Portal:Alps

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Introduction

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Satellite view of the Alps

The Alps (/ælps/) are one of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

The Alpine arch extends from Nice on the western Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin. 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. (Full article...)

Selected general articles

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Did you know...

... that Chancellor Hut is the oldest alpine hut still in its original location in the Southern Alps of New Zealand?

Selected images

Image 1The dolomitic peaks of Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps (from Alps)
Image 2Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) on the route to the Gotthard Pass; the currently used bridge from 1958 over the first drivable bridge from 1830 (from Alps)
Image 3Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich (from Alps)
Image 4Berchtesgaden National Park in Bavaria (from Alps)
Image 5Horace Bénédict de Saussure shown in, Descent from Mont-Blanc, by Christian von Mechel (from Alps)
Image 6The Dolomites (Italy) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (from Alps)
Image 7Stemless gentian (Gentiana acaulis) (from Alps)
Image 8Preserved internal alpine forest and meadow, Vanoise National Park (from Alps)
Image 9Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) (from Alps)
Image 10Petroglyphs, Rock Drawings in Valcamonica (from Alps)
Image 11Louis Agassiz's studies of the Unteraar Glacier in the 1840s showed that it moved at 100 m (328 ft) per year. (from Alps)
Image 12Hallstatt is known for its production of salt, dating back to prehistoric times. (from Alps)
Image 13The Aletsch Glacier with pine trees growing on the hillside (2007; the surface is 180 m (590 ft) lower than 150 years ago) (from Alps)
Image 14An "Alp" refers to a high elevation pasture frequented only in summer. It often includes several huts and small places of worship (here the Alpe Bardughè in Ticino). (from Alps)
Image 15The Alps extend in an arc from France in the south and west to Slovenia in the east, and from Monaco in the south to Germany in the north. (from Alps)
Image 16Mont Blanc massif (from Alps)
Image 17The Eiger (shown along with the Mönch and the Jungfrau) has the tallest north face in the Alps. (from Alps)
Image 18Herding sheep in Austria (from Alps)
Image 19Alpine chalet being built in Haute-Maurienne (Savoy), the use of thick pieces of orthogneiss (4–7 cm) is by the strict architectural regulations in the region bordering the national parks of Vanoise-Grand Paradis. (from Alps)
Image 20Troops under Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov crossing the Alps in 1799, by Vasily Surikov (from Alps)
Image 21The ski resort in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy (from Alps)
Image 22Zentralbahn Interregio train following the Lake Brienz shoreline, near Niederried in Switzerland (from Alps)
Image 23View of the ski resort Bolsterlang, Oberallgäu, Bavaria, Germany (from Alps)
Image 24A typical alpine village in the Tuxertal valley of Tyrol, Austria (from Alps)
Image 25This illustration of the glacier systems of the Mont Blanc massif by Alexander Keith Johnston was first published 1848 in The Physical Atlas. (from Alps)
Image 26The geologic folding seen at the Arpanaz waterfall, shown here in a mid-18th-century drawing, was noted by 18th-century geologists. (from Alps)
Image 27Château de Chillon, a castle on the north shore of Lake Geneva, against the backdrop of the Dents du Midi (from Alps)
Image 28The alpine Apollo butterfly has adapted to alpine conditions. (from Alps)
Image 29Southern pre-alpine lakes like Lake Garda are characterised by warmer microclimates than the surrounding areas (from Alps)
Image 30The Sphinx Tunnel connecting Jungfraujoch railway station to the Sphinx Observatory, through a glacier at the Jungfraujoch. (from Alps)
Image 31The St. Bartholomew's chapel on the Königssee in Bavaria is a popular tourist destination. (from Alps)
Image 32Young alpine ibex. When fully grown the horns of this male will be about one metre wide. (from Alps)
Image 33The Nazis hid looted art in salt mines at Altaussee, such as the Early Netherlandish Ghent Altarpiece which sustained significant damage. (from Alps)
Image 34In the summers the cows are brought up to the high mountain meadows for grazing. Small summer villages such as the one shown in this photograph taken in Savoy are used. (from Alps)
Image 35Compressed metamorphosed Tethyan sediments and their oceanic basement are sandwiched between the tip of the Matterhorn (Italian-Swiss border), which consists of gneisses originally part of the African plate, and the base of the peak, which is part of the Eurasian plate. (from Alps)
Image 36Aerial view of the Pennine Alps, the second-highest range of the Alps (from Alps)
Image 37Napoleon passing the Great St Bernard Pass, by Edouard Castres (from Alps)
Image 38Karl Schranz running the Lauberhorn in 1966 (from Alps)