Alpine mountains or alps in europe. Where is the Alps? Location of the Alps on the map

The Alps are one of the main European resorts. Every year, not only ski fans flock here, but also those who want to enjoy clean air and healing water from local thermal springs. 8 European countries, on whose territory Alpine ridges and massifs are located, have been competing for decades to create attractive conditions for tourists. How to create a program for visiting the Alpine Mountains in order to see all the most interesting things in a short vacation?

History of the mountains

Covered in snow and surrounded by fog peaks of the Alpine mountains gave the name to the mountain range. It is believed to come from the Latin word "albus" ("white").

Age of the Alps impossible to determine unambiguously. Between 34 and 23 million years ago, tectonic plates collided to form Europe's longest mountain range. Length of the Alps is 1,200 kilometers.

For a significant part of its history, the Alps were an insurmountable natural barrier. They impeded the movement of trade and military expeditions. Local residents avoided climbing to high altitudes, since there they could encounter avalanches, storms and cold.

The study of the Alpine mountains began only in the second half of the 18th century. Enthusiastic scientists explored the flora, fauna, glaciers and geology of the mountain range. At the same time, the concept of “mountaineering” was born, which at that time meant walking along the slopes without special equipment. In 1786 it was first conquered highest mountain in the Alps- Mont Blanc.

The history of the Alps as a tourist destination dates back to the 19th century. Back then, wealthy people came to mountain hotels to enjoy extraordinary views and take baths from the waters of thermal springs. At the end of the 19th century, winter sports began to gain popularity. Figure skating and skiing championships were held in the Alpine mountains.

The Alps were the site of the first Winter Olympics and are still the most popular. Developed infrastructure, suitable weather conditions and the presence of modern sports facilities have already provided resorts located in the Alps the right to host the Winter Olympics a dozen times.

Today the mountain range is one of the world's major tourism centers. Every year more than one hundred million people visit local resorts. Nature of the Alpine mountains attracts not only fans of extreme sports. Fresh air, healing properties of the springs and unique local culture provide a continuous flow of tourists at any time of the year.

Sights of the Alps

Most tourists go to the Alps to admire the unique views, try their hand at downhill skiing and swim in local springs. But the Alpine region is a place where several European cultures meet at once. There are interesting objects of architectural, historical and religious value here.

Air travel and ticket prices

There are no major airports in the immediate vicinity of the Alps. Air carriers sometimes operate flights to Bolzano (Italy) and Innsbruck (Austria), but these services are seasonal. Most tourists prefer to book a ticket to one of the nearest major airports and travel the rest of the way by bus or train.

The easiest way to get to the Alps is from international airports located in the following cities:

1. Munich;
2. Milan;
3. Verona;
4. Innsbruck;
5. Salzburg;
6. Venice;
7. Vein;
8. Bolzano;
9. Bologna;
10. Klagenfurt;
11. Friedrichshafen;
12. Bergamo;
13. Brescia.

The most convenient routes for Russian tourists run through the airports of Munich and Milan. They are connected by regular flights to the largest cities of Russia. Depending on the distance of the selected alpine resort, the journey to it from the airport can take from 1 to 2 hours.

The route from Munich to the popular ski regions can be covered by car: the city is connected to the Alps by three modern autobahns. From Munich Airport to the mountains it is convenient to travel by commuter train on the S-Banh line. In this case, you will be there in 40 minutes.

If you decide to visit the western part of the Alps, then your route will run through the airports of Milan or Verona. Milan has good connections with Russian cities, but you will still have to get to the Alps through Verona. If you couldn’t find a direct flight to the city of Romeo and Juliet, don’t worry: the journey from Milan will be comfortable. Both international airports in the Italian fashion capital have direct buses to Milan Central Station, where you can purchase a ticket to Verona.

The road from Verona to the Alpine resorts can be covered by car, spending about two hours on the trip, or by train. Trains run from 5 am to 10 pm, leaving the platform every half hour. Tickets cost from 10 euros, and you will have to spend another 1.5-2 hours on the road.

Location of the Alps mountain system on the world map

(the boundaries of the mountain system are approximate)

The Alps are the highest and longest mountain range among the systems entirely located in Europe. At the same time, the Caucasus Mountains are higher, and the Ural Mountains are longer, but they also lie on the territory of Asia.

