major mountain ranges in europe
Mount Everest (8,848.86 meters), Kanchenjunga (8,586 meters), Lhotse (8,516 meters) 2,400 km. [89] Perhaps the best known of the alpine plants is Edelweiss which grows in rocky areas and can be found at altitudes as low as 1,200m (3,900ft) and as high as 3,400m (11,200ft). Scientists have been studying the impact of climate change and water use. 1. On the highest rocky ledges, the spring flowers bloom in the summer. [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. [15] Some of the valleys are quite arid such as the Aosta valley in Italy, the Maurienne in France, the Valais in Switzerland, and northern Tyrol. The Alps are the highest and longest mountain range that is located entirely in Europe. Luca Ermini et al., "Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence of the Tyrolean Iceman," Current Biology, vol. 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. The Chteau de Chillon is preserved as an example of medieval architecture. [104], A mummy of a neolithic human, known as tzi, was discovered on the Similaun. [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). [131] In the 18th century four Chamonix men almost made the summit of Mont Blanc but were overcome by altitude sickness and snowblindness. "[127] Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by variations of light in the higher altitudes, and climbed a mountainscholars are uncertain which one; some believe it may have been Monte Rosa. Some meals are communal, such as fondue, where a pot is set in the middle of the table for each person to dip into. [154], Much of the Alpine culture is unchanged since the medieval period when skills that guaranteed survival in the mountain valleys and the highest villages became mainstays, leading to strong traditions of carpentry, woodcarving, baking, pastry-making, and cheesemaking. [133] By the 19th century more naturalists began to arrive to explore, study and conquer the high peaks. Hundreds of peaks within the Alps have elevations of more than 4,000 m. The highest peak in the range is Mont Blanc, which has an elevation of 4,808.73 m. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, Meet 12 Incredible Conservation Heroes Saving Our Wildlife From Extinction, India's Leopard God, Waghoba, Aids Wildlife Conservation In The Country, India's Bishnoi Community Has Fearlessly Protected Nature For Over 500 Years, Wildfires And Habitat Loss Are Killing Jaguars In The Amazon Rainforest, In India's Sundarbans: Where People Live Face-To-Face With Wild Tigers, Africa's "Thunderbird" Is At Risk Of Extinction. Here, the definition of Western Europe includes: Austria. [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. [149] Massive numbers of refugees entered Italy illegally, by navigating the Alps. [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. [125] The peaks, however, were mostly ignored except for a few notable examples, and long left to the exclusive attention of the people of the adjoining valleys. The Alps. 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 Why Is Biodiversity Critical To Life On Earth? [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. [162], In the first half of the 20th century the Olympic Winter Games were held three times in Alpine venues: the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France; the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland; and the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 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. [39] In the Paleozoic Era the Pangaean supercontinent consisted of a single tectonic plate; it broke into separate plates during the Mesozoic Era and the Tethys sea developed between Laurasia and Gondwana during the Jurassic Period. "Regional tectonics: from the Rhine graben to the Po plain, a summary of the tectonic evolution of the Alps and their forelands". [109], Between 430 and 400 BC prolonged warfare in the Alps resulted in the devastation of agricultural land and human settlements, ultimately triggering the enslavement of men, women, and children, goods had to be imported as a result. [40] The molasse regions in Switzerland and Bavaria were well-developed and saw further upthrusting of flysch. Twelve species of beetles have habitats up to the snow line; the most beautiful and formerly collected for its colours but now protected is Rosalia alpina. However, although the Alps may be the continent's most well known range, there are numerous other significant mountain range distributed across Europe. David Friedrich Wiser amassed a collection of 8000 crystals that he studied and documented. [46], In simple terms, the structure of the Alps consists of layers of rock of European, African, and oceanic (Tethyan) origin. It is a dormant volcano with two summits, the taller west summit that has an elevation of 5,642 m, and the shorter east summit that has an elevation of 5,621 m. 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 Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, Italian, Austrian and German Alps. [161] From 1980 to the present, ski-lifts have been modernized and snow-making machines installed at many resorts, leading to mounting concerns regarding the loss of traditional Alpine culture and uncertainties regarding sustainable development. Seven bear skulls from the cave may have been buried by the same prehistoric people. The cinnabar deposits in Slovenia are a notable source of cinnabar pigments. A railroad with a tunnel 1.6km (1mi) long was built along the route of the pass in the mid-19th century. [32], The highest pass in the alps is the Col de l'Iseran in Savoy (France) at 2,770m (9,088ft), followed by the Stelvio Pass in northern Italy at 2,756m (9,042ft); the road was built in the 1820s.[25]. With the opening of the 57.1km-long (35.5mi) Gotthard Base Tunnel on June 1, 2016, it bypasses the Gotthard Tunnel built in the 19th century and realizes the first flat route through the Alps. The climate, plant life, and animal life vary among the different sections or zones of the mountains. Europe is rich with mountain ranges--large groups of mountains that are connected--creating monumental landscapes. The Cistercians built their temple at Lake Constance. [43], The Alpine orogeny occurred in ongoing cycles through to the Paleogene causing differences in nappe structures, with a late-stage orogeny causing the development of the Jura Mountains. 