1,700m (5,600ft). Discover the geology and geography of Europe's major mountain ranges: Apennine . The variances in nomenclature in the region spanned by the Alps make classification of the mountains and subregions difficult, but a general classification is that of the Eastern Alps and Western Alps with the divide between the two occurring in eastern Switzerland according to geologist Stefan Schmid,[11] near the Splgen Pass. In the Alps, several species of flowering plants have been recorded above 4,000m (13,000ft), including Ranunculus glacialis, Androsace alpina and Saxifraga biflora. The Alps are probably the most famous mountain range in Europe. Mount Elbrus 2. How Is Climate Change Impacting The Water Cycle? Mountain Range Map of Europe. 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