The Alps are a complex system of ridges and massifs, stretching in a convex arc to the northwest from the Ligurian Sea to the Middle Danube Lowland.

The Alps are located on the territory of 8 countries: France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Slovenia. The total length of the Alpine arc is about 1200 km (along the inner edge of the arc about 750 km), the width is up to 260 km. The highest peak of the Alps is Mont Blanc with an altitude of 4810 meters above sea level, located on the border of France and Italy. In total, there are about 100 four-thousander peaks concentrated in the Alps.

Where are the Alps: interesting facts about the mountains

(from the English off shore, located at a distance from the shore; outside the territory of the country) a business center that provides preferential treatment for financial and credit operations.

Since the end of the 18th century, St. Petersburg in Russian literature was called Northern Palmyra, comparing it in wealth and beauty with southern Palmyra on the territory of this country

SLOVAKIA

on the coat of arms of this country there are three blue mountains - Tatra, Matra and Fatra

ancient country on the territory of Armenia

other country on the territory of Armenia

FENNOSCANDIA

natural country in northern Europe, on the territory of the Scandinavian and Kola Peninsulas, Finland and Russia (Karelia)

ancient country on the territory of Uzbekistan

GENGISH KHAN

he was born in Eastern Siberia, on the territory of the present Chita district of the Transbaikal region, and died at his summer headquarters in the mountains of the present Chinese province of Gansu

ancient country inhabited by Etruscans; was located on the territory of modern Tuscany

METROPOLIS

City-state - polis - in relation to the settlements it founded on the territory of other countries (in Ancient Greece)

ancient country on the territory of Azerbaijan

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Where are the Alps?

Where are the Alps? Coordinates, map and photo.

The Alps are located in Central Europe
and are located in the territories of southern Austria, northern Italy, the southern half of Switzerland and the eastern outskirts of France.

In the map below, the Alps are highlighted in a darker color than the adjacent plains. To see the snow-capped ridges of the Alps, switch the map to “Satellite” mode in the upper corner.

Coordinates:
46.5082512 northern latitude
10.8489056 east longitude

Alps on an interactive map, which can be controlled:

Alps are on the list: mountains

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Alps Mountains: description, where they are on the map, photos, height, peaks

Alps- the highest mountains of Western Europe - occupy part of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Slovenia.

A complex system of ridges and massifs, stretching in a convex arc to the northwest from the Mediterranean Sea to the Middle Danube Plain. The length is approximately 1200 kilometers (along the inner edge of the arc about 750 kilometers). Width up to 260 kilometers. The transverse valley between Lake Constance and Lake Como is divided into the higher Western Alps (up to 4807 meters, Mont Blanc) and the lower and wider Eastern Alps (up to 4049 meters, Berdina).

In the Alps are the sources of the Rhine, Rhone, Po, Adige, and the right tributaries of the Danube. Numerous lakes of glacial and tectonic-glacial origin (Bodenskoe, Geneva, Como, Lago Maggiore and others).

The altitudinal zonation of the landscapes is well expressed. Up to an altitude of 800 meters, the climate is moderately warm, on the southern slopes it is Mediterranean, there are many vineyards, gardens, fields, Mediterranean shrubs and deciduous forests.

At an altitude of 800-1800 meters the climate is temperate and humid; broad-leaved forests of oak and beech are gradually replaced upward by coniferous forests. Up to an altitude of 2200-2300 meters, the climate is subalpine, cold, with long-lasting snow. Shrubs and tall grass meadows predominate; summer pastures. Higher up, to the border of eternal snow, there is an alpine belt with a cold climate, a predominance of low-grass sparse alpine meadows, covered with snow most of the year. Even higher is the nival belt with glaciers, snowfields, and rocky slopes.

The Alps are an area of ​​international mountaineering, tourism, and skiing.

Main ski resorts: Megeve (France), Chamonix (France), Courchevel (France), Zermatt (Switzerland), Grindelwald (Switzerland), St. Moritz (Switzerland), Davos (Switzerland), Lech (Austria), St. Anton ( Austria), Kitzbühel (Austria), Seefeld (Austria), Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany).

