"is still spoken) and in the mountain district known as Venetian Slovenia. History of the Alps The valleys of the Alps have been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Alpine culture, which developed there, centers on transhumance. Currently the Alps are divided among eight states: France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia. In 1991 the Alpine Convention was established to regulate this transnational area, whose area measures about . The Wildkirchli caves in the Appenzell Alps show traces of Neanderthal habitation. During the last glacial maximum, the entire Alps were covered in ice. Anatomically modern humans reach the Alpine"
"stretches from the Mediterranean Sea north above the Po basin, extending through France from Grenoble, and stretching eastward through mid and southern Switzerland. The range continues onward toward Vienna, Austria, and east to the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. To the south it dips into northern Italy and to the north extends to the southern border of Bavaria in Germany. In areas like Chiasso, Switzerland, and Allgäu, Bavaria, the demarcation between the mountain range and the flatlands are clear; in other places such as Geneva, the demarcation is less clear. The countries with the greatest alpine territory are Switzerland, France (21.4%),"
"Karawanks The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks (, ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east-west direction, the Karawanks chain is one of the longest ranges in Europe. It is traversed by important trade routes and has a great tourist significance. Geographically and geologically, it is divided into the higher Western Karawanks and the lower-lying Eastern Karawanks. It is traversed by the Periadriatic Seam, separating the Apulian tectonic plate from the Eurasian Plate. The Karawanks form the"
"Austria (28.7% of the total area) and Italy (27.2%). The highest portion of the range is divided by the glacial trough of the Rhône valley, from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa on the southern side, and the Bernese Alps on the northern. The peaks in the easterly portion of the range, in Austria and Slovenia, are smaller than those in the central and western portions. The variances in nomenclature in the region spanned by the Alps makes classification of the mountains and subregions difficult, but a general classification is that of the Eastern Alps and Western Alps"
"free movement of people and goods across the Karawanks has been allowed, and the two countries started to aim for an economic integration of their border areas. Several place names also have German names, and today the peaks along the main chain of the Karawanks are usually displayed in Slovene and German on hiking maps: Karawanks The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks (, ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east-west direction, the Karawanks chain is one"
"ranges, and the Dolomites of South Tyrol, as well as the lower Alps of Vorarlberg, Bavaria and Salzburg. The Alps are generally divided into Western Alps and Eastern Alps, cut along a line between Lake Constance and Lake Como, following the Rhine valley. The Western Alps are higher, but their central chain is shorter and much curved; they are located in France, Italy and Switzerland. The Eastern Alps (main ridge elongated and broad) belong to Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. The highest peak of the Western Alps is Mont Blanc (4,810.45 m), in the Eastern Alps Piz Bernina, 4,049"
"of extreme Southern Germany (Upper Bavaria), northwestern Italy (Lombardy), northeastern Italy (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and a good portion of northern Slovenia (Upper Carniola and Lower Styria). In the south the range is bound by the Italian Padan Plain; in the north the valley of the Danube river separates it from the Bohemian Massif. The easternmost spur is formed by the Vienna Woods range, with the Leopoldsberg overlooking the Danube and the Vienna basin, which is the transition zone to the arch of the Carpathian Mountains. The highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina at in"
"Koralpe The Koralpe (, or ), also referred to as ""Koralm"", is a mountain range in southern Austria which separates eastern Carinthia from southern Styria. The southern parts of the range extend into Slovenia. Running from north to south, it drains to the river Lavant in the west, and to the river Sulm in the east. Its highest elevation (2,140 meters) is the Große Speikkogel, a popular hiking destination and also a node for military radar airspace surveillance. In the south, in the Slovenian territory, it is contiguous with the Kozjak mountain range. The Koralpe consists mostly of metamorphic rock,"
"Southern Limestone Alps The Southern Limestone Alps (Italian: ""Alpi Sud-orientali"") are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent lands of Austria and Slovenia. The distinction from the Central Alps, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition. The Southern Limestone Alps extend from the Sobretta-Gavia range in Lombardy in the west to the Pohorje in Slovenia in the east. The Southern Alps are a distinct physiographic section of the larger Alps province, which in turn is part of the larger Alpine System"
"Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (; , , , ), also commonly Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southeastern Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo to Albania in the southeast. The Dinaric Alps extend for approximately along the Western Balkan Peninsula from the Julian Alps to the northwest in Italy, downwards to the Šar and Korab massiftije, where their direction changes. The Albanian Alps, or Prokletije, is the highest section of the entire Dinaric Alps; this section stretches"
