Alps In The Eu: Austria's Mountainous Membership

The Austrian Alps form the physical backbone of the country and stretch across it, covering the Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps, and Southern Limestone Alps. The Alpine landscape offers a complex geologic and topographical pattern, with the highest elevation being the Grossglockner, which rises to 3,798 metres (12,460 feet). The Austrian Alps are an awe-striking area of Ice Age valleys, verdant heaths and alluvial cones within Europe's largest national park, the 700-square-mile Hohe Tauern. They take in the dramatic cities of Salzburg and Innsbruck and the beautiful province of Tirol, home to spectacular skiing and hiking.

The Austrian Alps are part of the Central Eastern Alps, which also extend to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slovenia

The Austrian Alps are part of the Central Eastern Alps, which also extend to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, and Slovenia. The Central Eastern Alps are also referred to as the Austrian Central Alps or just the Central Alps. The Central Alps form the eastern part of the Alpine divide and its central chain of mountains, as well as the ranges that extend or accompany it to the north and south. The Central Alps have the highest peaks of the Eastern Alps, with the highest mountain in the Austrian Central Alps being Grossglockner at 3,798 metres (12,461 feet).

The Central Eastern Alps may also be used more broadly to refer to a larger area of the Eastern Alps, mainly located in Austria. This area extends from the foot of the Bergamasque Alps at Lake Como and the Bernina Range in the Graubünden canton of eastern Switzerland, along the Liechtenstein shore of the Rhine in the west, as far as the lower promontories east of the river Mur, including the Hochwechsel in Austrian Styria. The valleys of the Inn, Salzach, and Enns rivers mark the northern boundary, while the Drau river marks the southern border.

The Central Alps consist mainly of gneiss and slate rocks from the various Austroalpine nappes, with the exception of the Hohe Tauern and Engadine windows, which are composed mostly of Jurassic rock and limestone. The Central Alps are separated from the Northern Alps by the Northern Longitudinal Trough, and from the Southern Alps by the Southern Longitudinal Valley or the Periadriatic Seam.

The Austrian Alps stretch across the country and include the dramatic cities of Salzburg and Innsbruck, as well as the province of Tirol, known for its spectacular skiing and hiking. The Austrian Alps are an outdoor lover's paradise, offering a mix of Ice Age valleys, verdant heaths, and alluvial cones within Europe's largest national park, the 700-square-mile Hohe Tauern.

The Central Alps are the highest peaks of the Eastern Alps, with Grossglockner being the tallest mountain in the Austrian Central Alps

The Grossglockner has a characteristic pyramid-shaped peak that consists of two pinnacles: the Grossglockner and the Kleinglockner, which are separated by the Glocknerscharte col. The Glockner is the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Ortler range and, after Mont Blanc, has the second greatest topographic isolation of all mountains in the Alps. The view from the Grossglockner summit is one of the farthest of all mountains in the Eastern Alps, ranging out to 220 km (140 mi) or, taking into account atmospheric refraction, almost 240 km (150 mi). Its view covers over 150,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) of the Earth's surface, reaching as far as the Upper Swabian Plateau in the northwest, Regensburg and the peaks of the Bohemian Forest in the north, Ortler in the west, the Padan Plain in the south, and Triglav and the Totes Gebirge range in the east.

The Grossglockner rock summit is often compared to the mountains of the Western Alps due to its high Alpine, heavily glaciated appearance. The Grossglockner became Austria's highest mountain when the South Tyrolean Ortler region was ceded to Italy in 1919. The Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse, a highway opened in 1935, runs from Dölfach to Heiligenblut and lies to the east of the peak. The road has two tunnels (the Mitteltörl and Hochtor) and a branch road that leads to the base of the Pasterze Glacier, Austria's most extended glacier, which lies on the Grossglockner's eastern slope. The region around the mountain has formed part of the Grossglockner-Pasterze special protected area within the High Tauern National Park since 1986.