Photos of the Alps mountains:

Where are they located on the map:

Alps or Alpine mountains- the highest and longest mountain range among systems entirely located in Europe.

The snow-capped Alpine mountain range forms a massive barrier between Northern and Southern Europe.

Alpine countries

Some of the highest peaks of the Alps are in Germany, France and Italy, but most of them are within the three Alpine countries: Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria. The ice and rocks of the peaks give way to green alpine pastures, colored in summer with bright herbs. They descend to forested valleys and deep lakes.

The melting snows of the Alps feed the largest rivers in Western Europe: the Rhine, Rhone, Po and the Inn-Danube system.

Switzerland is a small country divided into cantons. Here you can hear four languages: French, German, Italian and English. Although Switzerland has few natural resources other than hydropower, it has become a wealthy country thanks to the production of watches and precision instruments. It is a center for banking and tourism. Impressive mountain landscapes with lakes, waterfalls and colorful villages attract athletes in winter and holidaymakers in summer. Switzerland is a neutral country that has not participated in European wars since 1815.

The capital, Geneva, is the headquarters of many international organizations, including the International Red Cross and the World Health Organization.

East of Switzerland is Liechtenstein- a tiny German-speaking state that was able to maintain independence from its larger neighbors.

It is a monarchy, but the elected government makes the laws. It has close ties to Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its currency.

Passes and tunnels in the Alps

Getting across the Alps has always been very problematic and dangerous.

Now the roads to the south pass through deep tunnels cut into the rocks.

• Simplon Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy, the world's longest railway tunnel, opened in 1922. Its length is 19.8 km.
• Gotthard Tunnel(16.4 km long), built in 1980, holds the record for the longest road tunnel.

Where is it located and how to get there

Address: Europe, Alps

The Alps are a mountain system in Europe on the map

GPS coordinates: 46.01667,11.18333

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The Alps Mountains are one of the largest mountain ranges in Europe, extending from Austria and Slovenia to the east
The highest peak of the Alps is Mont Blanc with a height of 4807 m, the Alps mountains are on the French-Italian border.

The Alps are generally divided into Western and Eastern Alps, the division being along the line between Lake Como and Lake Constance, along the Rhine River. The Western Alps are located in Italy and France, and the Eastern Alps are located in Austria, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein and Slovenia. In Switzerland, both parts.

The highest point of the western part is Mont Blanc in France (4807 m), followed by Monte Rosa (4634 m) and the Matterhorn in Switzerland (4478 m) and Bernina on the Italian-Swiss border (4052 m). The Alps are 1000 km long and up to 250 km wide. 28.5% of the Alps are located in Austria, followed by Italy (27.2%) and France (20.7%).

View of the Alps

The Matterhorn in Switzerland is one of the most famous Alpine peaks.

The Alps have a total of 82 peaks over 4,000 m high, 55 of them entirely in Italy, France and Switzerland, and 27 are border peaks.

Rivers and lakes

The longest rivers that flow through the Alps are the Yin and the Drava. The lakes in the Alps were formed by ancient glaciers, there are still glaciers, but they are only the tip. The most beautiful lakes in the Alps are Lago di Maggiore, which comes from the flow of the Po River, and Lake Garda, located on the banks of the Adige River.

Climate

The climate is mountainous. The average annual rainfall in the Alps is 1450 mm.

The Alps are divided into five climate zones, each with a different type of environment. The climate, plants and animals are different in different parts or regions of the mountain.

The area, which is more than 3,000 m, is called the "glacial snow zone". This area, which has the coldest climate, is constantly covered with compressed snow.
Alpine tundra is located at an altitude between 2000 and 000 m3. This zone is warmer than the Neva region. Here you can find wild flowers and herbs.

A little lower is the subalpine zone - from 1500 to 2000 m above sea level. Here the temperature slowly rises, beginning to meet fir and spruce forests.
At an altitude of approximately 1000 to 1500 m, arable land is occupied. Oak forests are common in this area, but also a place for agricultural production.

Below 1000 m of lowland. There is a much greater diversity of plants occurring there. Human settlements are also in the lowlands, because the temperature is more tolerable - both for people and animals.

