Satellite image of Switzerland in October 2002.
On the north side of the Alps, the regions located above 2000
m are covered by snow.
The canton of Ticino (on the south side) is almost snow-free
in early autumn.
The
Swiss Alps ( , , , ) are the portion of the
Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland
. Because of their central position with the
entire Alpine range, they are also known as the
Central
Alps.
The
highest summit in the Swiss Alps is the Dufourspitze
(4,634 metres (15,202 ft)) near the Swiss-Italian
border. The highest mountain which lies entirely on
Swiss territory is the Dom
(4,545
metres (14,911 ft)). Other main summits can be found in the
list of mountains in
Switzerland.
Since the Middle Ages, transit across the Alps played an important
role in history.
The region north of the St. Gotthard
Pass
became the birthplace of the Old Swiss Confederacy in
1291.
Geography
The Alps cover 65% of Switzerland's surface area (41,285 km²),
making her one of the most alpine countries. Despite the fact that
Switzerland covers only 14% of the Alps total area
(192,753 km²), many
alpine four-thousanders (48
of 82) are located in the Swiss Alps and the remaining few are
within 20 km of the country's border.
The glaciers of the Swiss Alps cover an area of 1230 km² (3%
of the Swiss territory), representing 44% of the total glaciated
area in the Alps (2800 km²).
The Swiss Alps are situated south of the
Swiss plateau and north of the national
border.
The limit between the Alps and the plateau
runs from Vevey
on the
shores of Lake
Geneva
to Rorschach
on the shores of Lake Constance
, passing close to the cities of Thun
and Lucerne
.
The
countries with which Switzerland shares mountain ranges of the Alps
are (from west to east): France
, Italy
, Austria
and Liechtenstein
.
Ranges
The Alps
are usually divided into two main parts, the Western Alps and Eastern Alps
, whose division is along the Rhine
from Lake
Constance to the Splügen Pass
. The western ranges occupy the greatest part
of Switzerland while the more numerous eastern ranges are much
smaller and are all situated in the canton of Graubünden
. The latter are part of the Central Eastern Alps, except the
Ortler
Alps
which belong to the Southern Limestone Alps.
The
Pennine
, Bernese
and Bernina
Range
are they highest ranges of the country, they
contain respectively 38, 9 and 1 summit over 4000 meters.
The lowest range is the
Appenzell
Alps culminating at 2,500 meters.
(*) situated out of the
main
chain
Western Alps
Map of the western Swiss Alps
| Location |
Range |
Cantons |
Notable peaks |
East limit |
| From west to east, north of Rhone and Rhine |
| Bernese Alps* |
Vaud , Fribourg , Valais , Berne |
Finsteraarhorn , Jungfrau , Eiger |
Grimsel Pass |
| Urner Alps* |
Uri , Bern , Valais, Lucerne , Obwalden , Nidwalden |
Dammastock , Titlis |
Reuss river |
Glarus Alps * |
Uri, Glarus , Graubünden |
Tödi , Glärnisch |
Seeztal |
| Appenzell Alps* |
Appenzell Innerrhoden , Appenzell Ausserrhoden , St. Gallen |
Säntis |
Rhine |
| From west to east, south of Rhone and Rhine |
Chablais Alps |
Valais |
Dents du Midi |
Arve |
| Mont Blanc Massif |
Valais |
Aiguille d'Argentière |
Col
Ferret |
| Pennine Alps |
Valais |
Dufourspitze, Weisshorn , Matterhorn |
Simplon Pass |
Lepontine Alps |
Valais, Ticino , Uri Graubünden, |
Monte Leone , Rheinwaldhorn |
Splügen Pass |
Eastern Alps
Map of the eastern Swiss Alps
Hydrography
Rivers
The north
side of the Swiss Alps is drained by the Rhone, Rhine and Inn river
(which is part of the Danube basin) while the south
side is mainly drained by the Ticino river
(Po basin). The rivers on the north empty into the
Mediterranean
, North
and
Black
Sea
, on the south the Po empty in the Adriatic Sea
. The major triple watersheds in the Alps are
located within the country, they are: Piz Lunghin
, Witenwasserenstock
and Monte
Forcola
. Between the Witenwasserenstock and Piz
Lunghin runs the European Watershed
separating the basin of the Atlantic
(North Sea) and the Mediterranean Sea (Adriatic and
Black Sea). The European watershed lies in fact only
partially on the
main chain.