The Austrian Alps are within the EU, but Austria also shares a border with non-EU countries Switzerland and Liechtenstein

The Alps are one of the most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching across eight Alpine countries: 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 mountain range covers 28.7% of its area in Austria, the second-highest percentage of any country.

Austria is a predominantly mountainous country in Central Europe, with the Alps occupying 62% of its total area of 83,871 square kilometres (32,383 sq mi). The country is landlocked and shares borders with eight other countries, seven of which are part of the EU. To the west, it shares a 158-kilometre border with Switzerland and a 34-kilometre border with the principality of Liechtenstein, neither of which are EU member states. To the north, it borders Germany and the Czech Republic, and to the east, it borders Hungary and Slovakia. Finally, to the south, it shares borders with Italy and Slovenia.

The Austrian Alps form the physical backbone of the country and can be subdivided into a northern and southern limestone range, composed of rugged mountains, and a softer central range composed of crystalline rocks. The highest elevation in the Austrian Alps is Grossglockner, which rises to 3,798 metres (12,460 feet). The majestic mountains and magnificent scenery of the high Alps can be found in the western Austrian states of Vorarlberg, Tirol, and Salzburg, as well as in the western part of Kärnten (Carinthia) and other regions.

The Alps serve as a watershed for Europe's three major weather systems, which influence Austrian weather. The Atlantic maritime climate from the northwest, the continental climate from the east, and the Mediterranean high-pressure systems from the south all meet in the Alps. This unique geographic position has made Austria a place of transit throughout history, connecting eastern and western Europe through its magnificent Alpine passes.

The Central Alps are divided into the Northern Alps, the Greywacke zone, the Central Alps and the Southern Alps

The Central Alps and Northern Alps are separated by the Northern Longitudinal Trough, which can be traced by the line Klostertal–Arlberg–Inn Valley–Salzach Valley as far as Lake Zell, then Wagrain Heights, Upper Enns Valley, Schober Pass, Mürz Valley Alps, Semmering, and finally the southern Vienna Basin. The Central Alps and Southern Alps are separated by the Southern Longitudinal Valley, which can be traced by the Puster Valley, Rienz Valle, Toblach Field, upper Drava Valley, Drava Valley, Klagenfurt Basin, and Meža, or the Periadriatic Seam.

The Central Alps consist mainly of gneiss and slate rocks from the various Austroalpine nappes. The exception to this is the Hohe Tauern and Engadine windows, which are composed of Jurassic rock and limestones, and, in some places, granite. The Austroalpine nappes are thrust over the Penninic nappe stack.

The Northern Alps, Greywacke zone, and Central Alps are all located within Austria. The Southern Alps lie partly in South Carinthia but mainly in Northeast Italy.

The Central Alps are the most glaciated range in the Eastern Alps

The Central Alps, also known as the Central Eastern Alps, are the most glaciated range in the Eastern Alps. They are the main chain of the Eastern Alps and are located in Austria, with adjacent regions in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, and Slovenia. The Central Alps are one of the seven major landscape regions in Austria and are part of the Eastern Alps, which are separated from the Western Alps by a line from Lake Constance to Lake Como. The Central Alps are located between the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps and are composed of gneiss and slate rocks from the various Austroalpine nappes.

The Central Alps have the highest peaks in the Eastern Alps, with the highest mountain in the Austrian Central Alps being Grossglockner at 3,798 meters (12,461 feet). The Central Alps form the eastern part of the Alpine divide, with its central chain of mountains extending north and south. The Central Alps are also home to the Hohe Tauern and Engadine windows, which are composed mainly of Jurassic rock and limestone.

The Central Alps are bordered to the north by the Northern Longitudinal Trough and to the south by the Southern Longitudinal Valley. The valleys of the Inn, Salzach, and Enns rivers mark their northern boundary, while the Drau river corresponds to their southern border. The Central Alps include the Rhaetian Alps, which feature the 4,049-meter Piz Bernina peak in Switzerland.

The Central Alps are a significant geographic feature, not only for Austria but also for the adjacent countries they span across. The range's high peaks, glaciated areas, and complex geology contribute to its prominence in the region.

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