The Stelvio Pass is located in Italy at an altitude of 2757 meters, it is the highest asphalt pass in the eastern part of the Alps and the second highest in the Alps, second only to the Col de l'Iseran in France.
We put this road on the first place in the list of the most beautiful roads in the world. Stelvio is located in the Italian Alps of Bormio in the province of Sondrio, near the border with Switzerland. The Peak of Three Languages hangs over the road, so named because Italian, German and Romance languages meet here.
The history of this road is quite interesting. The first road was built here in 1820 during the Austrian Empire to connect Lombardy with the rest of Austria, it covered the rise up to 1871 meters. Since then, the route has hardly changed. Out of 60 sharp turns, 48 are located on the north side, presenting a real challenge for motorists. Even the famous racing driver Stirling Moss lost control here and flew off the track in 1990
During the Second World War, this pass had a very important strategic importance, but after the end of the battles it lost it. Now it is important mainly for sports; it hosts numerous bicycles, moto and auto races. Every year at the end of August, the road is closed for a full day and approximately 8000 cyclists begin their ascent to the summit of Stelvio.
Stelvio was named the best road for driving in the famous Top Gear show. True, only European roads participated in the selection. After some time, the presenters decided that Stelvio was still inferior to the Romanian Transfagarasan road.
Nowadays, almost every tourist traveling by car from Switzerland to Italy tries to drive along this road and experience an exciting sensation and adrenaline rush. 
Dividing into two climatically different parts, there are three mountain passages that connect the east and west coast. On South mountain range located, in the center of the alpine, well, further in the north mountain range, Lewis Pass lies. The height of the Lewis Pass is 864 meters above sea level. It is slightly inferior to the highest Arthur pass, but higher than the Haast pass. Route 7 passes through the Lewis Pass, through extensive beech forests, and connects the region with the West Coasts. The Lewis Pass is located between two mountain rivers. The Maruya River flows in the northwest, and the Lewis River flows from the southeast. On both sides of the pass there is a dense beech forest as a result of the humid climate and frequent rains. During the last ice age, the valleys around the pass were covered with ice, which, after melting, left behind deposits of moraine and gravel.
The terrain around the pass is less steep and more open than other Alpine passes and therefore the Lewis Pass route is considered the main route for transport links between Canterbury and. The road from to the pass takes two and a half hours, and you can reach it in an hour and a half. Sixty-six kilometers west of the Lewis Pass is a mining town with a history of gold mining and gold rush. Reefton is also known for being the first city in and throughout the Southern Hemisphere to have its streets lit with electrical energy in 1888.
The area around the Lewis Pass is a protected area and is protected by the state, and is also used for tourism purposes. There are a number of tourist attractions around the pass. route-tracks... Not far from the pass there is a very tiny resort village Mauria Springs. It is located on the banks of the Maruiya River, surrounded by tall, snow-capped mountain peaks, among a dense beech forest. There are beautiful views of pristine nature, a breathtaking contemplation of the river and mighty mountain peaks, a resort famous for its hot mineral springs that hit deep from the ground, as well as an indoor pool, outdoor pools built from local river stone, a bathhouse, a hotel, a restaurant, a cafe and wireless Internet(in the cafe). In the Maori language, Maruya means sheltered or shady, which indicates its location, deep in the valley, between the mountains.
The mountain pass in the northern part of the Southern Alps was famous for the local Maori. They knew about it for a long time and used it. The Maori walked through it from Canterbury to the West Coast in search of greenstone. In the area of the Mauria River, the first settlers discovered Maori sites. The first of the Europeans to discover the passage through the mountains was provincial surveyor Henry Lewis, together with Christopher Maling, in April 1860. The pass was named after the pioneer. When it began, the prospectors were crossing from Canterbury west along the Lewis Pass. But this version is being questioned. In the early years of European colonization of the islands, the area around was the most isolated place in New Zealand. Communication with the outside world was limited by sea. The land road from Christchurch to Nelson was nearly two hundred miles in length. In the eighties, the route through the pass was surveyed and the construction of the road began. It took a long time to build it, the construction was completed in 1938. The road connected Canterbury with West coast and Nelson and played a huge role in the development of New Zealand.