Switzerland possesses 6% of Europe's fresh water, and is sometimes
referred to as the "water tower of Europe".
Lakes
Since the
highest
dams are located in Alpine regions, many large mountain lakes
are
artificial and are
used as hydroelectric reservoirs.
Some large artificial lakes can be found
above 2,300 m, but natural lakes larger than 1 km² are
generally below 1,000 m (with the exceptions of lakes in the
Engadin
such as Lake
Sils
, and Oeschinen
in the Bernese Oberland). The melting of
low-altitude glaciers can generate new lakes, such as the
0.25 km² large Triftsee
which formed between 2002–2003.
Land elevation
The following table gives the surface area above 2000 m and 3000 m
and the respective percentage on the total area of each canton
whose high point is above 2000 metres.
Geology
Lauterbrunnental Valley in the Bernese
Alps, a U-shaped valley resulted from the erosion of glaciers
The composition of the great tectonic units reflects the history of
the formation of the Alps. The rocks from the
Helvetic zone on the north and the
Austroalpine nappes -
Southern Alps on the south come
originally from the European and African continent respectively.
The rocks of the
Penninic nappes
belong to the former area of the
Briançonnais microcontinent
and the
Tethys Ocean. The closure of
the latter by subduction under the African plate (
Piemont Ocean first and
Valais Ocean later) preceded the collision
between the two plates and the so-called alpine orogeny.
The major
thrust fault of the Tectonic
Arena Sardona
in the
eastern Glarus Alps gives a visible illustration of
mountain-building processes.
With some
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. The Austroalpine zone
concerns almost only the Eastern Alps, with the notable exception
of the Matterhorn.
The last
glaciations greatly transformed
Switzerland’s landscape. Many valleys of the Swiss Alps are
U-shaped due to glacial erosion. During the maximum extension of
the
Würm glaciation (18,000
years ago) the glaciers completely covered the
Swiss Plateau, before retreating and leaving
remnants only in high mountain areas.
In modern times the
Aletsch
Glacier
in the western 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
. Along with the Fiescher
and Aar Glaciers the
region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
Environment and climate
To protect endengered species some sites have been brought under
protection.
The Swiss National Park
in Graubünden was established in 1914 as the
first alpine national park. The Entlebuch
area was designated a biosphere reserve in
2001. The largest protected area in the country is the
Parc Ela, opened in 2006, which covers an
area of 600 square kilometers. The
Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected
Area is the first World Heritage Site in the Alps.
Climate zones
As the
temperature decreases with
altitude (0,56°C per 100 metres on yearly average), three different
altitudinal zones, each having distinct climate, are found in the
Swiss Alps:
Tree line in the National park
The Subalpine zone is the region which lies below the
tree line. It is the most important region as it
is the larger of the three and contains almost all human
settlements as well as the productive areas. The forests are mainly
composed by
conifers above 1,200-1,400
metres, the
deciduous tree forest being
confined to lower elevations. The upper limit of the Subalpine zone
is located at about 1,800 metres on the north side of the Alps and
at about 2,000 metres on the south side. It can however differ in
some regions such as the Appenzell Alps (1,600 metres) or the
Engadin valley (2,300 metres).
The Alpine zone (
Tundra) is situated above
the tree line and is exempt of tree because of low average
temperatures. It contains mostly grass and small plants along with
mountain flowers. Below the
permafrost
limit (at about 2,600 metres), the
alpine
meadows are often used as pastures.
