The Alps are the youngest, highest, and most densely populated mountain range in Europe. The original meaning of the word is 'white'. They were formed about 44 million years ago. It reaches from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Germany; to France in the west.
The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc, at 4808 meters (15,774 ft), on the Italian-French border.
Some of the Alps highest and most well-known peaks:
The Alps stretch from Austria and Slovenia in the east, through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Germany to France in the west.
The mountains are divided into the Western Alps and the 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 highest peaks of the Western Alps are Mont Blanc, 4808 meters (15,774 ft), Mont Blanc de Courmayeur 4748 meters (15,577 ft), the Dufourspitze 4,634 metres (15,203 ft) and the other summits of the Monte Rosa group, and the Dom, 4,545 metres (14,911 ft).
The Eastern Alps (main ridge system elongated and broad) belong to Austria, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, and Switzerland. The highest peak in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina, 4,049 metres (13,284 ft). Perhaps the most famous location for tourist to the Alps are the Swiss Alps.
The main chain of the Alps follows the watershed from the Mediterranean Sea to the Wienerwald, defining the northern border of Italy. It then passes over many of the highest and most famous peaks in the Alps. From the Colle di Cadibona to Col de Tende it runs to the west before turning to the northwest and then, to the north, near the Colle della Maddalena. Upon reaching the Swiss border, the line of the main chain goes about northeast, a heading it follows until its end near Vienna.
The Alps do not make an impassable block; they have been traveled by for war and commerce, and later by pilgrims, students and tourists. Mountain passes give paths between mountains, for road, train, or foot traffic. Some are famous, being used for thousands of years.
The reason mountains form is usually the moving together of continental plates of the Earth's crust. The Alps rose as a result of the slow but gigantic pressure of the African plate as it moved north against the stable Eurasian landmass. In particular, Italy got pushed into Europe. All this took place about 35 to 5 million years ago.
The Alps are just a part of a larger orogenic belt of mountain chains, called the Alpide belt. It reaches through southern Europe and Asia from the Atlantic Ocean most of the way to the Himalayas. A gap in these mountain chains in central Europe separates the Alps from the Carpathians off to the east. Subsidence (which means gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface) is the cause of the gaps in between.
An ancient ocean was once between Africa and Europe, the Tethys Ocean. Now sediments of the Tethys Ocean basin and its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic strata sit high above sea level. Even metamorphic basement rocks are found high on Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and other high peaks in the Pennine Alps and Hohe Tauern.
The Alps are popular both in summer and winter, as a place for sightseeing and sports.
Winter sports, e.g. Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, toboagganing, snowshoeing, ski tours, can be learned in most regions from December to April.
In summer, the Alps are popular with hikers, mountain bikers, paragliders, and mountaineers. There are also alpine lakes that attract swimmers, sailors, and surfers. The lower places and bigger towns of the Alps are well-served by motorways and roads, but higher passes and by-roads can be bad even in the summer. Many passes are closed in winter. Many airports around the Alps as well as long-distance rail links from all bordering countries, afford large numbers of travelers easy access from abroad. The Alps normally has more than 100 million visitors a year.
The Alps is split into five climate zones, each with a different kind of environment. The climate, plant life, and animal life vary in different sections or zones of the mountain.
The Alps is a classic example of what happens when a temperature area at a lower altitude gives way to higher land. A rise from sea level into the upper regions causes the temperature to decrease. The effect of mountain chains on winds is to carry warm air belonging to the lower region into an upper zone, where it expands and loses heat and drops snow or rain.
The Alps are home to many kinds of plants, many of them specific to the area. Full, colorful meadows are rich with wildflowers and dense forests in the lower regions are home to many species of deciduous trees.
In the higher regions, evergreens like spruce, pine, and fir trees thrive and when climbing higher still, at around 1700m-2000m alpine meadows, mosses, shrubs, and unique flowers like the edelweiss are commonplace. In the highest plains, intricate rock gardens nestle between moonscape boulder fields.
Rarer species such as the lady slipper orchid can be found in the Alps and many flower species that can be found across the world have their own Alpine uniqueness due to the soil or climate.
Animals specific to the Alps have had to evolve to adjust to the harsh Alpine climate it is thought that there are at least 30,000 animal species including 80 types of mammals and 200 species of birds.
Animals that live in the Alps must have special adaptations to survive the cold, snowy conditions. They also have to deal with high UV light exposure from the sun and thin atmosphere. Mostly warm-blooded animals live here, but a few types of insects also make the alpine biome home. Alpine animals adapt to the cold by hibernating, migrating to warmer areas, or insulating their bodies with layers of fat and fur. Their bodies tend to have shorter legs, tails, and ears, in order to reduce heat loss. Alpine animals also have larger lungs, more blood cells, and blood that can deal with the lower levels of oxygen at higher altitudes.
Some animals in the Alps are:
Ungulates: Chamois is native to Europe and thrives in the rocky Alpine environment. They are somewhere between a mountain goat and antelope with a thick coat that changes from brown in summer to gray in winter. They are easily recognizable with short, curved horns, a white face with black markings, and a black stripe along its backbone. Chamois are protected by law.
Chamois
Ibex are well suited to navigating steep rock faces and lives above the tree line. They can have long curved horns which made them a popular target for hunters in the early 19th century. They were brought to the point of extinction during this time but now there are tens of thousands of them in the Alps. In the winter months, Ibex move to the lower ground.
Rodents: Marmots are the most well-associated rodents with the Alpine environment. This squirrel/guinea pig-like rodent can weigh up to 14 pounds measure more than 2 feet long at times. They emerge in spring after hibernating in the winter months. During the winter they wake up intermittently to feed from specialized stores within their burrows. They live in family groups and are very territorial. The family territory is unlikely to change throughout their lifetime and their intricate burrow systems even include nurseries for young and waste elimination areas. They can be heard from long distances letting out short sharp squeaks that serve as a warning of predators or other dangers. They have look-outs in a very similar way to Meerkats.
Marmots
Invertebrates: There are 30,000 animal species in the Alps, 20,000 of which are invertebrates. There are many types of spiders and beetles at high altitudes despite the harsh climate and lower down butterflies and moths can be found in great numbers in the flower meadows. Even the hardy snow flea enjoys the iciest parts of the Alps.
Birds: 200 species of bird can be found in the Alps another 200 species again pass through in migration. Golden Eagles, Vultures, buzzards and hawks all patrol the skies. Friendly mountain chuffs join walkers and climbers on the highest peaks and the Wallcreeper’s vivid red wings flit about the rocky canyons and cliffs at high altitudes.
Amphibians and Reptiles: The Alps are home to fifteen types of reptiles and 21 amphibians. The Alpine salamander prefers humid, grassy or wooded areas and will come out after rainfall or at night. It also hibernates however so may not be easily spotted. It excretes a toxic liquid so mustn’t be touched. Many species of snakes, lizards, newts, toads, and frogs can also be seen.
Carnivores: In the late 19th century the Lynx became extinct in the Alps due to vanishing food sources and hunters. It was reintroduced to the region in the late 20th century, but is still sparse and in need of close monitoring. Other reintroduction programmers include that of wolves and bears.