Admit it, and sometimes you have a desire to visit and see something that is the very best? Especially if it is related to your hobby. So we, being in Nice and intending to drive through the Alps to the north, were going to ride the highest pass in Europe - Col de la bonette.
Col de la Bonette is a road pass 2802 meters above sea level, located in France and national park Mercantour. In fact, the height of Col de la Bonette is 2715 meters, but those who reached that peak have the opportunity to make another small ascent along a circular route to the peak of Mount Cime de la Bonette, and that's where the height reaches those same 2802 meters ... But that's not all. Everyone can climb the peak on foot, where the height will be about 2860 meters. Which is what we did.
That day began at the hotel in the town of Jausiers. The Col de la Bonette pass connects this city with another - Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée.
But we didn’t have to go through the entire pass, but only to get to the highest point of the pass, drive around the Cime de la Bonette peak and drive back.
If you do not take into account the same circular high route then Col de la Bonette is the fourth highest European pass. Above it is Col de l "Iseran (2770 m), the famous Stelvio Pass (2757 m) and Col Agnel (2744 m).
By the way, in Europe there is a road and higher than all of the above. It is located in Spain, near Granada. The road to the peak of Mount Veleta in the Sierra Nevada mountains rises to a height of 3392 meters. But this road is not a pass, it is just a dead-end asphalt road. Actually, the Cime de la Bonette is not a pass either, it is just a ring around a mountain peak.
The Col de la Bonette pass is 26 kilometers long.
The average angle of elevation is about 6.4%, the maximum is just over 10% in one place.
Alpine marmots - mormots can be found in these places. Although it is a great success to see them in crowded places. In one place, somewhere in the middle of our ascent, I went out to make a shot, and noticed movement below. It was a big fat marmot! I froze for about five seconds, watching him, and when he began to hide, I came to my senses, took a couple of frames and began to call my wife. But he was already hiding under the stones. In the photo below, you can only see his back. Will you find it?
For cycling fans, these places are iconic. The Tour de France, a multi-day cycling race, takes place along the mountain passes of France. This is the highest pass on which the Tour de France was held, it was four times: in 1962, 1964, 1993 and 2008. But the rest of the time there are a lot of cyclists in sports equipment.
Somewhere along the way, be sure to pass by such a small lake, in which small fish peacefully swim:
On the other side of the road from the lake this view:
Also somewhere nearby. I wonder what this house is used for?
And a little higher there is a whole camp. A kind of wild camping in the mountains:
But now, we drove up to the very high point pass, and then climbed the Cime de la Bonette. Here, at an altitude of more than 2700 meters, the following views open up:
A fragment of the road around the Cime de la Bonette. This group of exotic cars did something like a blog tour :) All cars have the same stickers with sponsors:
Who knows what these cars are? We found out that these are Wiesmann cars. They assemble cars piece by hand. Not cheap cars, and all the same there is a queue of people willing to buy them. And in the Alps, their event is held called "Route des grandes Alpes".
People come here by completely different types of transport. I have already mentioned cyclists, besides them there are many bikers and traveling in mobile homes. Lovers of exotic and antiquity can come and on this:
Or on this:
We leave the car at the bottom and walk upstairs:
Alpine plank-check. Apparently, this is the top of the mountain. By the way, the color of the sky is not a polaric, I didn't have a polaric on my new wide angle lens,
Geographical position
The Alps have been studied in great detail. Since the middle of the last century, scientists different countries deeply and comprehensively researched them. On the example of the Alps, the structural features of the Cenozoic mountain systems of Europe were studied and their nimble (cover) structure was noted for the first time, a scheme of Quaternary mountain glaciation was created, and the patterns of mountain climate and vegetation were studied. Many of the research results obtained in the Alps were then used in the study of other mountain systems. The Alps provided the richest material for the development of geography and related sciences. Concepts such as “alpine folding”, “alpine meadows”, and finally, even “mountaineering” have long since become not regional, but common nouns.
