Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia are the major countries that lie within the 660-mile (1,060-m) crescent of the Alps mountain range, Europe’s largest.
The countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, and Albania also have portions of the Alps, called the Dinaric Alps, within their boundaries.
For thousands of years, travelers had a difficult time crossing the Alps.
The Romans built the first roads through the passes 2,000 years ago so they could trade with their provinces in northern Europe.
Today, six major tunnels cut through the mountains, making travel quick and easy throughout this scenic region.
Huge glaciers formed the many dramatic large lakes in the Alps, including Lakes Lucerne, Como, Maggiore, Geneva, Constance, and Zurich. About 1,300 small glaciers remain scattered throughout the Alps today.
The word alps is also used to describe similar mountain ranges around the world, for example, the Australian Alps and New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
The English name Alps is from the Latin word Alpes, which means “white”.
Related Posts
-
Where Is the Largest Mountain Range In the World and What Is the Longest Mountain Range In the World?
The largest mountain range in the world lies under the oceans. It's called the Mid-Ocean Ridge, and it runs for nearly 40,000 miles (64,374 km) from the Arctic to the Atlantic Oceans, around…
-
Why Did an Army of Elephants Cross the Alps?
The great general, Hannibal, was born in 247 B.C. in Carthage, an ancient city in North Africa that had been founded centuries earlier by traders from the Near East. At the age of…
-
Where did Hannibal come from and How did Hannibal cross the Alps?
Hannibal, born in 247 B.C., grew up in Carthage during the First Punic War between the great powers of Rome and Carthage, rivals since the days long before when Dido of Libya had…
-
How Many Different Independent Countries Are There In Europe and How Many People On Earth Live In Europe?
Europe has 47 independent countries of all sizes, from the largest in the world in land area, Russia, to the smallest, Vatican City. About one of every eight people in the world lives…
-
Why Is Europe’s Population Shrinking and Which Countries In Europe Have Low Birth Rates?
During the late 1990s, more people were dying in Europe than were being born. Women there are having fewer children than in any other part of the world. The only European country where…
-
Where Is the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth?
You probably would guess that the Himalayas, which contain 96 of the 109 tallest mountains, is the greatest mountain range on our planet. Actually, the earth's greatest mountain range is the Atlantic Ridge,…