"physiographic division. Southern Limestone Alps The Southern Limestone Alps (Italian: ""Alpi Sud-orientali"") are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent lands of Austria and Slovenia. The distinction from the Central Alps, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition. The Southern Limestone Alps extend from the Sobretta-Gavia range in Lombardy in the west to the Pohorje in Slovenia in the east. The Southern Alps are a distinct physiographic section of the larger Alps province, which in turn is part of the larger"
"the Karawank chain, as well as the Pohorje massif—dominate Northern Slovenia along its long border with Austria. Slovenia's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately from Italy to Croatia. The term ""Karst topography"" refers to that of southwestern Slovenia's Karst Plateau, a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges, and caves, between Ljubljana and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the East and Northeast, toward the Croatian and Hungarian borders, the landscape is essentially flat. However, the majority of Slovenian terrain is hilly or mountainous, with around 90% of the surface or more above sea level. Over half of the country () is"
"France, Austria, and Italy have many hundreds of Alpine peaks over 3,000 metres. Germany's Zugspitze, at , just falls below the line, whilst Slovenia's Triglav is well under it. Liechtenstein, despite being the only country lying entirely within the Alps, has no 3,000ers on its territory. Apart from the Alps, the dominant range in Europe – if one excludes the Caucasus, which otherwise, in Mount Elbrus (5,642 m), would have the highest mountain in the continent – only the following ranges have three-thousanders: Musala at 2,925 m, the highest mountain in southern Europe (i.e. excluding the Iberian Peninsula), does not"
"Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a mountain range system forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe (after the Scandinavian Mountains, ). They provide the habitat for the largest European populations of brown bears, wolves, chamois, and lynxes, with the highest concentration in Romania, as well as over one third of all European plant species. The Carpathians and their foothills also have many thermal and mineral waters, with Romania having one-third of the European total. Romania is likewise home to the second-largest surface of virgin forests"
"European explorers. Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (, , , ), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called ""Central Alps"". While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared"
"Carnic Alps The Carnic Alps (; ; ; ) are a range of the Southern Limestone Alps in Austria and northeastern Italy. They are within Austrian East Tyrol and Carinthia, and Italian Friuli (Province of Udine) and marginally in Veneto of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. They are named after the Roman province of Carnia, which probably has a Celtic origin. The mountains gave their name to the stage on the geologic time scale known as Carnian, an age in the Triassic Period. They extend from east to west for about between the Gail River, a tributary of the Drava and"
"Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (, , , ), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called ""Central Alps"". While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other"
"Matterhorn The Matterhorn ( ; ; ) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetrical pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points and are split by the ""Hörnli"", ""Furggen"", ""Leone""/""Lion"", and ""Zmutt"" ridges. The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt, in the canton of Valais, to the north-east and the Italian"
"in Europe after Russia, totaling 250,000 hectares (65%), most of them in the Carpathians, with the Southern Carpathians constituting Europe's largest unfragmented forested area. The Carpathians consist of a chain of mountain ranges that stretch in an arc from the Czech Republic (3%) in the northwest through Slovakia (17%), Poland (10%), Hungary (4%) and Ukraine (10%) Serbia (5%) and Romania (50%) in the southeast. The highest range within the Carpathians is the Tatras, on the border of Slovakia and Poland, where the highest peaks exceed . The second-highest range is the Southern Carpathians in Romania, where the highest peaks exceed"
"the Tagliamento, forming the border between Austria and Italy. In the Carnic Alps is the southernmost glacier in Austria, the Eiskar, nestling in the Kellerwand massif. Among the most important mountains of the range are: The chief passes of the Carnic Alps are: Carnic Alps The Carnic Alps (; ; ; ) are a range of the Southern Limestone Alps in Austria and northeastern Italy. They are within Austrian East Tyrol and Carinthia, and Italian Friuli (Province of Udine) and marginally in Veneto of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. They are named after the Roman province of Carnia, which probably has"
"of July. Matterhorn The Matterhorn ( ; ; ) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetrical pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points and are split by the ""Hörnli"", ""Furggen"", ""Leone""/""Lion"", and ""Zmutt"" ridges. The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt, in the canton of Valais, to the north-east and"
"Julian Alps The Julian Alps (, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia and of the former Yugoslavia. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains. A large part of the Julian Alps is included in Triglav National Park. The second highest peak of the range, the 2,775 m high Jôf di Montasio, lies in Italy. The Julian Alps cover an estimated 4,400"
"Stubai Alps The Stubai Alps (in German ""Stubaier Alpen""; in Italian ""Alpi dello Stubai"") is a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps of Europe. It is named after the Stubaital valley to its east. It is located southwest of Innsbruck, Austria, and several summits of the range form part of Austria's border with Italy. The range is bounded by the Inn River valley to the north; the Sill River valley (""Wipptal"") and the Brenner Pass to the east (separating it from the Zillertal Alps); the Ötztal and Timmelsjoch to the west (separating it from the Ötztal Alps), and to"
