[115] There are several important alpine saints and one such one is Saint Maurice. The tip of the mountain consists of gneisses from the African plate; the base of the peak, below the glaciated area, consists of European basement rock. Scorpions can be found in the Italian Alps. Owners of the cows traditionally receive from the cheesemakers a portion about the proportion of the cows' milk from the summer months in the high alps. [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). Snow lines vary from 2,400 to 3,000m (7,900 to 9,800ft), above which the snow is permanent and the temperatures hover around the freezing point even during July and August. Upon reaching the Swiss border, the line of the main chain heads approximately east-northeast, a heading it follows until its end near Vienna. The Benedictines had built monasteries in Lucerne, and Oberammergau. [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. 1. The mountain range has a length of approximately 1,200 km and stretches between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. In the 8th to 6th centuries, BC during the Hallstatt culture, Celtic tribes mined copper; later the Romans mined gold for coins in the Bad Gastein area. Numerical modeling suggests that glacial erosion propagates from low elevations to high elevations leading to an early increase of local relief followed by lowering of the mean orogen elevation. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, and artists, in particular, the Romantics, followed by the golden age of alpinism as mountaineers began to ascend the peaks. [55], Agassiz studied glacier movement in the 1840s at the Unteraar Glacier where he found the glacier moved 100m (328ft) per year, more rapidly in the middle than at the edges. The Alps are a major mountain range in central Europe. [27], Now the pass has been supplanted by the Frjus Highway Tunnel (opened 1980) and Rail Tunnel (opened 1871). The Apennine Mountains The Apennine. Wildflowers in the Caucasus, Mount Kazbek, Georgia. In fact, the Alps are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Edward Whymper reached the top of the Matterhorn in 1865 (after seven attempts), and in 1938 the last of the six great north faces of the Alps was climbed with the first ascent of the Eiger Nordwand (north face of the Eiger). 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 cinnabar deposits in Slovenia are a notable source of cinnabar pigments. The Alpine region has a strong cultural identity. [12] The plants that grow at the highest altitudes have adapted to conditions by specialization such as growing in rock screes that give protection from winds. [14], The Alps are a crescent shaped geographic feature of central Europe that ranges in an 800km (500mi) arc (curved line) from east to west and is 200km (120mi) in width. The range extends through the following countries: Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Serbia. [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). Who has the biggest range in the world? [92] The vegetation has changed since the second half of the 20th century, as the high alpine meadows cease to be harvested for hay or used for grazing which eventually might result in a regrowth of the forest. Schiller later wrote the play William Tell (1804), which tells the story of the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as part of the greater Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century. Chalets often face south or downhill and are built of solid wood, with a steeply gabled roof to allow accumulated snow to slide off easily. [44] Flysch deposits in the Southern Alps of Lombardy probably occurred in the Cretaceous or later. "Regional tectonics: from the Rhine graben to the Po plain, a summary of the tectonic evolution of the Alps and their forelands". [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. In the Slavic Alps alone 19 dialects have been identified. The Great Dividing Range Transantarctic Mountains The Ural Mountains Atlas Mountains The Himalayas The Alps Highest mountain peaks Basics Ridge Mountain ridges refer to mountains which originate as a result of local folding and faulting. (2011). [119], In the Alps, the War of the Spanish Succession fallout resulted in a 1713 treaty, part of the Peace of Utrecht, which relocated the Western Alps border along the watersheds. The Ural Mountains are a mountain range that forms part of the natural boundary between Europe and Asia. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The three major peninsulas in Southern Europe are the _____, the _____, and the _____., The mountain range known as the _____ isolates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe., Italy, which occupies the _____, is cut off from the rest of Europe by a grand mountain range called the _____. -. [16], The Rhne is second to the Nile as a freshwater source to the Mediterranean Sea; the river begins as glacial meltwater, flows into Lake Geneva, and from there to France where one of its uses is to cool nuclear power plants. "High altitude biodiversity of the Alps and the Himalayas: ethnobotany, plant distribution and conservation perspective". Mountain ranges of Europe by country (36 C) * Mountain ranges of the Alps (75 C, 193 P) Mountain ranges of the Apennines (16 P) Mountain ranges of the Caucasus (4 C, 23 P) Mountain ranges of the Iberian Peninsula (3 C, 2 P) A. Alps (21 C, 41 P) Ardennes and Eifel (2 C, 1 P) B. [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). Starting on the far eastern side of Europe, the Ural and the Caucasus Mountains form the divide between Europe and Asia. Origanum vulgare, Prunella vulgaris, Solanum nigrum, and Urtica dioica are some of the more useful medicinal species found in the Alps. [85] Although Alpenrose prefers acidic soil, the plants are found throughout the region. [114], Christianity was established in the Alps by the Roman people. 