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Alps
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:''This article is about the Alps in Europe. For other mountain ranges see
Alps (disambiguation).''
Image:Alps in the Chamonix Valley, near the Mer de Glace.jpg Chamonix.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|275px|right|The West face of the Petit Dru above the [[Chamonix valley near the
Mer de Glace..html" title="Meaning of 275px|right|The West face of the Petit Dru above the [[Chamonix">thumb|275px|right|The West face of the Petit Dru above the [[Chamonix valley near the
Mer de Glace.">275px|right|The West face of the Petit Dru above the [[Chamonix">thumb|275px|right|The West face of the Petit Dru above the [[Chamonix valley near the
Mer de Glace.
Image:Alpenrelief 01.jpg thumb|275px|Digital relief of the Alps
The '''Alps''' (Alpi in Italian, Alpe in Slovene) is the name for one of the great
mountain range systems of
Europe, stretching from
Austria,
Italy and
Slovenia in the east, through
Italy,
Switzerland,
Liechtenstein and
Germany to
France in the west. The word "Alps" was taken via
French language French from
Latin ''Alpes'' (meaning "the Alps"), which may be influenced by the Latin words ''albus'' (white) or ''altus'' (high), or a
Celtic languages Celtic word.
The highest mountain in the Alps is
Mont Blanc at 4810
metre m on the French-Italian border. All the main peaks of the Alps can be found in the
list of mountains of the Alps and
list of Alpine peaks by prominence.
Geography
:''Main article:
Geography of the Alps''
Subdivision
Image:Alpenrelief 02.jpg thumb|275px|The Alps with the Borders of the Countries
Image:Grossglockner_from_SW.jpg Großglockner.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|275px|The Austrian [[Großglockner, south of Salzburg.html" title="Meaning of right|275px|The Austrian [[Großglockner">thumb|right|275px|The Austrian [[Großglockner, south of Salzburg">right|275px|The Austrian [[Großglockner">thumb|right|275px|The Austrian [[Großglockner, south of Salzburg
The Alps are generally divided into
Western Alps and
Eastern Alps. The division is along the line between
Lake Constance and
Lake Como, following the
Rhine. The Western Alps are higher, but their central chain is shorter and curved; they are located in
Italy,
France and
Switzerland. The Eastern Alps (main
ridge system elongated and broad) belong to
Austria,
Germany,
Italy,
Liechtenstein,
Slovenia and
Switzerland. The highest peak of the Western Alps is
Mont Blanc, 4810 m. The highest peak in the Eastern Alps is
Piz Bernina, 4052 meters.
The '''Eastern Alps''' are commonly subdivided according to the different
geological composition of the more central parts of the Alps and the groups at its northern and southern fringes:
*
Flysch Flysch zone (up to from the
Wienerwald Vienna woods to
Bregenzerwald. The swiss
Jura does ''not'' belong to the Alps
*
Northern Limestone Alps, peaks up to 3000 m
*
Central Eastern Alps (Austria, Swiss), peaks up to 4050 m
*
Southern Limestone Alps.
The border between the Central Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps is the
Periadriatic Seam. The Northern Limestone Alps are separated from the Central Eastern Alps by the
Graywacke Grauwacken Zone.
However, the complex east-alpine
orogenesis suggests also different system: ''Helveticum'' in the north, ''
Penninicum'' (Central Alps) and ''East alpine system'' (Northern Limestone Alps, Graywacke, Central
Crystalline), and south of the Periadriatic seam some parts of the
Dinarides (see
Geography of the Alps Alpine Geography).
Image:Italian alps1.jpg thumb|right|275px|The Italian Alps - taken from an airplane
The '''Western Alps''' are commonly subdivided with respect to
geography and not geology:
*
Ligurian Alps
*
Maritime Alps
*
Cottian Alps
*
Dauphiné Alps
*
Graian Alps
*
Pennine Alps
*
Bernese Alps
*
Lepontine Alps
*
Glarus Alps
*
North-Eastern Swiss Alps.
Series of lower mountain ranges run parallel to the main chains of the Alps, including the
French Prealps.
Main chains
:''Main article:
Main chain of the Alps''
Image:alps.space.300pix.jpg thumb|right|The European Alps from space in May 2002.