Some villages can
still be found on the lowest altitudes such as Riederalp
(1,940 m) or Juf
(2,130
m). The extend of Alpine zone is limited by the first
permanent snow, its altitude greatly vary depending on the location
(and orientation), it is comprised between 2,800 and 3,200
metres.
The glacial zone is the area of permanent snow and ice. When the
steepness of the slope is not too high it results in an
accumulation and compaction of snow, which transforms into ice.
The
glacier formed then flows down the valley and can reach as far down
as 1,500 metres (the Upper Grindelwald Glacier
). Where the slopes are too steep, the snow
accumulates to form overhanging
seracs, which
periodically fall off due to the downwards movement of the glacier
and cause ice avalanches. The Bernese Alps, Pennine Alps and Mont
Blanc Massif contain most of the glaciated areas in the Alps.
Except
research stations such as the Sphinx Observatory
no settlements are to be found in those
regions.
Travel and tourism
Tourism in the Swiss Alps began with
the first ascents of the main peaks of the Alps (Jungfrau in 1811, Piz Bernina
in 1850, Dufourspitze in 1855, Matterhorn in 1856, Dom
in 1858,
Weisshorn in 1861) mostly 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, Mount Pilatus
in 1889, Gornergrat
in 1898). The Jungfraubahn opened in 1912; it leads
to the highest train station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch
.
Summer tourism
Switzerland enjoys a 62,000-km network of well-maintained trails,
of which 23,000 are located in mountainous areas. Many mountains
attract a large number of
alpinists from
around the world, especially the 4000-metre summits and the
great north faces. The
large winter resorts are also popular destinations in summer, as
most of
aerial
tramways operate through the year, enabling hikers and
mountaineers to reach high altitudes without much effort.
The
Klein
Matterhorn
is the highest summit of the European continent to
be served by cable car.
Winter tourism
Highest ski area in Europe above
Zermatt
The major
destinations for skiing and other winter sports are located in Valais, Bernese
Oberland
and Graubünden. Some villages are car-free and can be
accessed only with public transports such as Riederalp and Bettmeralp
. Zermatt
and Saas-Fee
have both summer ski areas. The most visited
places are:
Thanks to a car-free policy, Zermatt
retains much of its original character
Other
important destinations on the regional level are Engelberg
and Andermatt
(Central Switzerland), Leysin
(Vaud), Champéry
(western Valais) and Samnaun
(eastern Graubünden).
Transportation
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 travel of
Switzerland’s main cities and
their respective
airport.
The Engadin Valley in Graubünden is between 4 to 6 hours away from the large cities;
the train journey itself, with the panoramic Glacier
Express
or Bernina Express
, is popular with tourists.
The
Engadin
Airport
near St. Moritz
at an altitude of 1,707 metres (5,600 ft) is the
highest in Europe.
The crossing of the Alps is a key issue at national and
international levels, as the European continent is at places
divided by the range. Since the beginnings of industrialization
Switzerland has improved its transalpine network; it began in 1882,
by building the
Gotthard Rail
Tunnel, followed in 1906 by the
Simplon Tunnel and more recently, in 2007, by
the
Lötschberg Base
Tunnel. The 57-km long
Gotthard
Base Tunnel is slated to be open in 2016, and it will finally
provide a direct flat rail link through the Alps.
Toponymy
The different names of the mountains and other landforms are named
in the
four national
languages. The table below gives the most recurrent
names.
