After a series of battles fought in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, more cantons joined the confederacy and by the 16th century Switzerland was well-established as a separate state. - Lesson for Kids, How are Volcanic Mountains Formed? [4], Major mountain range system in Central Europe, "Alpe" redirects here.

The Swiss Alps are the youngest mountain range in Europe and one of the most densely populated areas. [30], Under extreme compressive stresses and pressure, marine sedimentary rocks were uplifted, creating characteristic recumbent folds, or nappes, and thrust faults. [119] Saussure, in 1787, was a member of the third ascent of Mont Blanc—today the summits of all the peaks have been climbed. [79] The vegetation has changed since the second half of the 20th century, as the high alpine meadows cease to be harvested for hay or used for grazing which eventually might result in a regrowth of forest.

With the opening of the 57.1-kilometre-long (35.5 mi) Gotthard Base Tunnel on June 1, 2016 it bypasses the Gotthard Tunnel built in the 19th century and realizes the first flat route through the Alps. [109][110] The mountain peaks were seen as terrifying, the abode of dragons and demons, to the point that people blindfolded themselves to cross the Alpine passes. [36] The bottom nappe structure is of continental European origin, above which are stacked marine sediment nappes, topped off by nappes derived from the African plate. The crossing of the Alps has been an historic challenge for European merchants, armies, and travelers. [32] Similarly the peaks in eastern Switzerland extending to western Austria (Helvetic nappes) consist of thin-skinned sedimentary folding that detached from former basement rock. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, and artists, in particular, the Romantics, followed by the golden age of alpinism as mountaineers began to ascend the peaks. This mountain range was formed about 45 million years ago. Evidence of human habitation has been found in caves near Vercors, close to Grenoble; in Austria the Mondsee culture shows evidence of houses built on piles to keep them dry. The Benedictines had built monasteries in Lucerne, Switzerland, and Oberammergau; the Cistercians in the Tyrol and at Lake Constance; and the Augustinians had abbeys in the Savoy and one in the centre of Interlaken, Switzerland. [49], Glaciers end in ice caves (the Rhône Glacier), by trailing into a lake or river, or by shedding snowmelt on a meadow. Services, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. [108] The peaks, however, were mostly ignored except for a few notable examples, and long left to the exclusive attention of the people of the adjoining valleys. The countries with the greatest alpine territory are Austria (28.7% of the total area), Italy (27.2%), France (21.4%) and Switzerland (13.2%). In Switzerland’s four national languages, the Swiss Alps are known as Schweizer Alpen (German), Alpes suisses (French), Alpi svizzere (Italian), and Alps svizras (Romansch). The most common bird is the alpine chough which can be found scavenging at climber's huts or at the Jungfraujoch, a high altitude tourist destination. [55][61], The Alps are a classic example of what happens when a temperate area at lower altitude gives way to higher-elevation terrain. [9] A natural vegetation limit with altitude is given by the presence of the chief deciduous trees—oak, beech, ash and sycamore maple. [43], The Alps are a source of minerals that have been mined for thousands of years.


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