Nature

Vegetation zones in the Alps gradually changed with the ascent of the mountain. The natural height limit of vegetation is determined by the main types of deciduous trees - oak, beech, ash and sycamore. They do not reach the same level, or even frequently come together, but their upper limit corresponds exactly enough to the transition from temperate to cold climates, which also indicates a change in herbaceous vegetation. This limit is usually located at about 1200 m above sea level - on the northern side of the Alps, while the southern slopes often rise to 1500 m, sometimes even up to 1700 m.

This area is not always marked by the presence of characteristic trees. Human intervention has almost destroyed them in many areas, with the exception of beech forests in the Austrian Alps; deciduous forests are rare. In many areas where it once existed such forests have now been replaced by pine and spruce, which are less vulnerable to destruction by goats, which are the worst enemies of such trees.

Forests are often small, squat, which in turn have been replaced by bushes - usually Rhododendron ferrugineum (on more acidic soils), or Rhododendron hirsutum (on more alkaline soils). Above them there are alpine meadows, and even higher the vegetation becomes increasingly sparse. In the Alps some plants over 4,000 m have been recorded, including Ranunculus glacialis (type buttercup), Androsace Alpina and Saxifraga biflora.

The most common animal in the Alps is the Alpine marmot. In addition, eagles, Alpine ibex, chamois, Cory crow, Alpine zavirushka, bearded vulture, brown bear, lynx, deer, wolf and tundra partridge. There are 14 national parks in the Alps, which contain approximately 30,000 animal species.

Story

In 1991, the preserved mummy of a man who lived around 3300 BC was found in the Alps. In 218 BC. The Carthaginian commander Hannibal launched a campaign into Gaul and the Alps with an army and war elephants to invade the Roman Empire from the north. About half of the soldiers who die during the transition period. However, Hannibal won the Battle of Ticino.

In 46/47, the Romans built the first Roman road in the Alps - Via Claudia Augusta - Connecting Augsburg (then Augusta Castres) to Venice through the Alps, through a pass resolved. The road was wide enough for ATVs to pass. Many roads were built in the Alps. By the 11th century, many of them were destroyed.
In the 18th century, many new roads were built to allow traders to quickly transport goods and quickly carry weapons during the Napoleonic Wars.

On May 16, 1854, the first railway in the Alps opened - between Vienna and Graz. In 1882, the 15 mile Gotthard Tunnel was opened, through which trains travel from Lucerne to Milan. Thus, the transit time is reduced by several days from eight to ten hours. Today it is less than four hours by train and less than three hours by car.

On September 23, 1910, Peruvian-French aviator Geo Chavez became the first to fly over the Alps, but crashed shortly before landing. In 1913, the Swiss Oscar Bider duplicated the field and landed successfully.

On December 24, 1934, the first modern ski lift opens in Davos. The first season was used from October by 70,000 tourists. In 1908, the first cable car was put into operation in Bolzano. In 1974 the first motorway across the Alps was completed connecting Innsbruck and Modena.

Where are the Alps mountains located?

Alps or Alpine mountains- the highest and longest mountain range among systems entirely located in Europe.

The snow-capped Alpine mountain range forms a massive barrier between Northern and Southern Europe.

Alpine countries

Some of the highest peaks of the Alps are in Germany, France and Italy, but most of them are within the three Alpine countries: Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria. The ice and rocks of the peaks give way to green alpine pastures, colored in summer with bright herbs. They descend to forested valleys and deep lakes.

The melting snows of the Alps feed the largest rivers in Western Europe: the Rhine, Rhone, Po and the Inn-Danube system.

Switzerland is a small country divided into cantons. Here you can hear four languages: French, German, Italian and English. Although Switzerland has few natural resources other than hydropower, it has become a wealthy country thanks to the production of watches and precision instruments. It is a center for banking and tourism. Impressive mountain landscapes with lakes, waterfalls and colorful villages attract athletes in winter and holidaymakers in summer. Switzerland is a neutral country that has not participated in European wars since 1815.

The capital, Geneva, is the headquarters of many international organizations, including the International Red Cross and the World Health Organization.

East of Switzerland is Liechtenstein- a tiny German-speaking state that was able to maintain independence from its larger neighbors. It is a monarchy, but the elected government makes the laws. It has close ties to Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its currency.

Passes and tunnels in the Alps

Getting across the Alps has always been very problematic and dangerous.

