Mountains in Europe

Maria wants to visit some mountains in Europe on her next holiday. She would love to see one of Europe’s highest peaks, Mont Blanc, which stands at a towering 4809 metres! Mont Blanc is located in the Alps — a young, high and densely populated mountain range. From the French-Italian border near the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps curve through Austria all the way to Slovenia, forming a giant mountain spine across central Europe. But the Alps are far from the only prominent mountain range in Europe.

So, before you decide, Maria, let’s look at some others too! Running north to south through western Russia are the Ural mountains. They form the boundary between Europe and Asia. The Ural mountains are one of the world’s oldest existing mountain ranges — they are between 250 and 300 million years old! They are also the longest mountain range in Europe, 2500 kilometres long!

West of the Ural mountains is the second longest European mountain range — the Scandinavian mountain range or the Scandes. The Scandes span Norway and Sweden, and their northeast region just about reaches Finland. The mountain peaks of this range are relatively low, and most of the mountains have fairly flat tops. Slightly further west and quite a bit further south from the Scandes lies Massif Central, a region of low mountains that cover about 15% of mainland France. Mountain peaks here are even lower than in the Scandes, with the highest peak, Puy de Sancy, only reaching 1886 metres above sea level.

Close by however, are the Pyrenees, with snow covered peaks nearly twice as high as those of the Massif Central. The Pyrenees extend from the Atlantic Ocean coast in the northwest to the Mediterranean coast in the southeast. They form a natural border between France and Spain, with mountains located in both countries. Also in Southern Europe are the Apennines — located on the Apennine peninsula which forms a major part of Italy. Slightly younger than the Alps, the Apennines boast sharp peaks and some of the most intact environments in Europe.

Even further East, are the Dinarides or Dinaric Alps. They separate the continental Balkan peninsula from the Adriatic sea, and are nearly 650 kilometres long, north to south. One of the most notable features of this region is its composition. It is made up of karst — limestone rocks with characteristic underground systems of sinkholes and caves. Finally, spanning seven countries across Central and Eastern Europe are the Carpathian mountains, the third longest mountain range in Europe after the Ural and Scandinavian mountains.

The Carpathian mountains are full of forests uninterrupted by human activities, and provide habitat for many large predators: brown bears, wolves, lynxes. European mountains are incredibly important for Europeans. The rivers originating in the mountains are great sources of drinking water. Their steep journeys down the mountainsides mean the rivers are often used for generating hydroelectricity. The mountains are also full of natural resources such as different ores, coal and some precious stones.

Not only that, European mountains are home to many species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Visitors from around the world come to enjoy nature, as well as to ski, hike and climb. Tourism and recreation bring money into the mountain regions and even support the economies of whole countries. Many of the European mountains also play important cultural roles — many are settings for myths, legends and fairytales that have shaped cultures and traditions. So, Maria, has learning about some European mountain ranges made your decision any easier?

Or does it make you want to visit them all?