Switzerland and Austria are entirely located on the territory of the Alpine mountainous country. Its northern parts are part of the Federal Republic of Germany, the western parts are within France, the southern parts are Italy. The eastern spurs of the Alps enter the territory of Hungary, the southeastern ridges - into Slovenia. Sometimes they talk about the Swiss, French, Italian Alps, etc. However, this division by 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 themselves begin off the coast Mediterranean Sea the system of the Alpes-Maritimes bordering the Apennines. Then they stretch along the border of France in the meridional direction in the form of the Cotta and Gray Alps, which are composed of crystalline rocks and reach great heights. The massifs of Pel-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, stand out especially. In the direction of the Padanskaya lowland, this part of the Alps drops off abruptly, 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 medium-altitude mountain ranges, composed of limestones. These ridges are commonly referred to as the Prealps.
From the Mont Blanc massif, the Alps turn sharply to the east, reaching the limit of the average height in Switzerland. There are two parallel rows of powerful ridges, composed of crystalline rocks and limestones. Especially majestic are the Bernese and Pennine Alps, separated by the longitudinal valley of the upper Rhone. In this part of the mountains, the glacier-covered massifs of the Jungfrau (more than 4000 m), Matterhorn (4477 m) and the second highest massif of the Alps - Monte Rosa (4634 m) rise. Slightly lower are the parallel ridges of the Lepontine and Glarne Alps, between which lies the valley of the upper Rhine. The Rhone and Rhine valleys are separated by the powerful Gotthard Massif, which is a mountainous knot and watershed of the Swiss Alps. From the north and south, a strip of high mountain ranges is accompanied by limestone and flysch Predalps (Swiss in the north and Lombard in the south).In the middle, the Alps are crossed by a deep tectonic valley that runs from Lake Constance to Lake Como. It is an important orographic and geographical border that divides the Alps into Western and Eastern. The Eastern Alps are wider and lower than the Western ones; their geological structure is also somewhat different. In the extreme east, the ridges of the Alps diverge in a fan-like manner, approaching the Danube in the north, and going north-west in the south. Balkan Peninsula... The highest is the axial zone of the Eastern Alps ridges, composed of crystalline rocks. But nowhere in the east does the Alps reach such heights as in the west. Only the Bernina massif in Italy slightly exceeds 4000 m, while the rest of the 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, there are less high Prealp ridges, composed of limestone, dolomite and flysch.
The Alpine mountain system, despite its height and considerable width, does not pose a serious obstacle to the ascent. This is due to the large tectonic and erosional dissection of the mountains, the abundance of convenient passages and passes. Since ancient times, the most important routes have passed through the Alps, connecting the countries of Central Europe with the Mediterranean. Today, numerous railways and highways with heavy traffic are laid across the Alps. The most important are the Frejus passes, at an altitude of over 2,500 m, through which the road from Turin to Paris runs, and the Greater Saint Bernard, at an altitude of over 2,400 m, between Mont Blanc and the Pennine Alps, which connects Switzerland with Italy. The Simplon and Saint Gotthard passes are also of great importance. The latter became famous thanks to the unparalleled crossing of Suvorov across 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. The construction of these roads required a large number of tunnels to be built, as a result of which many features were identified. geological structure Alps. At present, 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 on the site of the closed part of the Tethys. This resulted in extensive overturned napkin folds that include fragments of oceanic crust that make up the ridges of the Alpine mountain system. An important role in the creation of a 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 - early Quaternary, and then by strong erosional 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 limestones, is distinguished by sharp, jagged lines of ridges with individual peaks, eaten by large cirques, steep, steep slopes devoid of vegetation, hanging deep valleys, huge tongues of glaciers. The lower parts and marginal ridges of the Prealps are characterized by a medium-altitude relief with rounded peaks and soft outlines of slopes. The valleys there are wide and terraced, with lake-like extensions. In the north, at the foot of the Alps, in a triangle between them, the Jura Mountains and the valley of the upper Danube, there is a foothill plateau 400-600 m high, composed of the products of destruction that were once taken down from the mountain slopes. This debris is collected in superficial folds during the final phases of orogeny. The plateau is covered with powerful accumulations of glacial deposits left by alpine glaciers: end-moraine ramparts, 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.
