Swiss Alps

The Swiss Alps are a large, beautiful part of Switzerland. They are one of the three main natural areas of the country, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss part of the Jura Mountains. The Swiss Alps stretch across both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, covering a part called the Central Alps.

Many of the tallest mountains in the whole Alps are in the Swiss Alps. Some famous peaks include Dufourspitze, Dom, Liskamm, Weisshorn, and Matterhorn. You can see more of these tall mountains in the list of mountains of Switzerland.

Since the Middle Ages, moving through the Alps has been very important. The area north of the St Gotthard Pass became the center of the Swiss Confederacy in the early 1300s.

Geography

See also: Geography of Switzerland

The Swiss Alps cover a large part of Switzerland, about 60% of the land. But Switzerland is only a small part—about 14%—of all the Alps mountains. Many very tall mountains, called "four-thousanders" because they are over 4,000 meters high, are in the Swiss Alps.

Glaciers in the Swiss Alps take up about 3% of Switzerland's land. These icy areas help shape the mountains and supply water.

The Swiss Alps are south of the Swiss Plateau and share borders with several countries, including France, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein. Some parts of the Alps are only in Switzerland, while others stretch into these neighboring countries.

Ranges

The Alps are usually split into two main parts: the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps. The Western Alps cover much of Switzerland, while the Eastern Alps are smaller and mostly in the canton of Graubünden. Some of the tallest mountain ranges in Switzerland are the Pennine, Bernese, and Bernina Range. The Appenzell Alps are the lowest, with heights up to 2,500 meters.

Western Alps

Eastern Alps

Hydrography

See also: Valleys of the Alps

Rivers

See also: List of rivers in Switzerland

Rivers on the north side of the Swiss Alps flow into the Rhône, Rhine, and Inn, while rivers on the south side mainly flow into the Ticino. These rivers empty into different seas, with some reaching the Mediterranean, North, and Black Sea, and others flowing to the Adriatic Sea. Switzerland holds about 6% of Europe's freshwater and is often called the "water tower of Europe."

Lakes

See also: List of lakes of Switzerland and List of mountain lakes of Switzerland

Many lakes in the Alps are made by dams and used for hydroelectric power. Some of these lakes are very high up, while natural lakes are usually found at lower heights. As glaciers melt, new lakes can form.

Glaciers

See also: List of glaciers in Switzerland

The last big icy periods shaped Switzerland's valleys, making many of them U-shaped. The Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps today. Glaciers have been shrinking over the past century.

Monitoring glacial changes over time

PERMOS (The Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network) watches how permafrost—the ground that stays frozen—in the Swiss Alps is changing. It measures temperatures and other changes to understand how these icy areas are affected by time. This helps scientists learn more about the future of the Alps.

Hydroelectricity Impacts due to Glacial Melting

Switzerland uses water power, called hydroelectricity, to provide energy. As glaciers melt, the water that helps create this power changes. Scientists are studying how to adapt energy production to these changes, ensuring communities keep getting the power they need.

Land elevation by canton

See also: Swiss cantons by elevation

The following table shows how much of each canton’s land is above 2,000 and 3,000 metres.

Geology

Main article: Geology of the Alps

The rocks in the Swiss Alps show how these mountains were formed. Rocks on the north side, like those in the Helvetic zone, came from the old European continent. Rocks on the south side, such as the Austroalpine nappes and Southern Alps, came from the African continent. The rocks in the middle, called the Penninic nappes, came from a small area called the Briançonnais microcontinent and an ancient ocean called the Tethys Ocean.

Over time, these lands moved together, making the tall mountains we see today. One great example of this is the Tectonic Arena Sardona in the eastern Glarus Alps, which shows how the earth’s layers pushed upward. Another good example is the Alpstein area, where we can see the rocks folded upward. North of the Rhône and Rhine rivers, the Alps are mostly in the Helvetic Zone, while south of these rivers, they are in the Penninic nappes. The Austroalpine zone is mostly found in the Eastern Alps, except around the Matterhorn.

