Western Alps

Western Alps
Mont Blanc, the highest summit of the Western Alps, as seen from Aosta Valley, Italy
Highest point
PeakMont Blanc
Elevation4,810 m (15,780 ft)
Coordinates45°50′01″N 06°51′54″E / 45.83361°N 6.86500°E / 45.83361; 6.86500
Dimensions
Length300 km (190 mi)[1]
Width150 to 185 km (93 to 115 mi)
Naming
Native name
Geography
The Western Alps from space
CountriesMonaco, France, Italy and Switzerland
Parent rangeAlps
Borders onApennines, Rhone Valley, Jura mountains, Eastern Alps, Po plain and Ligurian sea
Geology
OrogenyAlpine orogeny

The Western Alps are the western part of the Alpine Range including the southeastern part of France (e.g. Savoie), the whole of Monaco, the northwestern part of Italy (i.e. Piedmont and the Aosta Valley) and the southwestern part of Switzerland (e.g. Valais). In the southeast the range is bounded by the Italian Padan Plain. In the west, the valley of the Rhone river separates it from the Massif Central. The northernmost part of the Western Alps - in the wide meaning of the term - is formed by the Swiss Prealps Sub-Range.

The peaks and mountain passes are higher compared to the Eastern Alps, while the range itself is not so broad and more arched.

  1. ^ Umlauft, Friedrich (1889). The Alps. K. Paul, Trench & Company. p. 78.