Mont Blanc , at 4, meters 15, feet , is the highest peak in the Alps. Other tall peaks in the Alps include the Dufourspitze, Weisshorn, Finsteraarhorn, and the famous Matterhorn [pic. The mean height of the mountain peaks is 2. The Alps are more than kilometers miles wide at their broadest point between Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and Verona , Italy.
The Alps maintain a permanent snow blanket over meters 9, feet above sea level, and have many glaciers. The 1, square kilometers square miles of the Alps covered by glaciers in had shrunk to 1, square kilometers square miles by , resulting in decreased river run-off levels. The Alps receive a great deal of snow and rain. At high elevations, the snow turns to ice and then flows down to the valleys as glaciers.
The clear Alpine lakes are noted for their beauty. The Alps are almost treeless near the top, but forests grow below. The higher forests have mostly spruce , pine , and larch trees. What better way to spend your vacation than at high altitude, chilling out by a glacier that dates back to the ice age? A visit to this relic of a much, much colder time on Earth is reason enough to visit the Swiss Alps.
Its huge expanse is full of mountain peaks and some of the most glitzy ski resorts in Switzerland, like St. Moritz and Davos. Visit the Top of Europe. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements.
To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". Sign Up. Travel Guides. Videos Beyond Hollywood Hungerlust Pioneers of love. Sean Mowbray. There are countries with higher mountains, larger glaciers and more lakes than Switzerland has. Unique for Switzerland, however, is the fact that there is an enormous diversity of landscapes and nature in a relatively small area.
Just make a train trip with the Bernina Express to see for yourself: within a few hours you will see fresh meadows, bare icy mountain scenery and sunny villages with palm trees and vineyards. That's typical for Switzerland: diversity to the highest pitch in nature, culture and weather.
Additionally, Switzerland has a relatively high population density, and the Swiss Alps are a very popular holiday destination. This results in an excellent network of cogwheel trains, funiculars, cable cars, post cars and boats. Unlike many other mountainous regions, it is very easy for anyone to experience the Swiss Alps up close, and visit places that used to be accessible to mountaineers only.
A great example of exploring the Swiss Alps the luxurious way is the Glacier Express. Since , this train allows people to enjoy the mountain scenery from the comfort of their train seat, and even wine and dine along the way.
Simplifying the layout of Switzerland at large, we can say that larger cities and industrial activities can be found in the relatively flat north and west excluding the Jura mountains. Particularly the surroundings of big cities like Basel , Zurich and Geneva are examples of that. The Alps can be found in the southern half of the country. This is where nature is most impressive. Again greatly simplified: there are two types of landscapes in the Swiss Alps.
North of the highest mountain tops, the landscape looks fresh and green. The landscape south of these tops is drier and rougher. Both types of landscape have their charm. There are also numerous rodent species found in the Alps, such as voles and marmots. There about breeding bird species, as well as an equal number of migratory species, in the Alps. The largest bird species found in the Alps are the golden eagle and the bearded vulture.
The alpine chough is the most common bird found in the region. Of the 21 total species of amphibians, only one is endemic, Salamandra lanzai. There are fifteen reptile species are present, including adders and vipers. According to WWF , the Alps are one of the regions with the richest flora and fauna in Europe, second only to the Mediterranean.
0コメント