Therefore, the term 'the Alps', as a reference to the mountains, is a misnomer. Īn alp refers to a high mountain pasture, typically near or above the tree line, where cows and other livestock are taken to be grazed during the summer months and where huts and hay barns can be found, sometimes constituting tiny hamlets. In modern languages the term alp, alm, albe or alpe refers to a grazing pastures in the alpine regions below the glaciers, not the peaks. In Roman times, 'Albania' was a name for the eastern Caucasus, while in the English languages 'Albania' (or 'Albany') was occasionally used as a name for Scotland, although it is more likely derived from the Latin word albus, the colour white.

Albania, a name not native to the region known as the country of Albania, has been used as a name for several mountainous areas across Europe. Īccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Latin Alpes might derive from a pre-Indo-European word * alb 'hill' 'Albania' is a related derivation. In his commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil, the late fourth-century grammarian Maurus Servius Honoratus says that all high mountains are called Alpes by Celts. Similarly, the river god Alpheus is also supposed to derive from the Greek alphos and means whitish. The Latin word Alpes could possibly come from the adjective albus ('white'), or could possibly come from the Greek goddess Alphito, whose name is related to alphita, the 'white flour' alphos, a dull white leprosy and finally the Proto-Indo-European word *albʰós. The English word Alps comes from the Latin Alpes. It often includes several huts and small places of worship (here the Alpe Bardughè in Ticino). See also: Albion § Etymology An 'Alp' refers to a high elevation pasture frequented only in summer. As of 2010, the region is home to 14 million people and has 120 million annual visitors. The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, Italian, Austrian and German Alps. The traditional culture of farming, cheesemaking, and woodworking still exists in Alpine villages, although the tourist industry began to grow early in the 20th century and expanded greatly after World War II to become the dominant industry by the end of the century. The Alpine region has a strong cultural identity.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, and artists, in particular, the Romantics, followed by the golden age of alpinism as mountaineers began to ascend the peaks of the Alps. In 1800, Napoleon crossed one of the mountain passes with an army of 40,000. Hannibal notably crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. īy the 6th century BC, the Celtic La Tène culture was well established. A mummified man ('Ötzi'), determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the Austrian–Italian border in 1991. Wildlife such as ibex live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m (11,155 ft), and plants such as edelweiss grow in rocky areas in lower elevations as well as in higher elevations.Įvidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the Palaeolithic era. The altitude and size of the range affect the climate in Europe in the mountains, precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones. The Alpine region area contains 128 peaks higher than 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) is the highest mountain in the Alps. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. The Alpine arch extends from Nice on the western Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin. The Alps ( / æ l p s/) are the highest and most extensive mountain range that is entirely in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. The Dolomites (Italy) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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