13. The Alps

How were the Alps formed?

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The Alps are a mountain range in Central Europe. They cover a distance of over one thousand kilometers. The Alps were formed when the African tectonic plate moved towards the north and collided with the European plate. As a result, a part of the European plate was folded and rose up in the form of a mountain range.

In the photograph on the right, you can see how the mountain range has been created as a result of folding. These kind of folded mountains are known in geography as orogenic mountains.

The Alps were formed only approximately twenty million years ago. In the history of the planet, this is a very short time – the planet itself is over five billion or 5 000 million years old.

Image on the right: The rocks of the mountain have become folded as the result of a collision between two tectonic plates. This is how the Alps were formed.

The Alps today

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Because the Alps are a relatively young mountain range, their mountains have not yet had time to erode and wear down. Because of this, the mountains of the Alps have steep ridges and sharp peaks.

At its highest, the mountain range reaches an elevation of five kilometers.

Nowadays, most of the habitation in the Alps is concentrated in the valley regions between mountains.

Moving from one valley to the next is made possible by the roads and tunnels that have been built over the years.

Nations of the Alps

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The Alps stretch over the borders of seven independent nations: France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Liechtenstein.

Out of these seven nations, only three are located entirely inside the mountain range. These three countries are Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria. Together, they are known as the Alpine countries.

The small nation of Liechtenstein is located between Switzerland and Austria. It is only 160 square kilometers in size. It is a semi-constitutional monarchy, which means that the nation's sovereign has an important role in its political decision-making.

Photographs from the Alps

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: The Alps are a popular destination for mountain climbers.
: A satellite image of the Alps. The black color is sea. Between the two seas, you can see Italy. The snowy peaks of the Alps can be seen in white.
: The peaks of the Alps as seen from an airplane. The peaks are often snowy and inhabitable for plants.
: Alps are snowy during the winter.
: The Alpine ibex lives on the ridges of the mountains.
: The Alpine marmot is a rodent.
: The Alps are full of beautiful landscapes.
: An Alpine village in the summer.
: Vienna is the capital of Austria.

Terminology

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THE ALPS
Term	Explanation
mountain range	A region that consists of multiple mountains.
tectonic plate	The planet's crust consists of several plates of rock that float on top of the planet's molten mantle.
orogenic mountain range	A mountain range that has been formed as the result of a collision between two tectonic plates. Also known as a "folded" mountain range.