Leslie Massey
The Alps are a dominant mountain range in Central Europe, stretching across eight countries and covering a total area of about 200,000 square miles. The range forms a crescent shape, extending from the Mediterranean Sea in the south to the Vienna Woods in the north, where it meets the Danube River. The Alps cover large areas of Switzerland and Austria, with the Swiss Alps covering 65% of Switzerland's total land mass. The Alpine region of Switzerland is known for its iconic peaks, including the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa, and its scenic beauty, which has made it a popular tourist destination. The portion of the Alps that lies within Switzerland is also referred to as the Central Alps, and it includes the Pennine Alps, which form the border with Italy, and the Bernese Alps to the north.
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What You'll Learn
Switzerland's mountains
Switzerland is known for its stunning mountains, which have attracted climbers and tourists for hundreds of years. The Swiss Alps are the country's most famous mountain range and cover 65% of Switzerland's surface area. The Alps are a dominant geographic feature of central Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km across eight countries, including Switzerland.
The Swiss Alps contain nearly all of the highest peaks in Western Europe, including the Jungfrau, which stands as the visual centerpiece of the Jungfrau Region. The Jungfraujoch, the saddle between the Jungfrau and the Mönch, is the site of the highest railway station in Europe. The Klein Matterhorn, near Zermatt, is the highest summit in Europe accessible by cable car. The Swiss Alps also include the highest publicly accessible mountain peak in Switzerland, the Finsteraarhorn, which rises to 4,274 m (14,022 ft). Other famous peaks in the Swiss Alps include the Eiger, the Mönch, and the Piz Bernina, the highest peak in the Bernina Alps.
In addition to these towering peaks, Switzerland is also home to extensive glaciers. The Jungfrau Region, for example, contains the Jungfrau and Mönch glaciers. The Klein Matterhorn overlooks the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise ski area. Switzerland has the highest concentration of glaciers in the Alps, covering 3% of Swiss territory. The largest glacier in the Alps is the Aletsch Glacier, which stretches for about 23 km and covers more than 120 square kilometers.
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Italy's Apennines
The Alps are a crescent-shaped geographic feature of central Europe that stretches across eight Alpine countries: Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. The mountain range covers more than 80,000 square miles and forms part of the border between Italy and Austria.
The Apennines, or Apennine Mountains, are a mountain range consisting of parallel smaller chains that extend the length of peninsular Italy, from Liguria in the north to the tip of Calabria in the south, and even onto the island of Sicily. The total length of the Apennines is approximately 750 miles, with a width ranging from 25 to 125 miles. The mountains are divided into three sectors: northern, central, and southern. The central Apennines, east of Rome, are the widest part of the range, reaching about 120 miles across. The highest point of the Apennines is Mount Corno, at 9,554 feet. The eastern slopes down to the Adriatic Sea are steep, while the western slopes form foothills on which most of peninsular Italy's cities are located. The Apennines are one of the last refuges of the big European predators such as the Italian wolf and the Marsican brown bear, now extinct in the rest of Central Europe. The mountains are also home to some of the best-preserved forests and montane grasslands in Europe, now protected by national parks.
The name "Apennines" is believed to derive from the Celtic word "penn," meaning "mountain" or "summit." The Apennine culture, dating back to the Italian Middle Bronze Age, was a technology complex in central and southern Italy. The people of this culture were alpine cattle herdsmen who grazed their animals over the meadows and groves of mountainous central Italy. They lived in small hamlets located in defensible places and built temporary camps or lived in caves and rock shelters when on the move.
The Apennines are a popular destination for outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling. The mountains feature quiet valleys and passes among forests of chestnut, oak, and beech trees. The Gran Sasso d’Italia, or "Great Rock of Italy," is the highest peak in the Central Apennines and is home to the Calderone glacier, the only glacier on the peninsula and the southernmost in Europe.
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Austria's Grossglockner
The Alps are some of the highest and 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 Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin. The Alps cover more than 80,000 square miles and form part of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania. However, only Switzerland and Austria can be considered true Alpine countries.
The Großglockner, or Glockner, is Austria's highest mountain at 3,798 meters (12,461 feet) above the Adriatic. It is part of the larger Glockner Group of the Hohe Tauern range, situated along the main ridge of the Central Eastern Alps and the Alpine divide. The Glocknerwand is also located in the Grossglockner massif. The Grossglockner became Austria's highest mountain when the South Tyrolean Ortler region was ceded to Italy in 1919, per the Treaty of Saint-Germain.
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is one of the best-known landmarks in Austria and is regarded as one of the most beautiful excursion roads in the world. The road, which is named after the mountain, runs from the town of Fusch on the Grossglockner Road to Heiligenblut am Grossglockner in Carinthia. It is about 48 kilometers long and blends seamlessly into the mountains, leading to the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park and Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner, and the Pasterze Glacier, the biggest glacier in the East Alps. The road reaches 2,576 meters (8,451 feet) and is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions, with about 900,000 visitors every year.
The Austrian Alpine Club built the Salmhütte and the Glocknerhaus along the alpine route from Heiligenblut, and the first ascent by skiing was made in 1909. The scenic High Alpine Road has also promoted mass tourism, with about 50 million visitors since its opening.
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The Alps
The Swiss Alps cover about 65% of Switzerland's total land mass, making it one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. While the Swiss Alps cover a large part of the country, they are a lesser-populated region. The Swiss Alps are known for their iconic peaks and classic Alpine scenery, which has made Switzerland the one European country most closely associated with the Alps. The highest peaks in the Swiss Alps include Dufourspitze (also known as Monte Rosa), the Dom, the Liskamm, the Weisshorn, and the Matterhorn.
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The Matterhorn
Rail and cable-car facilities have been built to make the Matterhorn's summits more accessible. The Gornergrat railway, reaching a record altitude of 3,100 metres, was inaugurated in 1898. The Klein Matterhorn (Little Matterhorn) is the highest transportation system in Europe at 3,883 metres. The Hörnli Hut is the start of the normal route via the Hörnli ridge, which is easily accessible from Schwarzsee and is also frequented by hikers. The Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia resorts function as separate ski resorts all year round and are connected by ski lifts over the Theodul Pass.
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Frequently asked questions
The Swiss Alps, the Swiss Plateau, and the Swiss Jura Mountains are the three main physiographic regions of Switzerland. The Swiss Alps extend over the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, covering an area known as the Central Alps. The Pennine, Bernese, and Bernina ranges are the highest in the country, with 38, 9, and 1 summit over 4000 meters, respectively.
Monte Rosa, which has several subsidiary summits, is the highest mountain in Switzerland.
Austria is a highly mountainous country, with the Austrian Alps forming the country's backbone. The three major ranges of the Alps in Austria are the Southern Limestone Alps, the Central Alps, and the Northern Limestone Alps (also called the Northern Calcareous Alps). The Central Alps are the largest and highest range in the country.
Großglockner, at 3,798 meters (some sources state 3,797 meters), is the highest mountain in Austria.
The Alps and the Apennines are the two mountain systems in Italy. The Apennines form the spine of the Italian peninsula and the island of Sicily.