The Swiss plateau from the north is bordered by the Jura Mountains system, which is the advanced chain of the Alpine mountain system. Parallel anticlinal ridges with a maximum height of more than 1700 m, composed of Jurassic limestones, separate longitudinal wide valleys filled with flysch. The ridges are crossed by narrow gorges connecting longitudinal valleys to each other and creating a lattice erosional network. The slopes and tops of the Jura ridges are eaten away karst caves, funnels and underground rivers... The southern slopes of the Alps are devoid of foothills. In the east, the Prealps, and in the west, high crystalline massifs break off to the Padan lowland, within which the southern outskirts of the Alpine mountain system are submerged. From the beginning of the Cenozoic, in the place of the lowland there was a gulf of the Adriatic Sea, which was gradually filled with debris carried from the Alps and the Apennines; the pool was drained by the end of the Neogene. Most of Padanskaya 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-grained material, finite-moraine deposits and outwash sands. Towards the Po valley, the surface is covered with a thin layer of alluvial sediments, the relief becomes flatter. The Po River and many of its lower tributaries flow in natural dams above the surrounding area. When it flows into the Adriatic Sea, the Po forms a large, fast-growing delta. Along the flat lagoon coast, lowlands group sand spits and islands. 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 sinking of the coastline, which threatens to flood a significant part of the city.
Minerals
Alpine Mountain country does not have large reserves of mineral raw materials. Mineral resources are concentrated in the Eastern Alps and are associated with the rocks of the central crystalline zone. These are deposits of iron and copper ores and magnesite in Austria. In the depressions 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. Inner 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 cloud cover is located. Above this zone, the weather is drier and clearer. On the slopes of the Alps, the 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 alpine climate of the upper parts of the mountains with frequent frosts, blizzards, snowfalls and powerful glaciation. Differences in climatic conditions of slopes of different exposure, closed valleys and hollows are characteristic. The latter have a climate with a distinct continental hue, winter temperature inversions and less precipitation.
V winter time the Alps accumulate a huge mass of snow. In some years, there is such a quantity that the alpine passes become inaccessible, and traffic on railways and highways stops for some time. In spring, avalanches occur in many areas, with the avalanche risk being exacerbated by excessive deforestation. Local winds are characteristic of the Alps, of which the hair dryers are of particular importance, which occur during the transitional seasons due to the difference in pressure on the northern and southern slopes. On northern slopes hair dryers appear as dry and warm downdrafts, bringing warm and clear weather, accelerating the melting of snow and the onset of spring, and in the fall, contributing to the ripening of crops. But sometimes the effects of hair dryers are catastrophic, as the increased melting of snows causes floods, landslides and destruction of roads.
The climate of the flat regions located at the northern and southern foothills of the Alps is influenced by the mountains, which, first of all, is expressed in an increase in precipitation. The pre-Alpine plateau and the Padan lowland receive from 800 to 1200 mm of precipitation per year. Both of these regions have a temperate climate with some features of continentality, 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 forest region. However, the modern picture of their soil and vegetation cover is extremely variegated. On the one hand, this is the result of natural conditions and the manifestation of altitudinal zonality; on the other hand, it is a consequence of a very profound change in natural conditions under the influence of man. The Bavarian Plateau, which is less populated than the Swiss, has deciduous and mixed forests alternating with peat bogs. Considerable areas are cultivated. On the Swiss plateau with a warmer climate, oak-beech forests on burozems predominated in the natural soil and vegetation cover. But natural landscapes there are almost no preserved ones. The plateau is densely populated - almost the entire population of Switzerland is concentrated here. Most of the territory is occupied by crops of grain, lush seeded meadows and orchards. The most thermophilic 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 at the top of the ridges serve as summer pastures.
