Encyclopedia

Alps

Alps, great mountain system of S central Europe, c.500 mi (800 km) long and c.100 mi (160 km) wide, curving in a great arc from the Riviera coast on the Mediterranean Sea, along the borders of N Italy and adjacent regions of SE France, Switzerland, SW Germany, and Austria, and into Slovenia. The Alps form the watershed of many of Europe's rivers, including the Rhine, the Rhône, the Po, and the Danube.

Sections in this article:

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

More on Alps from Fact Monster:

  • Southern Alps - Southern Alps Southern Alps, mountain range, on South Island, New Zealand, paralleling the west ...
  • Australian Alps - Australian Alps Australian Alps, chain of mountain ranges, SE Australia, making up the southern ...
  • Julian Alps - Julian Alps Julian Alps, mountain range, NE Italy and NW Slovenia, between the Carnic Alps and the ...
  • Zillertal Alps - Zillertal Alps Zillertal Alps , range of the E Alps astride the Austro-Italian border and extending ...
  • Ötztal Alps - Ötztal Alps Ötztal Alps , mountain group, in the Tyrol, W Austria, S of the Inn River and ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Central European Physical Geography