By Ankita

Where are they?

• The Alps covers a vast area from Annecy in the west to the Swiss and Italian borders in the east and from Geneva in the north whilst reaching almost to the Mediterranean in the south.

• The Alps comprise about 180 mountains, from 1200m to 4810m high.

• Mont Blanc (4810 m) is the highest peak in the Western Alps, while Piz Bernina (4052 m) is the highest peak in the Eastern Alps. Mont Blanc is also the highest peak in the

Alps.

What famous mountains are there?

• Mont Blanc (4810 m) is the highest peak in the Western Alps, while Piz Bernina (4052 m) is the highest peak in the Eastern Alps. Mont Blanc is also the highest peak in The Alps.

• Matterhorn is a popular mountain in the Alps. It is shaped like a pyramid and considered tougher to ascent than Mont Blanc because of its steepness and regular avalanches.

• Mont Blanc was first ascended by two natives, Jacques Belmat and Dr. Packard, on August 8, 1786. They stayed there for half an hour, with the thermometer several degrees below the freezing point.

Quick Facts

• On the Alps vine grows to the elevation of 1,600 feet. Below 1000 feet, figs, oranges and olives grow.

• The biggest city in the Alps is Grenoble. The city has about 500,000 inhabitants. The city has the nickname 'The Capital City of the Alps'.

• Switzerland is famous the world over for its Alpine scenery. It offers lots of opportunities for tourists like trekking, mountaineering, skiing as well as other adventure sports and winter sports.

• Austrian Alps have the world's largest accessible caves in the world. These enormous caves, adorned with frozen stalagmites.

Map

The AlpsLand

Famous mountains Mont Blanc 4,810 m (15,781 ft)Monte Rosa 4,634 m (15,203 ft)Dom 4,545 m (14,911 ft)Weisshorn 4,505 m (14,780 ft)Matterhorn 4,478 m (14,692 ft)Grand Combin 4,314 m (14,154 ft)Finsteraarhorn 4,273 m (14,019 ft)Aletschhorn 4,192 m (13,753 ft)Barre des Écrins 4,102 m (13,458 ft)Gran Paradiso 4,061 m (13,323 ft)Piz Bernina 4,049 m (13,284 ft)Weissmies 4,023 m (13,199 ft)

Weather

In the Alps the summers are quite warm but this is the wettest period of the of the year in Switzerland's Alps. Much of the summer rainfall is heavy and is often accompanied by the severe thunderstorms.

To find out more about weather and see a weather chart for the Alps visit:

www.snow-forecast.com/maps/dynamic/alps

Animals

The great urus, the elk and the wild swine have all disappeared since the Roman period, and a bear in more recent times; but the brown bear, the lynx, the wild cat, and the wolf still survive. Among Ruminants, the red deer, fallow deer, and roebuck, chiefly found in the lower forest refion, are common to other mountain districts. Much rarer is the ibex or bouquetin, which still lives in the higher Alpine region of the Graian Alps, and possibly also in some recesses of the Pennine chain.

How to get there

There are airports in Switzerland at Basel, Bern, Zürich, Geneva and Sion. Easyjet fly to Zürich & Geneva & are very cheap if you book well ahead. Then, proceed to your first base by train & bus.

Quiz

1. What is the biggest city in the Alps called?

2. Is this the most sunny or wettest time in Switzerland's Alps?

3. Where is the Alps. Answer East to West?

4. Which mountain claims to have the highest peak in the western Alps?