Now the roads to the south pass through deep tunnels cut into the rocks.

• Simplon Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy, the world's longest railway tunnel, opened in 1922. Its length is 19.8 km.
• Gotthard Tunnel(16.4 km long), built in 1980, holds the record for the longest road tunnel.

Geographical position

The Alps have been studied in great detail. Since the middle of the last century, scientists from different countries have studied them deeply and comprehensively. Using the example of the Alps, the structural features of the Cenozoic mountain systems of Europe were studied and their canopy (cover) structure was noted for the first time, a diagram of Quaternary mountain glaciation was created, and the patterns of mountain climate and vegetation were studied. Many research results obtained in the Alps were then used in the study of other mountain systems. The Alps provided rich material for the development of geography and related sciences. Concepts such as “alpine folding”, “alpine meadows”, and finally even “mountain climbing” have long become not regional, but common nouns.

Switzerland and Austria are located entirely on the territory of the Alpine mountainous country. Its northern parts are within the Federal Republic of Germany, its western parts are within France, and its southern parts are within Italy. The eastern spurs of the Alps extend into the territory of Hungary, the southeastern ridges into Slovenia. Sometimes they talk about the Swiss, French, Italian Alps, etc. However, this division according to the nationality of one or another part of the Alps does not always correspond to their natural differences.

Geological structure and relief

The geological structure, orography and geomorphological features of the region are very diverse. The Alps proper begin off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea with the system of the Maritime Alps, bordering the Apennines. Then they stretch along the border of France in the meridional direction in the form of the Cottian and Graian Alps, which are composed of crystalline rocks and reach great heights. The most notable massifs are Pelle Vu (4102 m), Gran Paradiso (4061 m) and the highest five-domed Mont Blanc (4807 m), located on the border between France, Italy and Switzerland. Toward the Padan Lowland, this part of the Alps drops off steeply, without foothills, and therefore looks especially grandiose from the east. From the west, a strip of high crystalline massifs is bordered by a system of mid-altitude mountain ranges composed of limestone. Such ridges are usually called the Pre-Alps.

In the middle part of the Alps, they are crossed by a deep tectonic valley that runs from Lake Constance to Lake Como. This is an important orographic and geographical boundary dividing the Alps into Western and Eastern. The Eastern Alps are wider and lower than the Western Alps, and their geological structure is also somewhat different. In the extreme east, the ridges of the Alps fan out, approaching the Danube in the north, and reaching the northwest of the Balkan Peninsula in the south. The highest is the axial zone of the ridges of the Eastern Alps, composed of crystalline rocks. But nowhere in the east do the Alps reach such heights as in the west. Only the Bernina massif in Italy slightly exceeds 4000 m, while the remaining peaks are much lower. The Ötztal Alps and the Hohe Tauern in Austria reach 3500-3700 m, and in the extreme east the height of the mountains rarely exceeds 2000 m. To the north and south of the central crystalline zone stretch the lower ridges of the Pre-Alps, composed of limestone, dolomite and flysch.

The Alpine mountain system, despite its height and considerable width, does not pose a serious obstacle to climbing. This is explained by the large tectonic and erosional dissection of the mountains, the abundance of convenient passages and passes. Since ancient times, the most important routes connecting the countries of Central Europe with the Mediterranean passed through the Alps. Currently, numerous railways and highways with busy traffic are laid through the Alps. The most important are the Frejus passes at an altitude of more than 2500 m, through which the road from Turin to Paris passes, and the Great Saint Bernard at an altitude of more than 2400 m between Mont Blanc and the Pennine Alps, connecting Switzerland with Italy. The Simplon and Saint Gotthard passes are also of great importance. The latter gained fame thanks to Suvorov’s unprecedented crossing of the Alps in 1799. In the Eastern Alps, the low (1371 m) Brenner Pass is most convenient. The first Alpine railway, built in 1867, passed through it. In the second half of the 19th century. Railways crossed almost all the most important Alpine passes. During the construction of these roads, it was necessary to build a large number of tunnels, as a result of which many features of the geological structure of the Alps were revealed. Currently, a tunnel has been built under Mont Blanc on the highway connecting France with Italy. The Alps arose as a result of the collision of the continental plates of Eurasia and Africa at the site of the closed part of Tethys. The result was extensive overturned nappe folds that included fragments of the oceanic crust that made up the ridges of the Alpine mountain system. A major role in the creation of the very diverse relief of the Alps, along with folding in the Mesozoic and Paleogene, was played by powerful vertical movements at the end of the Neogene - the beginning of the Quaternary period, and then by strong erosion activity and the impact of ancient glaciation, which was especially powerful in the Alps.

