The Alps

The Alps: Europe’s youngest, highest, and most densely populated mountain range. From the French-Italian border near the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps curve north to Vienna, Austria, forming a giant mountain spine across central Europe. The Alps fill most of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and extend into France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Monaco, and Slovenia. Around 44 million years ago, two plates of the Earth’s crust collided: the African plate and the Eurasian plate. Molten rock welled up, gradually forming the Alp’s peaks.

The highest peak is Mont Blanc in France, at 4 807 metres. Because of their towering height, the Alps receive a great deal of snow. Sometimes a mass of snow rushes down the mountainside, causing an avalanche. At other times, the snow at the top of the mountains compacts into ice. When ice flows down the mountain, it is called a glacier.

At the top of their tall peaks, the Alps are almost treeless. Right below the snow line, mountain meadows spread out. They are filled with grasses, shrubs, and the tiny white edelweiss flower, a symbol of Switzerland. Further down, forests grow. The higher forests contain mostly spruce, pine, and larch trees.

On the lower slopes, oak, beech, and chestnut trees grow. A few kinds of animals have adapted well to living in these mountains: a sturdy, nimble goat called the ibex, a thick-bodied squirrel called the alpine marmot, and the snowy-white mountain hare. Humans, too, have adapted to living in the Alps. The Alps have been inhabited since prehistoric times. When humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming, people in the Alps developed a particular approach.

They raised livestock in stalls in their villages during the winter, then in the summer, they moved to high mountain meadows where the animals could graze. This practice is called transhumance, and continues today. During the Roman period, the Alps became an important site of battle because they form a natural barrier between Germanic Europe to the north and Mediterranean Europe to the south. In the third century, General Hannibal led his army from Iberia, now Spain, through the Little St. Bernard Pass, to invade the Roman countryside.

Centuries later, in 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte of France crossed the Alps with his army to defeat the Austrians at Marengo, Italy. During World War I, Italy and Austria-Hungary battled in the Slovenian Alps, and in World War II, the Allies fought German and Italian forces on the Alps’ French-Italian border. With so much history and natural beauty, it’s no surprise that the Alps are a popular tourist destination. Tourists began to visit the Alps in the late 1800s, when railroads were first built. More came throughout the 1900s, as rail routes expanded and road tunnels opened.

Today, around 120 million tourists arrive at the Alps each year. They come to see the clear, deep lakes, like Lake Geneva, Constance, and Como. Or to visit the National Parks, that house and protect the Alps’ unique plant and animal life. Entire Alpine villages provide tourists with accommodation, food, and entertainment. If you visit the Alps, you might listen to a kind of singing, called yodelling, you might hear a traditional instrument called an alpenhorn, used to signal between valleys; and you might try your hand at traditional wood carving or cheese making.

Tens of thousands of years of history have shaped the Alps’ rich culture. This, along with the mountains’ unique scenery and wildlife will no doubt draw visitors for centuries to come.