23 Facts About the European Alps – Highest and most extensive mountain range in Europe

The Alps are split into six different regions: The Swiss Alps, The French Alps, the Austrian Alps, the Italian Alps, Bavarian Alps, and the Julian Alps.

The Aletsch Glacier with its 23 km length and 900 m depth is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Alps are home to some of the largest and most well-known ski areas in the world.

Facts About the European Alps

1. The Alps formed about 65 million years ago.
2. The mountains were formed as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided.
3. The Alps are generally divided into the Western Alps and Eastern Alps.
4. Grenoble is the biggest city in the Alps.
5. The highest peak in the Alps is the Mont Blanc, at 4,809 meters (15,777 feet).
6. Alps is the greatest mountain range in Europe.
7. The Alps are more than 200 kilometres wide at their broadest point between Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and Verona, Italy.
8. 13,000 species of plants have been identified in the Alpine regions.
9. The Alps are a habitat for 30,000 species of wildlife.
10. Crystals are found throughout much of the Alpine region such as cinnabar, amethyst, and quartz.
11. Humans have lived in the Alps since prehistoric times, 50,000 to 60,000 years ago.
12. The Alps stretch from Austria and Slovenia in the east, through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Germany to France in the west.
13. The Alps are just a part of a larger orogenic belt of mountain chains, called the Alpide belt. It reaches through southern Europe and Asia from the Atlantic Ocean most of the way to the Himalayas.
14. A mummified man was found in the Alps at the Austrian/Italian border in 1991, said to be 5,000 years old.
15. In the Alps, there are 82 official summits that are at least 4,000 m High.
16. Cheese fondue is one of the best known Alpine dishes.
17. The Alps maintain a permanent snow blanket over 2750 meters (9,000 feet) above sea level.
18. The Alps mountain range is known to have Europe’s highest vineyards. They are at 1500 meters in height.
19. In World War II, Adolf Hitler kept a base of operation in the Bavarian Alps throughout the war.
20. White Friday occurred during the Italian Front of World War I when an avalanche struck an Austrian barracks on Mount Marmolada, killing 270 soldiers.
21. around 120 million tourists visit the Alps every year.
22. In the first World War, more than 50000 people were killed by the Alps avalanches.
23. the Alps cover only 11% area of Europe, they provide more than 90% water to lowland Europe.