Alps
Information about Alps
ALPS can refer to:
The Alps (German: Alpen; Italian: Alpi; French: Alpes; Slovenian: Alpe) is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east, through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west. The word "Alps" was taken via French from Latin Alpes (meaning "the Alps"), which may be influenced by the Latin words albus (white) or altus (high) or more likely a Latin rendering of a Celtic or Ligurian original.
The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc, at 4,808 metres (15774 ft), 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.
The Alps are generally 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 Eastern Alps (main ridge system elongated and broad) belong to Austria, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland. The highest peaks of the Western Alps are Mont Blanc, 4,808 metres (15774 ft), Mont Blanc de Courmayeur 4,748 metres (15577 ft), the Dufourspitze 4,634 metres (15203 ft) and the other summits of the Monte Rosa group, and the Dom, 4,545 metres (14911 ft). The highest peak in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina, 4,049 metres (13284 ft).
The Eastern Alps are commonly subdivided according to the different lithology (rock composition) of the more central parts of the Alps and the groups at its northern and southern fringes:
The Western Alps are commonly subdivided with respect to geography:
The geologic subdivision is different and makes no difference between the Western and Eastern Alps: Helveticum in the north, Penninicum and Austroalpine system in the centre and south of the Periadriatic seam the Southern Alpine system and parts of the Dinarides (see Alpine Geology).
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.
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.
The Alps are a classic example of what happens when a temperate area at lower altitude gives way to higher elevation terrain. Elevations around the world which have cold climates similar to those found in polar areas have been called alpine. A rise from sea level into the upper regions of the atmosphere causes the temperature to decrease. 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 of moisture in the form of snow or rain.
The Alps arose as a result of the pressure exerted on sediments of the Tethys Ocean basin as its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic 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 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 change 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 erratics 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.
Little is known of the early dwellers in the Alps, save from the scanty accounts preserved by Roman and 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 Teutonic tribes from the 5th to the 6th centuries are known only in outline, because to them, as to the Frankish kings and emperors, the Alps offered a route to other places rather than a permanent residence.
It is not until the final breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 10th and 11th centuries that it becomes possible to trace out the local history of the Alps.
The higher regions of the Alps were long left to the exclusive attention of the people 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.
This region is not always marked by the presence of the characteristic trees. Human interference has nearly exterminated them in many areas, and, except for the beech forests of the Austrian Alps, forests of deciduous trees are rarely found. In many districts where such woods once existed, they have been replaced by the Scots pine and Norway spruce, which are less sensitive to the ravages of goats, who are the worst enemies of such trees. The mean annual temperature of this region differs little from that of the British Islands; but climatic conditions are widely different. In the Alps, snow usually stays for several months, until spring and summer, which are considerably warmer on average than those seasons in Britain.
Above the forestry, there is often a band of short pine trees (Pinus mugo), which is in turn superseded by dwarf shrubs, typically Rhododendron ferrugineum (on acid soils) or Rhododendron hirsutum (on basic soils). Above this is the alpine meadow, and even higher, the vegetation becomes more and more sparse. At these higher altitudes, the plants tend to form isolated cushions. In the Alps, several species of flowering plants have been recorded above 4,000 metres (0 ft), including Ranunculus glacialis, Androsace alpina and Saxifraga biflora.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers.
..... Click the link for more information.
- Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
- The Airport Logistics Park of Singapore
) Mont Blanc, seen from the Aiguille du Midi | |
| Countries | Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Liechtenstein |
|---|---|
| Highest point | |
| - elevation | 4,808 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
| Date | April 2007 |
) Digital relief of the Alps Digital relief of the Alps | |
"Alp" redirects here. For other uses, see ALP (disambiguation) and Alps (disambiguation).
The Alps (German: Alpen; Italian: Alpi; French: Alpes; Slovenian: Alpe) is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east, through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west. The word "Alps" was taken via French from Latin Alpes (meaning "the Alps"), which may be influenced by the Latin words albus (white) or altus (high) or more likely a Latin rendering of a Celtic or Ligurian original.
The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc, at 4,808 metres (15774 ft), 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
Subdivision
)
)
The Alps with international borders marked
)
The Großglockner, south of Salzburg, Austria
The Eastern Alps are commonly subdivided according to the different lithology (rock composition) of the more central parts of the Alps and the groups at its northern and southern fringes:
- Flysch zone (from the Wienerwald to Bregenzerwald). Geographically, the Jura mountains do not belong to the Alps; geologically, however, they do.