The "main chain of the Alps" follows the watershed from the
Mediterranean Sea to the
Wienerwald, passing over many of the highest and most famous peaks in the Alps. From the Colle di Cadibona to
Col de Tende it runs westwards, before turning to the north-west and then, near the
Colle della Maddalena, to the north. Upon reaching the Swiss border, the line of the main chain heads approximately east-north-east, a heading it follows until its end near
Vienna.
Principal passes
:''Main article:
Principal passes of the Alps''
The Alps do not form an impassable barrier; they have been traversed for
war and
commerce, and later by
pilgrims,
students and
tourists. Crossing places by
road,
train or foot are called passes, these are depressions in the mountains to which a valley leads from the plains and hilly pre-mountainous zones.
Climate
:''Main article:
Climate of the Alps''
The ''climate of the Alps'' is the
climate, or average
weather conditions over a long time, of the central Alpine region of
Europe. As we rise from
sea level into the upper regions of the
Earth's atmosphere atmosphere, the
temperature adiabatic lapse rate decreases. The effect of
mountain chains on prevailing
winds is to carry warm air belonging to the lower region into an upper zone, where it expands in
volume at the cost of a proportionate loss of
heat, often accompanied by the
precipitation (meteorology) precipitation of moisture in the form of
snow or
rain.
Geology
:''Main article:
Geology of the Alps''
The Alps arose as a result of the pressure exerted on
sediments of the
Tethys Ocean basin as its
Mesozoic and early
Cenozoic Stratum strata were pushed against the stable
Eurasian landmass by the northward-moving
African landmass. Most of this occurred during the
Oligocene and
Miocene epochs. The pressure formed great recumbent folds, or ''nappes'', that rose out of what had become the
Tethys Sea and pushed northward, often breaking and sliding one over the other to form gigantic thrust
Geologic fault faults.
Crystalline rocks, which are exposed in the higher central regions, are the rocks forming
Mont Blanc, the
Matterhorn, and high peaks in the Pennine Alps and Hohe Tauern.
The landscape seen today is mostly formed by
glaciation during the past two million years. At least five
ice ages have done much to remodel the region, scooping out the lakes and rounding off the limestone hills along the northern border.
Glaciers have been retreating during the past 10,000 years, leaving large granite boulders scattered in the forests in the region. As the last ice age ended, it is believed that the
climate changed so rapidly that the glaciers retreated back into the mountains in a span of about 200 to 300 years.
Political history
:''Main article:
Political history and modern state of the inhabitants of the Alps''
Little is known of the early dwellers in the Alps, save from the scanty accounts preserved by
Ancient Rome Roman and
Ancient Greece Greek historians and
geographers. A few details have come down to us of the conquest of many of the Alpine tribes by
Augustus.
The successive emigration and occupation of the Alpine region by various
Germanic peoples Teutonic tribes from the
5th century 5th to the
6th century 6th centuries are known only in outline, because to them, as to the
Frankish kings and emperors, the Alps offered a route from one place to another rather than a permanent residence.
It is not until the final breakup of the
Carolingian Empire in the
10th century 10th and
11th century 11th centuries that it becomes possible to trace out the local history of the Alps.
Exploration
:''Main article:
Exploration of the High Alps''
The higher regions of the Alps were long left to the exclusive attention of the men of the adjoining valleys, even when Alpine travellers (as distinguished from Alpine climbers) began to visit these valleys. The two men who first explored the regions of ice and snow were H.B. de Saussure (1740-1799) in the
Pennine Alps, and the Benedictine monk of
Disentis, Placidus a Spescha (1752-1833), most of whose ascents were made before 1806, in the valleys at the sources of the
Rhine.
Flora
A natural vegetation limit with altitude is given by the presence of the chief
deciduous trees —
oak,
beech,
Ash tree ash and
sycamore maple. These do not reach exactly to the same elevation, nor are they often found growing together; but their upper limit corresponds accurately enough to the change from a temperate to a colder climate that is further proved by a change in the wild
herbaceous vegetation. This limit usually lies about 1200 m above the sea on the north side of the Alps, but on the southern slopes it often rises to 1500 m, sometimes even to 1700 m.