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 temperature, often accompanied by precipitation in the form of snow or rain. The Alps are the highest and longest mountain range that is located entirely in Europe. [100], Several species of moths live in the Alps, some of which are believed to have evolved in the same habitat up to 120million years ago, long before the Alps were created. The backbone of Italy is formed by the north-south trending Appennino chain. In 2007, the new 34.57km-long (21.48mi) Ltschberg Base Tunnel was opened, which circumvents the 100 years older Ltschberg Tunnel. The alpine area fluctuates greatly because of regional fluctuations in tree lines. [65][72], The Alps are a classic example of what happens when a temperate area at lower altitude gives way to higher-elevation terrain. However, the Himalayas are the tallest mountains found on the Earth. [11], An alp refers to a high mountain pasture, typically near or above the tree line, where cows and other livestock are taken to be grazed during the summer months and where huts and hay barns can be found, sometimes constituting tiny hamlets. Hay is normally brought in twice a year, often also on festival days. A mummified man, determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the AustrianItalian border in 1991.[5]. Crossing routes by road, train, or foot are known as passes, and usually consist of depressions in the mountains in which a valley leads from the plains and hilly pre-mountainous zones. . [12] Golden eagles and bearded vultures are the largest birds to be found in the Alps; they nest high on rocky ledges and can be found at altitudes of 2,400m (7,900ft). [33] The list includes not only mountains, but also subpeaks with little prominence that are considered important mountaineering objectives. Como Grande is the tallest peak in the Apennines, with an elevation of 2,912 m. The Apennine Mountains contain pristine forests and montane grasslands, many of which are protected by national parks. Coarse sediments from the continual uplift and erosion were later deposited in foreland areas as molasse. In the Alps, several species of flowering plants have been recorded above 4,000m (13,000ft), including Ranunculus glacialis, Androsace alpina and Saxifraga biflora. [40] The molasse regions in Switzerland and Bavaria were well-developed and saw further upthrusting of flysch. Erzberg in Styria furnishes high-quality iron ore for the steel industry. The Pyrenees is one of several major mountain ranges in Europe, which is the natural border between Spain and France, and also contains the small country of Andorra as a whole. Which country has the highest mountains in Europe? Brown trout can be found in the streams up to the snow line. It is a large, forested area that borders the Rhine Valley to the south and west. Monte Rosa 4. The pass was crossed by many troops on their way to the Italian peninsula. Additionally, the Alps have led to the creation of large lakes in Italy. Schuhplattler), sports (e.g. [44] A series of tectonic events in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods caused different paleogeographic regions. In mid-June, cows are moved to the highest pastures close to the snowline, where they are watched by herdsmen who stay in the high altitudes often living in stone huts or wooden barns during the summers. The highest peaks of the Balkan Mountains are located in the central part of Bulgaria, the tallest of which is Botev Peak, with an elevation of 2,376 m. Several protected areas, such as Central Balkan National Park and Bulgarka Nature Park, help conserve the ecosystem and landscapes within the Balkan Mountains. [104], A mummy of a neolithic human, known as tzi, was discovered on the Similaun. Stairs leading to upper levels are sometimes built on the outside, and balconies are sometimes enclosed.[155][156]. From his description of a "blue like that of a gentian" sky it is thought that he reached a significantly high altitude. Leonhard Euler studied the shapes of crystals, and by the 19th-century crystal hunting was common in Alpine regions. Benniston, Martin, et al. The Alps cover a total area of about 207,000 km 2 and have a maximum width of about 250 km at its widest point that is situated between Verona in Italy and the Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Germany. Albania, a name not native to the region known as the country of Albania, has been used as a name for several mountainous areas across Europe. Numerous weather stations were placed in the mountains early in the early 20th century, providing continuous data for climatologists. [155], Cheesemaking is an ancient tradition in most Alpine countries. Mount Everest (8,848.86 meters), Kanchenjunga (8,586 meters), Lhotse (8,516 meters) 2,400 km. 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. [96], Many rodents such as voles live underground. [26], The Mont Cenis pass has been a major commercial and military road between Western Europe and Italy. Aggressors in modern-day Italy were dealt with and an alliance was formed with the Celts. [155], In the high villages, people live in homes built according to medieval designs that withstand cold winters. . [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. The secondary chain of the Alps follows the watershed from the Mediterranean Sea to the Wienerwald, passing over many of the highest and most well-known peaks in the Alps. Ice fields and glaciers cover large parts of the Scandinavian Mountains. Belgium. Hannibal notably crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. [161], The tourism industry began in the early 19th century when foreigners visited the Alps, travelled to the bases of the mountains to enjoy the scenery, and stayed at the spa-resorts. 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