- Northern Limestone Alps, peaks up to 3,000 metres (0 ft)
- Central Eastern Alps (Austria, Switzerland), peaks up to 4,050 metres (0 ft)
- Southern Limestone Alps.
The Western Alps are commonly subdivided with respect to geography:
- Ligurian Alps
- Maritime Alps
- Cottian Alps
- Dauphiné Alps
- Graian Alps
- Pennine Alps
- Bernese Alps
- Lepontine Alps
- Glarus Alps
- North-Eastern Swiss Alps.
The geologic subdivision is different and makes no difference between the Western and Eastern Alps: Helveticum in the north, Penninicum and Austroalpine system in the centre and south of the Periadriatic seam the Southern Alpine system and parts of the Dinarides (see Alpine Geology).
Main chain
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
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
The Alps are a classic example of what happens when a temperate area at lower altitude gives way to higher elevation terrain. Elevations around the world which have cold climates similar to those found in polar areas have been called alpine. A rise from sea level into the upper regions of the atmosphere causes the temperature to decrease. 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 of moisture in the form of snow or rain.
Geology
The Alps arose as a result of the pressure exerted on sediments of the Tethys Ocean basin as its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic 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 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 change 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 erratics 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 and cultural history
Little is known of the early dwellers in the Alps, save from the scanty accounts preserved by Roman and 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 Teutonic tribes from the 5th to the 6th centuries are known only in outline, because to them, as to the Frankish kings and emperors, the Alps offered a route to other places rather than a permanent residence.
It is not until the final breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 10th and 11th centuries that it becomes possible to trace out the local history of the Alps.
Exploration
The higher regions of the Alps were long left to the exclusive attention of the people 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 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 1,200 metres (0 ft) above the sea on the north side of the Alps, but on the southern slopes it often rises to 1,500 metres (0 ft), sometimes even to 1,700 metres (0 ft).This region is not always marked by the presence of the characteristic trees. Human interference has nearly exterminated them in many areas, and, except for the beech forests of the Austrian Alps, forests of deciduous trees are rarely found. In many districts where such woods once existed, they have been replaced by the Scots pine and Norway spruce, which are less sensitive to the ravages of goats, who are the worst enemies of such trees. The mean annual temperature of this region differs little from that of the British Islands; but climatic conditions are widely different. In the Alps, snow usually stays for several months, until spring and summer, which are considerably warmer on average than those seasons in Britain.
Above the forestry, there is often a band of short pine trees (Pinus mugo), which is in turn superseded by dwarf shrubs, typically Rhododendron ferrugineum (on acid soils) or Rhododendron hirsutum (on basic soils). Above this is the alpine meadow, and even higher, the vegetation becomes more and more sparse. At these higher altitudes, the plants tend to form isolated cushions. In the Alps, several species of flowering plants have been recorded above 4,000 metres (0 ft), including Ranunculus glacialis, Androsace alpina and Saxifraga biflora.
mountain pine (Pinus mugo) | ) rusty-leaved Alpenrose (Rhododendron ferrugineum) | ) Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) | ) stemless gentian (Gentiana acaulis) |
) Alpine dwarf orchid (Chamorchis alpina) | ) Alpine pasque-flower (Pulsatilla alpina) | ) Alpine rock-jasmine (Androsace alpina) | ) glacier buttercup (Ranunculus glacialis) |
Fauna
Species common to the Alps. These are most numerously found in the 15% of the Alps protected in parks and reserves.) | ) | ) | |
) | ) | ) | |
) | ) | ||
) | ) |
See also
- Alpinism
- Almabtrieb
- List of mountains of the Alps
- List of natural parks in the Alps
- Paganism in the Eastern Alps
External links
- Satellite photo of the Alps, taken on August 31, 2005 by MODIS aboard Terra
- Photos of the Alps
Italian:
- 360° Panoramic Views in Alps
- A online picture collection of the Alps More than 2000 pictures of climbing, backcountry skiing, hiking, landscape
MeSH D008232 Lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) refer to several conditions in which lymphocytes are produced in excessive quantities. They typically occur in patients who have compromised immune systems.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Airport Logistics Park (Abbreviation: ALPS) is an industrial park created to support activities related to trade and air cargo at Changi Airport in Singapore. The park is a notable example of cooperation between the government of Singapore and local business leaders to
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
Land der Berge, Land am Strome (German)
Land of Mountains, Land on the River
..... Click the link for more information.