The strip of the highest ridges and massifs, composed of crystalline rocks and partly limestone, is distinguished by sharp, jagged lines of ridges with individual peaks eaten away by large cirques, steep, steep slopes devoid of vegetation, hanging deep valleys, and huge tongues of glaciers. The lower parts and marginal ridges of the Pre-Alps are characterized by a medium-altitude type of relief with rounded peaks and soft contours of the slopes. The valleys there are wide and terraced, with lake-like extensions. In the north, at the foot of the Alps, in the triangle between them, the Jura Mountains and the valley of the upper Danube, there is a foothill plateau 400-600 m high, composed of destruction products that were once carried down from the mountain slopes. This clastic material was assembled into surface folds during the final phases of orogenesis. The plateau is covered by thick accumulations of glacial deposits left by Alpine glaciers: terminal moraine ridges, accumulations of bottom moraine and masses of outwash sand. The Alpine foothill plateau is located within Switzerland and the Federal Republic of Germany. Accordingly, its smaller western part is called the Swiss Plateau, and the eastern part is called the Bavarian Plateau.

The Swiss plateau is bordered from the north by the Jurassic Mountains system, which is the leading chain of the Alpine mountain system. Parallel anticlinal ridges with a maximum height of more than 1700 m, composed of Jurassic limestones, separate wide longitudinal valleys filled with flysch. The ridges are crossed by narrow gorges that connect longitudinal valleys and create a lattice erosion network. The slopes and peaks of the Jura ranges are corroded by karst caves, sinkholes and underground rivers. The southern slopes of the Alps are devoid of foothills. In the east are the Pre-Alps, and in the west high crystalline massifs break off to the Padan Lowland, within which the southern outskirts of the Alpine mountain system are immersed. From the beginning of the Cenozoic, on the site of the lowland, there was a gulf of the Adriatic Sea, which was gradually filled with clastic material carried down from the Alps and Apennines; the basin drained towards the end of the Neogene. Most of the Padan Lowland is located below 100 m above sea level. At the foot of the mountains, the relief of the lowland is hilly, the surface is composed of coarse material, terminal moraine deposits and outwash sands. Towards the Po Valley, the surface is covered with a thin layer of alluvial sediments, and the relief becomes flatter. The Po River and many of its lower tributaries flow in natural levees above the surrounding area. When it flows into the Adriatic Sea, the Po forms a large, rapidly growing delta. Sand spits and islands are grouped along the flat lagoonal coast of the lowland. Venice is located in one of the lagoons on numerous islands separated by straits. The straits are streets, so Venice gives the impression of a city rising from the sea. Currently, there is a progressive subsidence of the coast, which threatens to flood a large part of the city.

Minerals

The Alpine mountainous country does not have large reserves of mineral raw materials. Minerals are concentrated in the Eastern Alps and are associated with rocks of the central crystalline zone. These are deposits of iron and copper ores and magnesite in Austria. In the basins of the Eastern Alps, sedimentary deposits contain small deposits of brown coal and salt.

Climatic conditions

The Alps, rising in the path of humid western air currents, are a large condenser of moisture. The northern and western marginal ridges receive especially a lot of precipitation, from 1500 to 3000 mm per year, foggy and cloudy weather prevails. Internal ridges, closed valleys and basins receive significantly less moisture (less than 1000 mm). The greatest amount of precipitation falls to an altitude of 1500-2000 m, where the zone of maximum cloudiness is located. Above this zone the weather is drier and clearer. On the slopes of the Alps, high-altitude climatic zonation is clearly expressed, manifested in the transition from the warm temperate and even subtropical climate of the southern foothills to the harsh high-mountain climate of the upper parts of the mountains with frequent frosts, snowstorms, snowfalls and powerful glaciation. There are characteristic differences in the climatic conditions of slopes of different exposures, closed valleys and basins. The latter have a climate with a distinct continental flavor, with winter temperature inversions and less rainfall.

