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Swiss Alps

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Satellite image of Switzerland

The Swiss Alps are the central portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland, because of their central position they are also known as Central Alps.

The highest summit in the Swiss Alps is the Dufourspitze, at 4,634 metres (15,202 ft) near the Swiss-Italian border. The highest mountain which lies entirely on Swiss territory is the Dom, at 4,545 metres (14,911 ft). Other main summits can be found in the list of mountains of the Alps.

Introduction

The Alps cover 61% of Switzerland's surface area (41,285 km²) thus making her the second most alpine country after Austria. Despite the fact that Switzerland covers only 13.2% of the Alps total area (190,600 km²), many four-thousanders (48 of 82) are located in the Swiss Alps and almost the totality of the other are within 20 km of the country's border. The glaciers in the Swiss Alps cover an area of 1230 km² (3% of the Swiss territory), this represent 44% of the total glaciated area in the Alps (2800 km²).

Geography

See also: Geography of Switzerland and Valleys of the Alps

Subdivision

Like the Alps the Swiss Alps can be divided into two main parts, the Western Alps and Eastern Alps, whose division is along the Rhine from the lake Bodensee to the Splügen Pass (in Graubünden).


Western Alps

Map of the western Swiss Alps

From west to east, south of Rhône and Rhine:

From west to east, north of Rhône and Rhine:

Eastern Alps

Map of the eastern Swiss Alps

All following mountain ranges are situated in Graubünden, they are part of the Central Eastern Alps except the Ortler Alps which belong to the Southern Limestone Alps.

From west to east, north of Mera and Inn river:

From west to east, south of Mera and Inn river:

(*) situated out of the main chain

Hydrography

Piz Lunghin, one of the major watersheds in Europe
See also: List of lakes in Switzerland and List of rivers in Switzerland

The waters flowing in the Swiss Alps can end up in the North Sea, the western Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea or in the Black Sea. Switzerland owns 6% of Europe's fresh water, this is why it is sometimes referred as the "water tower of Europe".

Triple watersheds:


Geology

Main article: Geology of the Alps
See also: List of glaciers in Switzerland
Lauterbrunnental Valley in the Bernese Alps, one of the most remarkable examples of U-shaped valley

With a few exceptions, the Alps north of Rhone and Rhine river are part of the Helvetic Zone and those on the south side are part of the Penninic nappes. As first ones are generally composed of hard crystalline rocks , the second ones contains mainly metamorphic rocks.

The last glaciations deeply transformed Switzerland’s landscape, many valleys of the Swiss Alps are characteristically U-shaped due to the erosion of ice. After the maximum extension of the Würm glaciation (18,000 years ago) the glaciers retreated to remain only in high mountain areas. Nowadays the Aletsch Glacier in the Bernese Alps is the largest and longest in the Alps, having a length of 23 km and a maximum depth of 900 metres (2953 ft) at Konkordia. The whole area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.


Travel and tourism

Despite the tourism industry, Zermatt has retained much of its traditional character
In some large resorts, like Cran-Montana, the tourism industry deeply affected the landscape

Tourism in the Swiss Alps began with the first ascents of the main peaks of the Alps (Jungfrau in 1811, Matterhorn in 1856) by British mountain climbers accompanied by the local guides. The construction of facilities for tourists started in the mid nineteenth century with the building of hotels and mountain huts (creation of the Swiss Alpine Club in 1863) and the opening of mountain train lines (Mount Rigi in 1873, Gornergrat in 1898). 1912 was the year of inauguration of the Jungfraubahn which leads to the highest train station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch.

Summer tourism

Switzerland enjoys a network of 62,000 km well-maintained trails among which 23,000 are located in mountainous areas. Many mountains attract a large number of alpinists from around the world, especially the 4000 metres summits. Many tourists also love to take nature hike and photographers love the look of the Swiss Alps. The large winter resorts are also the most appreciated destinations in summer.

Winter tourism

Main article: List of ski areas and resorts in Switzerland

The major destinations for skiing and other winter sports are located in Valais, Bernese Oberland and Graubünden. The most visited places are:

Other large winter resorts are:


Transportation

See also: List of mountain passes in Switzerland
The Glacier Express on the Landwasser Viaduct, Albula Range

The Swiss Alps and Switzerland enjoy an extensive transportation network. Every mountain village can be reached by public transport, the main companies are:

Most of mountain regions are within 3 hours of travel from Switzerland’s main cities and their respective airport. The Engadin Valley in Graubünden is usually 4 to 6 hours away from the large cities but the train travel itself with the famed Glacier Express or Bernina Express is considered as an attraction. The Samedan Airport near St. Moritz at an altitude of 1,707 metres (5,600 ft) is the highest in Europe.







Beyond the Alps

A large number of peaks outside the Alps were named or nicknamed after Swiss mountains, as the Matterhorn Peak in California or the Wetterhorn Peak in Colorado. See the Matterhorn article for a list of Matterhorns in the world.


See also


Wikimedia Commons has media related to Swiss Alps.
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References


45°56′12.6″N 7°52′01.4″E / 45.936833°N 7.867056°E / 45.936833; 7.867056

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