Land der Berge, Land am Strome (German)
Land of Mountains, Land on the River
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"
..... Click the link for more information.
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
..... Click the link for more information.
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1]
"One for all, all for one"
Anthem
"Swiss Psalm"
..... Click the link for more information.
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1]
"One for all, all for one"
Anthem
"Swiss Psalm"
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)
..... Click the link for more information.
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
none
Anthem
7th stanza of Zdravljica
"A Toast"
..... Click the link for more information.
none
Anthem
7th stanza of Zdravljica
"A Toast"
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland"
"For God, Prince and Fatherland"
Anthem
Oben am jungen Rhein
"High Above the Young Rhine"
..... Click the link for more information.
"Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland"
"For God, Prince and Fatherland"
Anthem
Oben am jungen Rhein
"High Above the Young Rhine"
..... Click the link for more information.
1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
..... Click the link for more information.
1 foot =
SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
..... Click the link for more information.
ALP, AlP, or Alp may refer to:
..... Click the link for more information.
- a mountain of the Alps
- ALP (automobile).
- ALP (Australian Labor Party)
- Alp 2500, a ski resort in Spain
- Alp Vampire
- Alp, a popular Turkish boy name.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Alps are a major European mountain range.
Alps may also refer to:
..... Click the link for more information.
Alps may also refer to:
- The Alps (band), an English band
- Alps Electric Corporation
- Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
- Apuan Alps, in Italy
..... Click the link for more information.
German language (Deutsch, ] ) is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Italian}}}
Official status
Official language of: European Union
European Union
Switzerland
San Marino
Vatican City
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
..... Click the link for more information.
Official status
Official language of: European Union
European Union
Switzerland
San Marino
Vatican City
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
..... Click the link for more information.
French (français, pronounced [fʁɑ̃ˈsɛ]) is a Romance language originally spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and today by about 300 million people around the world as either
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Slovenian/Slovene}}}
Official status
Official language of: Slovenia, European Union
Regional or local official language in: Austria, Hungary, Italy
Regulated by: Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Language codes
ISO 639-1: sl
ISO 639-2:
..... Click the link for more information.
Official status
Official language of: Slovenia, European Union
Regional or local official language in: Austria, Hungary, Italy
Regulated by: Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Language codes
ISO 639-1: sl
ISO 639-2:
..... Click the link for more information.
For exotic financial options, see .
A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers.
..... Click the link for more information.
Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. Physically and geologically, Europe is the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, west of Asia. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea,
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
Land der Berge, Land am Strome (German)
Land of Mountains, Land on the River
..... Click the link for more information.
Land der Berge, Land am Strome (German)
Land of Mountains, Land on the River
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
none
Anthem
7th stanza of Zdravljica
"A Toast"
..... Click the link for more information.
none
Anthem
7th stanza of Zdravljica
"A Toast"
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)
..... Click the link for more information.
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1]
"One for all, all for one"
Anthem
"Swiss Psalm"
..... Click the link for more information.
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1]
"One for all, all for one"
Anthem
"Swiss Psalm"
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland"
"For God, Prince and Fatherland"
Anthem
Oben am jungen Rhein
"High Above the Young Rhine"
..... Click the link for more information.
"Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland"
"For God, Prince and Fatherland"
Anthem
Oben am jungen Rhein
"High Above the Young Rhine"
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
..... Click the link for more information.
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"
..... Click the link for more information.
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"
..... Click the link for more information.
French (français, pronounced [fʁɑ̃ˈsɛ]) is a Romance language originally spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and today by about 300 million people around the world as either
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Latin}}}
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
..... Click the link for more information.
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
..... Click the link for more information.
Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic", a branch of the greater Indo-European language family. During the 1st millennium BC, they were spoken across Europe, from the Bay of Biscay and the North Sea, up the Rhine and down the Danube to the
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures. Very little is known about this language (mainly place names and personal names remain) which is generally believed to
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.