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The Alps (/ælps/;
Italian: Alpi [ˈalpi];
French:
Alpes [alp];
German:
Alpen [ˈalpən];
Slovene: Alpe [ˈáːlpɛ]) are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in
Europe,[1] stretching approximately 1,
200 kilometres (750 mi) across eight
Alpine countries:
Austria,
France,
Germany,
Italy,
Liechtenstein,
Monaco,
Slovenia, and
Switzerland.[2]
The Caucasus Mountains are higher, and the
Urals longer, but both lie partly in
Asia. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and
Eurasian tectonic plates collided.
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. Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,810 m (15,781 ft) is the highest mountain in the
Alps. The
Alpine region area contains about a hundred peaks higher than 4,
000 m (13,
123 ft), known as the "four-thousanders".
The altitude and size of the range affects the climate in Europe; in the mountains precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones.
Wildlife such as ibex live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,
400 m (11,155 ft), and plants such as
Edelweiss grow in rocky areas in lower elevations as well as in higher elevations.
Evidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the
Paleolithic era.
A mummified man, determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the
Austrian–Italian border in
1991. By the
6th century BC, the
Celtic La Tène culture was well established.
Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the
Romans had settlements in the region. In 1800
Napoleon crossed one of the mountain passes with an army of 40,000. 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. In
World War II,
Adolf Hitler kept a base of operation in the
Bavarian Alps throughout the war. (source internet)
- published: 24 Apr 2016
- views: 1