Eastern Alps
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| Eastern Alps | |
| Range | |
 Piz Bernina (centre-left) with the Biancograt to the left, Piz Scerscen (centre-right) and Piz Roseg (right), seen from Piz Corvatsch
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| Countries | Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, Italy, Slovenia |
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| Part of | Alps |
| Borders on | Wienerwald |
| Highest point | Piz Bernina |
| - elevation | 4,049 m (13,284 ft) |
| - coordinates | 46°22′56.6″N 9°54′29.2″E / 46.382389°N 9.908111°E |
.png) Map of the Eastern Alps
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Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line.
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[edit] Geography
The Eastern Alps include parts of Switzerland, most of Austria and Liechtenstein, as well as parts of extreme southern Germany, far northern Italy and a good portion of northern Slovenia. The eastern border is formed by the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) and the Viennese basin, which is the transition zone to the Carpathian mountains.
The Eastern Alps are traditionally divided according to the Alpenvereins-Einteilung (arrangement of the Alpine Club) into several dozen small regions, each assigned to the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Central Eastern Alps or the Southern Calcareous Alps. Fuller details are given on those pages of the regions they contain.
The highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina (4,049 m) in Switzerland is the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps.[1] The mountain takes its name from the Bernina Pass and was given in 1850 by Johann Coaz, who also made the first ascent. Excepting other peaks in the Bernina range, the next highest is the Ortler (3,905 m) in Italy/South Tyrol and then the Großglockner (3,798 m) in Austria. The region around the mountain has also formed part of the Großglockner-Pasterze Special Protection Area within the High Tauern National Park since 1986.[2]
During the Würm glaciation, the Eastern Alps were drier than the Western Alps, with the contiguous ice shield ending in the region of the Niedere Tauern in Austria. This allowed many species to survive the ice age in the Eastern Alps where they could not survive elsewhere. For that reason, many species of plants are endemic to the Eastern Alps.
The Rätikon mountain range, in the Central Eastern Alps, derives its name from Raetia.
[edit] Ancient history
At one time, the region had long been inhabited by the Celts, then the territory became part of the ancient Roman provinces of Raetia of Noricum. In the 6th Century the Slavic settlement in the Eastern Alps region was occurring, as proven by the collapse of local dioceses in the late 6th century. The change in population and also material culture, and most importantly, in the establishment of a now Slavic language group in the area. By the 590's AD, today's East Tyrol and Carinthia had come to be referred to in historical sources as Provincia Sclaborum (the Country of Slavs).[3][4] The territory settled by Slavs, however, was also inhabited by the remains of the indigenous Romanised Celtic and Pannonian population, which preserved Christian faith and help convert the Slavs of Carantania. The late Roman influx of the Alemanni also influenced the makeup of Principality of Liechtenstein.
Carantania, and was absorbed into the Frankish Empire in 745 AD. The formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhaetia occered in 814AD.[5] Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the newly formed Swiss cantons.
The Rätikon mountain range derives its name from Raetia.
[edit] See also
- Northern Calcareous Alps
- Central Eastern Alps
- Southern Calcareous Alps
- LeShawna's Elimination, Slap Slap Revolution, Total Drama World Tour and LeShawna
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.summitpost.org/piz-bernina/150264
- ^ A. Tschugguel: [http://www.alpenverein.at/naturschutz/Nationalpark_Hohe_Tauern/downloads/Expertise-Sonderschutzgebiet_Pasterze.pdf Das Sonderschutzgebiet „Großglockner-Pasterze“]. Österreichischer Alpenverein. Retrieved on 9 March 2009.
- ^ Oto Luthar, ed., "The Land Between: A History of Slovenia". Frankurt am Main [etc.]: Peter Lang, cop. 2008. ISBN 978-3-631-57011-1.
- ^ Paulus Diaconus, "Historia Langobardorum".
- ^ http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Liechtenstein-HISTORY.html
Coordinates: 46°34′31″N 12°13′56″E / 46.57528°N 12.23222°E