Environment and climate

To help animals that are in danger, some places in the Swiss Alps are kept safe for nature. The Swiss National Park in Graubünden was made in 1914, and it was the first park in the Alps. The Entlebuch area became a special nature place in 2001, and the biggest protected space is Parc Ela, which opened in 2006 and covers 600 square kilometres. The Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area is the first place in the Alps to be named a special area by the world.

The Swiss Alps have three climate zones because it gets colder when you go higher. The Subalpine zone is below where trees grow and has most of the people and farms. It has forests of conifers above 1,200–1,400 metres and deciduous trees lower down.

The Alpine zone is above where trees grow and has grass, small plants, and flowers. Some villages are still here, like Riederalp and Juf. The Glacial zone is where there is always snow and ice, and glaciers move down the valleys. Steep slopes can cause snow to fall and create ice avalanches.

Because the weather is changing, summers may become warmer and drier, and winters may have more snow. This can lead to more flooding, melting of frozen ground, and changes in the land and wildlife. It can also cause more dangerous events like landslides and avalanches. The water from glaciers that people use for energy and farming is decreasing, which can affect jobs and tourism. These changes may create challenges for communities living near the glaciers.

Travel and tourism

Tourism in the Swiss Alps began with the first climbs of big mountains, such as Jungfrau in 1811 and Matterhorn in 1856, mostly by British climbers with local guides. Building tourist places started in the mid-1800s with hotels, mountain huts, and mountain train lines like Rigi in 1873 and Pilatus in 1889. The Jungfraubahn opened in 1912, reaching the highest railway station in Europe, Jungfraujoch.

Switzerland has many well-kept paths for walking, with 62,000 kilometres in total, including 23,000 in the mountains. Many mountains attract climbers, especially the ones that are 4,000 metres high and famous north faces like Eiger and Matterhorn. Winter places are also popular in summer, with special cable cars helping people reach high places. Klein Matterhorn is the highest point in Europe that you can reach by cable car.

Main articles: List of ski areas and resorts in Switzerland and List of cross-country skiing trails in Switzerland

The main places for skiing and winter sports are in Valais, Bernese Oberland, and Grisons. Some villages like Riederalp and Bettmeralp have no cars and can only be reached by public transport. Zermatt and Saas-Fee have ski areas that are open in summer too. The ski season usually runs from December to April. Popular ski spots include Davos-Klosters, Zermatt, St. Moritz, Lenzerheide-Arosa, Jungfrauregion (Grindelwald, Mürren, Wengen), and many others.

Switzerland has many activities in the snow, like skiing, snowboarding, and sliding on snow with special bikes.

Climate change affects tourism in the Alps by making natural dangers more common, melting glaciers, and making the skiing season shorter. This means less snow and fewer visitors. To help, Switzerland makes artificial snow to keep tourist places open and support the economy.

See also: List of mountain passes in Switzerland and List of mountain railways in Switzerland

The Swiss Alps have a great transport system. Almost every mountain village can be reached by train, bus, or cable car. Main transport companies include Swiss Federal Railways, BLS, Südostbahn, Rhaetian Railway, Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, GoldenPass Line, and PostBus. Many mountains and tops can be reached by public transport.

Most mountain areas are within 1 to 3 hours of Switzerland's main cities and airports. The Engadine region in Graubünden is farther, but the beautiful train trips like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express are popular. Engadine Airport near St. Moritz is the highest in Europe.

Crossing the Alps is important for travel. Switzerland improved its network for crossing the mountains starting in 1882 with the Gotthard Rail Tunnel, followed by the Simplon Tunnel in 1906, the Lötschberg Tunnel in 1913, and the Lötschberg Base Tunnel in 2007. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, opened in 2016, is the longest railway tunnel in the world, providing a direct flat path through the Alps.

Toponymy

The Swiss Alps have different names in the four national languages.

Some mountains and peaks are named after people. Many peaks far from the Alps are named after Swiss mountains, like the Wetterhorn Peak in Colorado and the Matterhorn Peak in California.

A special place where two big glaciers meet near K2 in the Karakoram range was named after Konkordiaplatz by European explorers.