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. [172], The lower regions and larger towns of the Alps are well-served by motorways and main roads, but higher mountain passes and byroads, which are amongst the highest in Europe, can be treacherous even in summer due to steep slopes. [168], The region is serviced by 4,200km (2,600mi) of roads used by six million vehicles per year. In Switzerland the canton of Bern was named for the bears but the last bear is recorded as having been killed in 1792 above Kleine Scheidegg by three hunters from Grindelwald. Most mountains and mountain ranges are parts of mountain belts that have formed where two lithospheric plates have converged and where, in most cases, they continue to converge. How Is Climate Change Impacting The Water Cycle? [143], From the beginning of the 19th century, the tourism and mountaineering development of the Alps began. 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. [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. 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. They pass through many European countries including France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy . [139] During these visits Shelley wrote the poem "Mont Blanc", Byron wrote "The Prisoner of Chillon" and the dramatic poem Manfred, and Mary Shelley, who found the scenery overwhelming, conceived the idea for the novel Frankenstein in her villa on the shores of Lake Geneva amid a thunderstorm. Russia The ibex live in caves and descend to eat the succulent alpine grasses. [44] The Alps are subdivided by different lithology (rock composition) and nappe structures according to the orogenic events that affected them. These do not reach 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 presence of wild herbaceous vegetation. Visitors can get a glimpse of the rich customs of the Alps at public Volksfeste. Haymaking is an important farming activity in mountain villages that have become somewhat mechanized in recent years, although the slopes are so steep that scythes are usually necessary to cut the grass. 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. 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. Roman road markers can still be found on the Alpine mountain passes. At altitudes between 1,000 and 3,000m (3,300 and 9,800ft), snowfall begins in November and accumulates through to April or May when the melt begins. The highest peak in the Pyrenees Mountains is Aneto, which has an elevation of 3,404 m. The Carpathian Mountains form an arc extending from Central Europe to Eastern Europe, covering a distance of approximately 1,500 km and ranking as the third longest mountain range in Europe, after the Urals and the Scandinavian Mountains. Numerous weather stations were placed in the mountains early in the early 20th century, providing continuous data for climatologists. [85] Although Alpenrose prefers acidic soil, the plants are found throughout the region. The mean height of the mountain peaks is 2.5km (1.6mi). Mountain ranges refer to a sequence of hills or mountains laid out in a line and linked together by high ground. The backbone of Italy is formed by the north-south trending Appennino chain. (18,510 feet), the highest mountain in Europe and one of the Seven Summits. [c] [4] [27], Now the pass has been supplanted by the Frjus Highway Tunnel (opened 1980) and Rail Tunnel (opened 1871). Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Roofs are traditionally constructed from Alpine rocks such as pieces of schist, gneiss, or slate. The grip of the Etruscan settlements broke down, as the Roman political system expanded, so as to take control over Alpine trade routes that connected human settlements in the Alps with settlements in the Mediterranean. Additionally, the Alps have led to the creation of large lakes in Italy. Some of the Romance dialects spoken in the French, Swiss and Italian alps of Aosta Valley derive from Arpitan, while the southern part of the western range is related to Occitan; the German dialects derive from Germanic tribal languages. [57], High levels of precipitation cause the glaciers to descend to permafrost levels in some areas whereas in other, more arid regions, glaciers remain above about the 3,500m (11,483ft) level. In the German-speaking parts of the Alps (Austria, Bavaria, South Tyrol, Liechtenstein and Switzerland), there is a strong tradition of Alpine folk culture. Guests, such as Rudolf Hess, stayed over, sleeping in tents or over the garage. Created 05 Nov 2010 Published 05 Nov 2010 Last modified 29 Nov 2012. [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. [147], The Alps, Adolf Hitler, and improbable powerful organizations have been subject to crime fiction. [96], Many rodents such as voles live underground. Eritrichium nanum, commonly known as the King of the Alps, is the most elusive of the alpine flowers, growing on rocky ridges at 2,600 to 3,750m (8,530 to 12,300ft). Asia, Europe, North America and Africa (and Antarctica) are the four main mountain ranges in the world. [53], Alpine crystals have been studied and collected for hundreds of years and began to be classified in the 18th century. [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. [84], Above the forestry, there is often a band of short pine trees (Pinus mugo), which is in turn superseded by Alpenrosen, dwarf shrubs, typically Rhododendron ferrugineum (on acid soils) or Rhododendron hirsutum (on alkaline soils). [112], During the Gallic Wars in 58 BC Julius Caesar defeated the Helvetii. [154] Romansh, spoken by two percent of the population in southeast Switzerland, is an ancient Rhaeto-Romanic language derived from Latin, remnants of ancient Celtic languages and perhaps Etruscan. [75], The Alps are split into five climatic zones, each with different vegetation. In Austria, the Mondsee lake shows evidence of houses built on piles. 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. 1. [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). 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