THE ALPS
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MOUNTAINS
This vista of
the beautiful
Valley of the
Ten Peaks, in
the Canadian
Rockies, is a
fine example
of why
mountains
inspire our
sense of
wonder!
People throughout human history have been fascinated with mountains. Their
majesty and size fills us with wonder! Mountains have inspired religion and
mythology. They are the setting for stories, tall tales and literature. Men and women
have set out on adventures and accomplish epic feats in mountainous terrain. For the
average person, they provide places for sport activities and vacations!
A mountain is one of our planet’s major landforms. A group of mountains forms what
is called a range. Mountains are areas of earth that rise up sharply in peaks or
mounded shapes, with different elevations.
Mountains can be small or large, and are formed in several ways. When the tectonic
plates of the earth’s surface move towards each other and crumble, they caused the
earth to rise in peaks. When this movement of plates allow the hot magma beneath
the earth’s surface to rise up, volcanic peaks are formed.
The height of mountains are measured from sea level. Low altitude mountains can
support vegetation year round and the highest peaks have only snow and cold.
Mountains are home to a wide variety of plants and animals, and humans have
adapted to living around and on mountains.
MOUNTAIN TERMS AND THEIR DEFINITIONS
It is impossible to talk about MOUNTAINS, or learn about
them, without knowing some terms that relate to MOUNTAINS.
Here are just a few terms!
Can you come up with other terms related to mountains?
RANGE A range is a group of mountains that are geographically related.
Sometimes a large mountain range is made up of many smaller ranges.
SUMMIT The highest point of a mountain.
ELEVATION The elevation of a place is often described as its height
above sea level. A mountain’s elevation is determined by its highest
point, or summit.
SEA LEVEL This is a base measurement for determining the height of
mountains. The seas and oceans of the world vary slightly in height due
to weather and geography so Sea Level is an average called “Local Mean
Sea Level.”
RIDGE A chain of mountains whose upper section form a continuous
line over a distance.
The following presentation is an introduction to
THE ALPS MOUNTAINS
with guidelines about making a map, as well as some information
about its geography, people and animals.
THE ALPS
The ALPS form a crescent shaped mountain range in the continent Europe, 750 miles east to
west. Eight countries have peaks that are part of the Alps: Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, German, France, Italy, as well as tiny Monaco. The highest peak in the Alps is
called Mont Blanc, and it is 15,780 feet high. Other tall mountains are Piz Bernina, Mount Rosa
and Ortler: all ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 feet.
For centuries, people have traveled these high and craggy mountains by going through
mountain passes. A pass is a depression or valley between large mountains, a lower altitude
where movement is easier. In the distant past, people walked through these passes or rode
animals. In ancient Roman times, the military general Hannibal crossed the Alps with
elephants! Eventually roads were built in the passes so that people and goods could be
transported more quickly. Today, modern tourists travel by train through the same passes
used by people in ancient times.
Make a compass rose for your map
by following the directions HERE!
I am Professor Earthworm!
Map: Hanno Sandvik, Creative Commons
ON THE MAP!
This map shows how the Alps span the countries in the continent of EUROPE. There
are two other map elements shown on this maps: a SCALE and a MAP KEY.
The MAP SCALE, at lower LEFT, shows how many kilometers are
represented by a certain width.
1. The bar is divided by 4: how many kilometers would be represented by one of these
sections, dark and light?
2. How many miles are 100 kilometers?
The MAP KEY at the RIGHT, using gradation of colors
that show the various altitudes on the map.
1. The top altitude shown on the KEY is 4000 meters. How many miles is this?
2. What does 0 meters in this scale represent?
He looks like he is sliding but he is not!
Alpine Ibex
The Alpine Ibex, also know as the Steinbock, is found in the mountain
range of the Alps in Eastern Europe. These wild goats are characterized
by their long curving horns and their amazing ability to climb. In males,
horns can grow to be 27 to 39 inches. The smaller horns of the females
measure only 7 to 14 inches. The Ibex are able to scale rock faces that
are almost vertical. This can be attributed to their multi-surfaced cloven
hooves: hard around the edges, soft and smooth in the center. Found in
mountainous areas with sparse vegetation, the ibex spends most of its
days foraging for and eating plants.
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Alpine Ibex were almost
extinct. They were hunted for their horns, which people believed they
had magical and curative powers.