The climate of the lowland areas located at the northern and southern foothills of the Alps is influenced to a certain extent by the mountains, which is primarily expressed in increased precipitation. The pre-Alpine plateau and Padan lowland receive from 800 to 1200 mm of precipitation per year. Both of these areas have a temperate climate with some continental features, only the climate of the Padan Plain is warmer and more favorable for agriculture than the climate of the Pre-Alpine Plateau.

Vegetation

The Alps are a forested region. However, the modern picture of their soil and vegetation cover is extremely variegated. This, on the one hand, is the result of natural conditions and the manifestation of altitudinal zonation; on the other hand, it is a consequence of a very profound change in natural conditions under the influence of man. The Bavarian Plateau, less populated than the Swiss, has deciduous and mixed forests interspersed with areas of peat bogs. Significant areas are cultivated. On the Swiss Plateau, with a warmer climate, the natural soil and vegetation cover was dominated by oak and beech forests on brown soils. But the natural landscapes there have hardly been preserved. The plateau is densely populated - almost the entire population of Switzerland is concentrated here. Most of the territory is occupied by grain crops, lush sown meadows and orchards. The most heat-loving crops, such as grapes, are planted along the shores of lakes. The slopes of the Jura Mountains are covered with beech forests. The valleys are inhabited and cultivated, the beautiful meadows on the tops of the ridges serve as summer pastures.

The natural vegetation of the Padan Lowland - beech forests on brown forest soils - has been completely destroyed. Its natural conditions are extremely favorable for agriculture, which is why it has long been inhabited and occupied by fields and vineyards. Laurels, pomegranate and fig trees, and cypresses grow in the gardens and around the villages. Fruit trees grow in the fields among the wheat and corn, and grapes often climb the trunks of elms and mulberries. 2-3 crops are harvested from the fields per year. This leads to severe depletion of the soil, the fertility of which is not restored. Therefore, many lands are gradually becoming unsuitable for further use.

The most complex picture is of the soil and vegetation cover of the Alps themselves, which can serve as a classic example of the altitudinal zonation of mountains in the oceanic sector of the temperate zone. The lower zone of the Alps, up to approximately 1000 m altitude, is very diverse in climate and vegetation cover, its conditions are close to those of the neighboring plains. In the south, Mediterranean influences are felt and subtropical soil and vegetation types can be found. In the west, oak, chestnut and beech forests on brown forest soils rise along the slopes, in the north there are less heat-loving mixed forests on podzolic soils, and from the east the forest-steppe approaches the Alps. This lower belt, which is the most populated and has significantly changed its natural vegetation cover, is called the cultural belt of the Alps.

At high altitudes, climatic conditions become more uniform. To an altitude of approximately 1800-2200 m, in a zone of moderate temperature and heavy rainfall, a belt of forests rises on mountain brown soils and podzolic soils. The composition of forests varies with altitude, as well as depending on the location and aspect of the slopes. In humid places, on the shady northern slopes, beech forest is common, often mixed with spruce. The higher, drier and sunny slopes are covered with beautiful spruce and fir forests. In many areas the forests have been cleared. On deforested slopes, soil erosion processes, avalanches and other phenomena that cause great damage intensify. The current upper limit of forests in the Alps, as a result of annual grazing in the subalpine zone, has been reduced by almost 100 m in height and is almost nowhere dependent on natural conditions.

Above the forest zone there is a subalpine zone, where shrub vegetation is combined with lush subalpine meadows and individual oppressed trees. The growth of trees is hampered by the short growing season, strong winds, and sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity. This belt is most favorable for the growth of herbs, which achieve exceptional lushness and beauty. Thickets of creeping or low-growing shrubs are also common, among which the most common are alpine rhododendron with bright red flowers, juniper and mountain pine with branches pressed to the ground. The Alpine belt proper at altitudes up to 2500-3000 m is characterized by a complete absence of woody vegetation, the predominance of low-growing, sparsely growing perennial grasses with bright flowers, forming so-called “carpets” (mattas), and the spread of swamps. The Alpine belt gradually turns into a belt of eternal snow and ice.