"Limestone Alps The Limestone Alps () are a mountain ranges system of the Alps in Central Europe. They are of economic importance, including as a watershed source of drinking water. They have many accessible dripstone and ice caves. They are roughly long. The two main groups, Northern and Southern, run parallel to the main Austrian Central Alps (also known as the Central Eastern Alps) mountain ranges, on their north and south. Together with the Austrian Central Alps, the Limestone Alps form the most westerly portion of the Eastern Alps. The mountain and hill profiles of the Limestone Alps are very"
"Central Alps run from Tyrol to approximately the Styria-Lower Austria border and include areas that are permanently glaciated in the Ötztal Alps on the Tyrolean–Italian border and the High Tauern in East Tyrol and Carinthia. The Northern Calcareous Alps, which run from Vorarlberg through Tyrol into Salzburg along the German border and through Upper Austria and Lower Austria toward Vienna, and the Southern Calcareous Alps, on the Carinthia-Slovenia border, are predominantly limestone and dolomite. At 3,797 m, Großglockner is the highest mountain in Austria. As a general rule, the farther east the Northern and Central Alps run, the lower they"
"Mont Blanc massif The Mont Blanc massif (; ) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major independent summits, each over in height. It is named after Mont Blanc (), the highest point in western Europe and the European Union. Because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the massif is covered by glaciers, which include the Mer de Glace and the Miage Glacierthe longest glaciers in France and Italy, respectively. Not only does the massif form a watershed between the"
"Geography of Slovenia Slovenia is situated at the crossroads of central and southeast Europe, touching the Alps and bordering the Adriatic Sea. The Alps—including the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Karawank chain, as well as the Pohorje massif—dominate northern Slovenia along its long border to Austria. Slovenia's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately from Italy to Croatia. Its part south of Sava river belongs to Balkan peninsula – Balkans. The term ""Karst"" originated in southwestern Slovenia's Karst Plateau (), a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges, and caves, between Ljubljana and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the East"
"High Tauern The High Tauern (pl.; , ) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of Salzburg, Carinthia and East Tyrol, with a small part in the southwest belongs to the Italian province of South Tyrol. The range includes Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner at above the Adriatic. In the east, the range is adjoined by the Lower Tauern. For the etymology of the name, see Tauern. According to the Alpine Club classification of the"
"men and 172.72 cm for women. The main mountain passes of the Dinaric Alps are: Major tunnels transversing the Dinaric Alps include: The mountains and plateaus within the Dinarides are found in the following regions: Notes: References: Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (; , , , ), also commonly Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southeastern Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo to Albania in the southeast. The Dinaric Alps extend for approximately along the Western Balkan Peninsula"
"Central Eastern Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slovenia. The term ""Central Alps"" is very common in the Geography of Austria as one of the seven major landscape regions of the country. ""Central Eastern Alps"" is usually used in connection with the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps (""Alpenvereinseinteilung"", AVE). The Central Alps form the eastern part of the Alpine divide, its central chain of mountains, as well"
"the recent unofficial SOIUSA classification. Noric Alps The Noric Alps () is a collective term denoting various mountain ranges of the Eastern Alps. The name derives from the ancient ""Noricum"" province of the Roman Empire on the territory of present-day Austria and the adjacent Bavarian and Slovenian area. Referring to extinct ""Noricum"", the designation originally comprised the Alpine mountain ranges in the medieval Bavarian stem duchy of East Francia, including the later Tyrol, Salzburg and Upper Austrian regions. In the 19th century, the German term ""Norische Alpen"" covered the whole group of ranges of the Central Eastern and Northern Limestone"
"summits of the range are: Northern Styrian Alps The Northern Styrian Alps (""Steirische Nordalpen"" in German) is the proposed name for a subdivision of mountain ranges in an as-yet-unadopted classification of the Alps located in Austria. Administratively the range belongs to the Austrian state of Styria and, marginally, to Upper Austria and Lower Austria. The whole range is drained by the Danube river. According to SOIUSA (""International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps"") the mountain range is an Alpine section, classified in the following way: The range is divided in two Alpine subsections: These subsections are further subdivided in supergroups"
"Ardennes and Eifel Ardennes and Eifel are mountain ranges in Europe that form part of the same volcanic field and also of the Rhenish Massif. These are mountains and hills composed of slate and limestone, and of an average altitude of 400 to 500 meters, with several summits reaching the 700 meters. These mountain ranges are situated in western Europe. Their western starting point roughly begins where the Meuse river crosses the French-Belgian border. They stretch in a northeastern direction, covering eastern Belgium (Wallonia), northern Luxembourg and western Germany as far as the Rhine river between the cities of Bonn"