| English |
German |
French |
Italian |
Romansh |
Examples |
| Mount |
Berg, Stock |
Mont |
Monte |
Munt |
Gamsberg , Dammastock, Mont
Vélan , Monte Generoso , Munt
Pers |
| Summit |
Gipfel |
Cime |
Cima |
Tschima |
Grenzgipfel , Cima di Gana Bianca , Tschima da Flix |
| Peak |
Spitze |
Pointe, Pic |
Pizzo |
Piz |
Lenzspitze , Pointe de Zinal , Pizzo Campo Tencia , Piz
Roseg |
| Needle |
Nadel |
Aiguille |
Ago |
Ago |
Nadelhorn , Aiguille d'Argentière, Ago
di Sciora |
| Horn |
Horn |
Corne |
Corno |
Corn |
Wetterhorn , Corne de Sorebois , Corn
da Tinizong |
| Tower |
Turm |
Tour |
Torre |
not used |
Tour Sallière , Torrone
Alto |
| Head |
Kopf |
Tête |
Testa |
not used |
Bürkelkopf , Tête Blanche |
| Ridge |
Grat |
Crêt |
Cresta |
Fil |
Gornergrat, Crêt du Midi , Fil
de Cassons |
| Glacier |
Gletscher, Firn |
Glacier |
Ghiacciaio |
Vadret |
Unteraargletscher , Hüfifirn , Glacier de Corbassière , Ghiacciaio del Basodino , Vadret da Morteratsch |
| Valley |
Tal |
Val |
Valle, Val |
Val |
Mattertal , Val d'Hérens , Valle
Maggia |
| Pass |
Pass, Joch |
Col, Pas |
Passo |
Pass |
Jungfraujoch, Panix
Pass , Pas
de Cheville |
Also a
large number of peaks outside the Alps were named or nicknamed
after Swiss mountains, such as the Wetterhorn Peak
in Colorado
or the Matterhorn Peak
in California
(see the Matterhorn article for a list
of Matterhorns in the world).
The
confluence of the Baltoro Glacier
and the Godwin-Austen Glacier south of
K2
in the Karakoram
range was named after the Konkordiaplatz
by European explorers.
Gallery
File:Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau.jpg|Eiger, Mönch
and Jungfrau, Bernese AlpsImage:Weissmies.jpg|The Weissmies
from Hohsaas
, Pennine AlpsFile:Matterhornnorth.jpg|The Matterhorn, Pennine AlpsImage:AiguilledArgentière.jpg|The Aiguille
d'Argentière above the Saleina Glacier
, Mont Blanc MassifImage:Oberaarsee.jpg|Oberaar
Glacier
, Bernese AlpsFile:Aletschhorn from
Konkordia.jpg|Aletsch
Glacier, Bernese AlpsFile:Morteratsch.jpg|Morteratsch Glacier
and Piz BerninaImage:Jungfrau503.jpg|Jungfraujoch, Bernese AlpsFile:Pizzo Badile.jpg|Piz Badile
, Bregaglia RangeImage:Bachalpseeflowers.jpg|Bachalpsee
, Bernese AlpsFile:Berner
Alpen.jpg|Finsteraarhorn, Bernese AlpsImage:GrandCombin3.jpg|The Grand
Combin
, Pennine AlpsFile:Steingletscher.jpg|Stein
Glacier
from Susten Pass
, Urner AlpsImage:ValRoseg.jpg|Piz Roseg and Val Roseg, Bernina
RangeFile:Val d'Hérens.jpg|The Dent
Blanche
, Pennine AlpsImage:ValaisAlps.jpg|Summits around the
Mattertal, Pennine Alps
See also
- Tourism
- Sport
- Other
References
- Werner Bätzing, Henri Rougier, Les Alpes: Un foyer de
civilisation au coeur de l'Europe, page 21, ISBN
2606002946
- Area defined by the Alpine Convention (website:
alpconv.org)
- According to the limit defined by the Alpine Convention
- Die Kantone nach ihren höchsten Punkten Various
highest and lowest elevation values by canton (village center, road
or rail network, etc.)
- Nature parks swissworld.org
- There are in total 9 car-free villages members of the GAST
(Gemeinschaft Autofreier Tourismusorte): Bettmeralp, Braunwald, Riederalp, Rigi, Saas-Fee, Stoos, Wengen, Mürren and Zermatt.
- Davos, la station la plus fréquentée de Suisse
bilan.ch
External links
- Tourism
- Maps
- Other
, Piz
Lunghin
*
*
, Piz
Buin
, Piz
Badile
- Klosters
- Mürren
- Wengen
(car-free villages)
- Lenk
- Nendaz
- Laax
- Arosa
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