ALPS
PRINT THIS PAGE:
COLOR AND LABEL THE MAP,
FILL IN LANDFORMS, COUNTRY
NAMES AND BODIES OF WATER.
ADD A COMPASS ROSE
TO YOUR MAP! DO THE
ACTIVITIES AND COLOR THE
ALPINE IBEX
SPELLING WORDS
beard
climbing
meadow
herd
stocky
hooves
flora
fauna
ALPS altitude
atmosphere
VOCABULARY
WORDS
Turn your map over and define
these words!
terrain
horns
herbivore
curved
forage
bovids
vegetation
mammal
scale
perimeter
IBEX
SAFE PASSAGE!
One of the most important passes in the Alps is called the Great St. Bernard Pass,
named after Bernard of Menton who became a saint in the Catholic religion.
In the year 1029, he built a hospice in the pass to shelter religious pilgrims from
France and Germany traveling to Rome. This was the lowest passage between the
two highest peaks in the Alps, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa.
People traveled through the dangerous mountain trails and passes before there
were major roads in place. Today the road is not used very much since tunnels
have been build for transportation to move through.
Since the 1600’s a large strong breed of dog, named after St. Bernard, helped
rescue people in the passes with snow and avalanches.
Today a hospice is
still in place, a small
monastery for
religious retreats.
The original old road
is still in place and a
more modern road
passes nearby as
well.
SAINT BERNARD DOG,
hero of the snowy
mountain passes
of the Alps
Compare and
Contrast!
The village of Hallstatt in upper Austria is nestled in a tiny piece of land between the Alps
and Lake Hallstatt. The sepia photo above is from the year 1899, and the color photo below
is a current day image. See how little things have changed here in over 100 years! Can
you see how many of the original buildings (above) are still in place today (below)?
Hallstatt is famous because it was the the location of the world’s first known salt mine.
People settled here since prehistoric time because of the discovery of salt, a very important
commodity. There was very little land between the river and the mountains and all of it has
been developed. The first road into this area was not built until 1890 and until then, you
could only reach Hallstatt by boat or trails through the mountains.
MAJESTIC ALPINE VISTAS! The
Matternhorn
(meaning
Mountain) has a
pyramid shape.
It is located on
the border of
Switzerland and
Italy.
It is 4478
meters high, one
of the highest
peaks in the
Alps as well as
in all of Europe.
Choose another large peak in the ALPS and choose a city or town that is near it. Write a
small essay about this place, telling what the place looks like, who lives there, what homes
and schools are like, what food is popular, and what transportation is used.
The Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Alps was shaped by glaciers,
millions of years ago.
MOUNTAIN
READING LIST!
HEIDI
by Joanna Spyri
At the age of five, little orphan Heidi is sent to
live with her grandfather in the Alps. Everyone
in the village is afraid of him, but Heidi is
fascinated by his long beard and bushy grey
eyebrows. She loves her life in the mountains,
playing in the sunshine and growing up
amongst the goats and birds. But one terrible
day, Heidi is collected by her aunt and is made
to live with a new family in town. Heidi can't
bear to be away from her grandfather; can she
find a way back up the mountain, where she
MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
by Jean Craighead George
Sam Gribley is unhappy living in New York
City with his family, so he runs away to the
Catskill Mountains to live in the wood, by
himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord,
forty dollars, and some flint and steel, he
intends to survive on his own.
Sam learns about courage, danger, and
independence during his year in the
wilderness, a year that changes his life
forever.
Martin McMillan and the Lost Inca City
by Elaine Russell
Martin goes toPeru on an archaeological dig and
brings his skateboard. He unexpectedly falls
into an adventure with his new friend Isabel.
They gain insights into the modern adult world,
the Incan world, and their own world, while
becoming immersed in a culture where
meetings and clashes between richly diverse
civilizations lead to a web of secret activity.
World Above the Clouds: A
Story of a Himalayan
Ecosystem
by Ann Whitehead Nagda
High in the snow-covered Himalayan
peaks of northern India, a snow leopard
has left the care of her mother and now
must hunt and fend for herself. In the
first few days alone she competes for
her meals with a red fox, a bearded
vulture, and even nearby villagers.
UP ON DENALI
by Shelley Gill and Shannon Cartwright
From its origins as a trick played by Raven
(the scientific version involving plate
tectonics is also included) to the flora and
fauna and human explorations, this colorful
children's book reveals every facet of
Alaska's great Denali Mountain. This book is
full of fun and fascinating information.