The natural vegetation of the Padan Lowland - beech forests on forest brown soils - has been completely destroyed. Her natural conditions extremely favorable for agriculture, so it has long been inhabited and occupied by fields and vineyards. Laurels, pomegranate and fig trees, cypresses grow in the gardens and around the villages. In the fields among wheat and corn, fruit trees rise, grapes often twine along the trunks of elms and mulberries. 2-3 harvests per year are taken from the fields. 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 is the picture 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 belt of the Alps, up to an altitude of 1000 m, is very diverse in climate and vegetation, its conditions are close to those of the neighboring plains. In the south, the influence of the Mediterranean is felt and subtropical soil and vegetation types can be found. In the west, oak, chestnut and beech forests rise along the slopes on brown forest soils, in the north there are less thermophilic mixed forests on podzolic soils, and a forest-steppe approaches the Alps from the east. This lower belt, the most populated and significantly changed its natural vegetation cover, is called the cultural belt of the Alps.
On high altitude climatic conditions become more monotonous. To an altitude of about 1800-2200 m in a zone of moderate temperature and abundant precipitation, a belt of forests rises on mountain burozems and podzolic soils. The composition of forests varies with height, as well as with the location and exposure of the slopes. In humid places, on the shady northern slopes, there is a beech forest, often with an admixture of spruce. Higher, drier and sunny slopes are covered with beautiful spruce and fir forests. Forests have been cleared in many areas. On deforested slopes, soil erosion processes, avalanche activity and other phenomena that cause great damage are increasing. The modern upper border of forests in the Alps, as a result of the annual grazing in the subalpine belt, is reduced by almost 100 m in height and almost does not depend on natural conditions anywhere.
Above the forest zone, a subalpine belt stands out, where shrub vegetation is combined with lush subalpine meadows and individual oppressed trees. The growth of trees is impeded by the short growing season, strong winds, sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity. This belt is most favorable for the growth of herbs that achieve exceptional splendor and beauty. Thickets of creeping or low-growing shrubs are also widespread, among which the most common are the Alpine rhododendron with bright red flowers, juniper and mountain pine with branches pressed to the ground. The alpine belt proper at an altitude of up to 2500-3000 m is characterized by the complete absence of woody vegetation, the predominance of low-growing, rarely growing perennial grasses with bright flowers, forming the so-called "carpets" (mattas), and the spread of swamps. The Alpine belt gradually turns into a belt of eternal snow and ice.
The Alps are the highest and extensive system mountains in Europe, stretched for 1200 kilometers across eight countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland. Although the Caucasus Mountains are higher and the Ural Mountains are longer, they partially lie in Asia, and, accordingly, are not included in the comparison with the Alps within Europe.
Mountains are strongly influenced by their height and size. This difference is most clearly noticeable in nature, so ibex, that is, ibex, lives at an altitude of about 3,400 meters, and the Edelweiss plant grows in high mountainous rocky areas. Man lived in the Alps in the Paleolithic era.
Presumably, the earliest traces of human presence in the Alps were found on the Austro-Italian border in 1991; the remains of a mummified man were found in the mountains for about 5,000 years. In the 6th century BC, the Celts settled in the mountains, establishing the first settlements there that have survived to this day. Also, the Romans left their mark, the buildings of which are still found in modern cities Alps. The mountains gained popularity at the turn of the 18-19 centuries, when a stream of writers and artists rushed into the Alps, and this time is considered the golden age of mountaineering, active conquest of peaks by climbers from all over Europe began.
The Alpine region has a distinctive culture. Traditional farming, cheese making and woodworking still exist in the local villages. Tourism began to develop actively at the beginning of the 20th century, and now the mountains are visited by more than 120 million tourists a year. Also in the Alps was held the largest number Winter Olympic Games, in different time the host parties were: Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria and Germany.
The word Alps comes from the Latin, Moor Servius Honoratus, the ancient commentator of Virgil, writes that everything high mountains called the Celts - the Alps. This is the most likely theory about the origin of the name. Although there are many others, for example: Sextus Pompey Festus in his first book testifies that the name comes from Albus (white), and means the eternal snow on the tops of the mountains.