It must not be supposed that this region is always marked by the presence of the characteristic trees. The interference of man has in many districts almost removed them, and, excepting the beech forests of the
Austrian Alps, a considerable wood of deciduous trees is rare. In many districts where such woods once existed, their place has been occupied by the
Scots pine and
Norway spruce, which suffer less from the ravages of goats, the worst enemies of tree vegetation. The mean annual temperature of this region differs little from that of the
British Islands; but the climate conditions are widely different. Here snow usually lies for several months, till it gives place to a spring and summer considerably warmer than the average of British seasons.
'''Typical plants found in the Alps:'''
Image:Leontopodium alpinum1.jpg|Edelweiss
(''Edelweiss Leontopodium alpinum'')
Image:Gentiana acaulis.jpg|stemless gentian
(''Gentiana acaulis'')
Image:RostblaettrigeAlpenrose.jpg|rusty-leaved Alpenrose
(''Rhododendron ferrugineum'')
Image:Chamorchis_alpina_230705b.jpg|Alpine dwarf orchid
(''Chamorchis alpina'')
Image:Ranunculus_glacialis.jpg|glacier buttercup
(''Ranunculus glacialis'')
Image:Kosodrzewina (Sosna górska) Pinus mugo mugo.jpg|mountain pine
(''Mountain Pine Pinus mugo'')
Image:Pulsatilla_alpina_schneebergensis.jpg|Alpine pasque-flower
(''Pulsatilla alpina'')
Image:Androsace alpina02.jpg|Alpine rock-jasmine (''Androsace alpina'')
Fauna
:Category:Fauna of the Alps Species common to the Alps. These are most numerously found in the 15% of the Alps protected in parks and reserves.
Image:Plochacz 3001xx.jpg|Alpine Accentor
Image:Chamois Kleinwalsertal 1997.jpg|Chamois
Image:Alpenkauw2.jpg|Alpine Chough
Image:Goldie.JPG|Golden Eagle
Image:Alpine ibex.jpg|Alpine Ibex Ibex
Image:Corvus monedula2.jpg|Jackdaw
Image:Marmota marmota Alpes2.jpg|Alpine Marmot Marmot
Image:Arctic Hare.jpg|Mountain Hare
Image:Ptarmigan9.jpg|Ptarmigan
Image:Elk4.jpg|Red Deer
Image:Aegolius-funereus-001.jpg|Tengmalm's Owl
See also
{{commons|Category:Alps}}
*
Paganism in the Eastern Alps
*
Alpinism
*
Almabtrieb
External links
-
System for Observation of and Information on the Alps, established in 1991 by the
Alpine Convention
-
Satellite photo of the Alps, taken on
August 31,
2005 by
MODIS aboard
Terra (satellite) Terra
-
Convection over the Alps, a satellite photo taken on
May 3,
1993 by
Meteosat-4, with analysis
-
SNOWFactory.com The live webcam locate in the swiss alps. More than 50'000 images since summer 2003.
-
Winter holidays in the european Alps
-
Hiking and climbing in the ALps
-
Visit Alps and Rhone valley
Category:Alps
Category:Mountains of Europe
Category:Mountains of Austria
Category:Mountains of France
Category:Mountains of Germany
Category:Mountains of Switzerland
Category:Mountains of Slovenia
References
*{{1911}}
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als:Alpen
ar:ألب
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br:Alpoù
ca:Alps
cs:Alpy
da:Alperne
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el:Άλπεις
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ga:Sliabh Alpa
ko:알프스 산맥
hr:Alpe
is:Alpafjöll
it:Alpi
he:הרי ×”×?לפי×?
la:Alpes
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nl:Alpen
ja:アルプス山脈
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sr:Ð?лпи
fi:Alpit
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th:เทืà¸à¸?เขาà¹?à¸à¸¥à¸›à¹Œ
tr:Alpler
uk:Ð?льпи
zh:阿尔�斯山
{{catmore}}
Category:Mountain ranges
Category:Geography of Europe
Category:Mountain ranges of Europe
bg:КатегориÑ?:Ð?лпи
ca:Categoria:Alps
cs:Kategorie:Alpy
de:Kategorie:Alpen
es:CategorÃa:Alpes
eo:Kategorio:Alpoj
fr:Catégorie:Alpes
ko:분류:알프스 산맥
nl:Categorie:Alpen
pl:Kategoria:Alpy
sl:Kategorija:Alpe
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