Geography
From space and on high-scale maps, the Alps resemble the shape of a crescent moon. With an uneven width, ranging from 800 kilometers in the east to 200 in the west. The average height of the mountain peaks is 2.5 kilometers. The Alpine system stretches from the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest to the north of the French Po basin, and descends eastward, passing next to Adriatic Sea... Countries with the largest alpine territories: Switzerland in the center and north, France with a large western part with an eastern tip and Italy with the entire southern side of the alpine crescent.
Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc in French) is a mountain located in the region of the northwestern Alps. Has 4810.90 m in height (last official measure in September 2009) is the most high mountain in the Alps, Italy, France and Central Europe in general. There are numerous glaciers on its tops.
The roads in the Alps have been paved by wars, trade, pilgrims and tourists. Depressions in mountainous regions with the most convenient passage are called passes, the most famous alpine passes are: Col de Il Seran, Brenner, Col de Tende, Mont Cenis, Great Saint Bernard Pass, Gotthard Pass, Semmiringa and Stelvio pass.
Alps on the map
Minerals
The Alps are an important source of minerals that have been mined here for thousands of years. In the 8-6 centuries BC, the Celts mined copper there, later the Romans discovered gold deposits, from where it was mined for minting coins, and with the development of industry in the Alps, they began to extract iron ore for steel production. Also in this vast mountainous region, other minerals are found, the most common: cinnabar, amethyst and quartz. Alpine crystals have been studied and collected for hundreds of years and began to qualify in the 18th century. And by the 20th, a special commission was created to control and standardize the names of alpine minerals.
Climate
The Alps are an important climatic dividing zone for Europe. In the north and west, relative to the mountains, there are territories with a temperate climate, in the south there are subtropical Mediterranean landscapes. Precipitation on the windward western and northwestern slopes is 1,500 - 2,000 mm, in places up to 4,000 mm per year. The Alpine mountains are characterized by a typical high-altitude climate. With increasing altitude, the temperature decreases. At around 3000 meters or more, the temperature does not exceed zero degrees Celsius, which contributes to the formation of glaciers there. In the Alps, there are the sources of large rivers (Rhine, Rhone, Po, Adige, right tributaries of the Danube), as well as numerous lakes of glacial and tectonic-glacial origin (Constance, Geneva, Como, Lago Maggiore and others).
Population
As of 2001, the total population of the Alps was 12 million, the bulk of which are French, Germans and Italians. Slovenes are also a significant community. The largest cities in the Alps are: Grenoble, located in France, with a population of 155,100 people, Innsbruck (Austria) - 127,000 people, Trento (Italy) - 116,893 people and Bolzano (Italy) - 98,100 people.
Geology and Hydrology
The Alps are part of an orogenic Tertiary belt called the Alpine-Himalayan chain, which extends almost continuously from the southwest to Asia, formed by the collision between the African and European plates.
The most important European rivers, such as the Po with its tributaries, the Rhine, Rhone, Adige, Brenta, Piave, Tagliamento, etc., start from the Alps. Also on the slopes of the Alps there are numerous lakes that feed on water from the mountains, such as Lake Geneva, Lake Constance, Lake Lugano, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Iseo, Lake Garda and many others. The Alps are also a reservoir fresh water with numerous glaciers.
Flights
Traveling to the Alps is best started from east to west, this is the most popular tourist option, in which you can look at various areas of the mountains and completely drive through the most picturesque region of Europe.
The easternmost point of the massif is located near Vienna, where are located international airports with regular flights from Moscow. From the airport in Vienna is constantly walking public transport linking the capital with other cities and popular tourist destinations.
Recreation
Tourism has long been well developed in the Alps. Back in the 18th century, prominent people traveled to the mountains to go to resorts “not for everyone”. Now the situation has changed and it is not at all necessary to have an impressive fortune to relax in the Alpine resorts.
These are small cheap hotels near a lake in the mountains, and medium - class recreation centers with large ski slopes and premium hotels in Swiss Alps with its own slopes and resorts.
