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class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Main chain of the Alps</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 13 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-13" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">13 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadena_principal_dels_Alps" title="Cadena principal dels Alps – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Cadena principal dels Alps" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hlavn%C3%AD_h%C5%99eben_Alp" title="Hlavní hřeben Alp – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Hlavní hřeben Alp" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpernes_hovedkam" title="Alpernes hovedkam – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Alpernes hovedkam" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpenhauptkamm" title="Alpenhauptkamm – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Alpenhauptkamm" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpide_peaahelik" title="Alpide peaahelik – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Alpide peaahelik" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadena_principal_alpina" title="Cadena principal alpina – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Cadena principal alpina" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%88efa_alpa_kresto" title="Ĉefa alpa kresto – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Ĉefa alpa kresto" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catena_principale_alpina" title="Catena principale alpina – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Catena principale alpina" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_bergpassen_over_de_hoofdkam_van_de_Alpen" title="Lijst van bergpassen over de hoofdkam van de Alpen – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Lijst van bergpassen over de hoofdkam van de Alpen" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpenes_hovedkam" title="Alpenes hovedkam – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Alpenes hovedkam" 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divide of the Alps</div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg/320px-AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg" decoding="async" width="320" height="250" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg/480px-AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg/640px-AlpenHauptkamm_mit_Grenzen.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="937" /></a><figcaption>Main chain of the Alps</figcaption></figure> <p>The <b>main chain of the Alps</b>, also called the <b>Alpine divide</b> is the central line of mountains that forms the <a href="/wiki/Drainage_divide" title="Drainage divide">drainage divide</a> of the range. Main chains of <a href="/wiki/Mountain_range" title="Mountain range">mountain ranges</a> are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest <a href="/wiki/Pyramidal_peak" title="Pyramidal peak">peaks</a> of a range. The <a href="/wiki/Alps" title="Alps">Alps</a> are something of an unusual case in that several significant groups of mountains are separated from the main chain by sizable distances. Among these groups are the <a href="/wiki/Dauphine_Alps" class="mw-redirect" title="Dauphine Alps">Dauphine Alps</a>, the Eastern and Western <a href="/wiki/Graian_Alps" title="Graian Alps">Graians</a>, the entire <a href="/wiki/Bernese_Alps" title="Bernese Alps">Bernese Alps</a>, the <a href="/wiki/T%C3%B6di" title="Tödi">Tödi</a>, <a href="/wiki/Albula_Range" class="mw-redirect" title="Albula Range">Albula</a> and <a href="/wiki/Silvretta" class="mw-redirect" title="Silvretta">Silvretta</a> groups, the <a href="/wiki/Ortler" title="Ortler">Ortler</a> and <a href="/wiki/Adamello" class="mw-redirect" title="Adamello">Adamello</a> ranges, and the <a href="/wiki/Dolomites" title="Dolomites">Dolomites</a> of <a href="/wiki/Veneto" title="Veneto">Veneto</a> and <a href="/wiki/South_Tyrol" title="South Tyrol">South Tyrol</a>, as well as the lower <a href="/wiki/Alps" title="Alps">Alps</a> of <a href="/wiki/Vorarlberg" title="Vorarlberg">Vorarlberg</a>, Bavaria, and <a href="/wiki/Salzburg_(state)" title="Salzburg (state)">Salzburg</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Main_features">Main features</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Main features"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Alpine Divide is defined for much of its distance by the watershed between the drainage basin of the <a href="/wiki/Po_(river)" title="Po (river)">Po</a> in Italy on one side, with the other side of the divide being formed by the <a href="/wiki/Rhone" class="mw-redirect" title="Rhone">Rhone</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Rhine" title="Rhine">Rhine</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Danube" title="Danube">Danube</a>. Further east, the watershed is between the <a href="/wiki/Adige" title="Adige">Adige</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Danube" title="Danube">Danube</a>, before heading into Austria and draining on both sides into the Danube. For much of its distance the watershed lies on or close to the Italian border, although there are numerous deviations, notably, the Swiss canton of <a href="/wiki/Ticino" title="Ticino">Ticino</a> which lies south of the range in the Po river basin. </p><p>For only a small portion of its total distance does the Alpine divide form a part of the main <a href="/wiki/European_watershed" title="European watershed">European watershed</a>, in the central section where the watershed is between the Po and the Rhine. </p><p>The Alps are generally divided into <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Alps" title="Eastern Alps">Eastern Alps</a> and <a href="/wiki/Western_Alps" title="Western Alps">Western Alps</a>, cut along a line between <a href="/wiki/Lake_Como" title="Lake Como">Lake Como</a> and <a href="/wiki/Lake_Constance" title="Lake Constance">Lake Constance</a>, following the <a href="/wiki/Rhine" title="Rhine">Rhine</a> valley.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <ul><li>The Eastern Alps (main <a href="/wiki/Ridge" title="Ridge">ridge</a> elongated and broad) belong to <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/wiki/Italy" title="Italy">Italy</a>, <a href="/wiki/Slovenia" title="Slovenia">Slovenia</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a>.</li> <li>The Western Alps are higher, but their central chain is shorter and much curved; they are located in <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, Italy, and Switzerland.</li></ul> <p><a href="/wiki/Piz_Bernina" title="Piz Bernina">Piz Bernina</a> (4,049 metres) is the highest peak of the Eastern Alps while the highest peak of the Western Alps is <a href="/wiki/Mont_Blanc" title="Mont Blanc">Mont Blanc</a> (4,810.45 metres).<sup id="cite_ref-smc4810.45_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-smc4810.45-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Eastern_Alps">Eastern Alps</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Eastern Alps"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG/220px-Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG/330px-Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG/440px-Fuscherkarkopf-_Sinwelleck.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1536" data-file-height="1024" /></a><figcaption>Main ridge (<a href="/wiki/Fuscherkarkopf" title="Fuscherkarkopf">Fuscherkarkopf</a>) in the Hohe Tauern range</figcaption></figure> <p>From the <a href="/wiki/Maloja_Pass" title="Maloja Pass">Maloja Pass</a> (1,815 m) the main watershed dips to the south-east for a short distance, and then runs eastwards and nearly over the highest summit of the <a href="/wiki/Bernina_Range" title="Bernina Range">Bernina Range</a>, <a href="/wiki/Piz_Bernina" title="Piz Bernina">Piz Bernina</a> (4,049 m), to the <a href="/wiki/Bernina_Pass" title="Bernina Pass">Bernina Pass</a>. From here the main chain is less well defined, it rises to <a href="/wiki/Piz_Paradisin" title="Piz Paradisin">Piz Paradisin</a> (3,302 m), beyond which it runs slightly north-east, east of the Italian resort of <a href="/wiki/Livigno" title="Livigno">Livigno</a>, past <a href="/w/index.php?title=Fraele_Pass&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Fraele Pass (page does not exist)">Fraele Pass</a> (1,952 m) and the source of the <a href="/wiki/Adda_(river)" title="Adda (river)">Adda</a>, traverses <a href="/wiki/Piz_Murtarol" class="mw-redirect" title="Piz Murtarol">Piz Murtarol</a> (3,180 m) and <a href="/wiki/Monte_Forcola" title="Monte Forcola">Monte Forcola</a>, where is the tripoint between the Danube, Po and <a href="/wiki/Adige" title="Adige">Adige</a> basins,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> then falls to the <a href="/wiki/Ofen_Pass" class="mw-redirect" title="Ofen Pass">Ofen Pass</a> (2,149 m), soon heads north and rises once more in <a href="/wiki/Piz_Sesvenna" title="Piz Sesvenna">Piz Sesvenna</a> (3,204 m). </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Reschen_Pass" title="Reschen Pass">Reschen Pass</a> (1,504 m) marks a break in the continuity of the Alpine chain. The deep valley, the <a href="/wiki/Vinschgau" title="Vinschgau">Vinschgau</a> of the upper Adige, is one of the most remarkable features in the orography of the Alps. The little <a href="/wiki/Reschen_Lake" class="mw-redirect" title="Reschen Lake">Reschen Lake</a>, which forms the chief source of the Adige, is only 4 metres below the Pass, and 8 km from the <a href="/wiki/Inn_River" class="mw-redirect" title="Inn River">Inn</a> valley. Eastward of this pass, the main chain runs north-east to the <a href="/wiki/Brenner_Pass" title="Brenner Pass">Brenner Pass</a> along the snowy crest of the <a href="/wiki/%C3%96tztal_Alps" title="Ötztal Alps">Ötztal</a>, the highest point being the <a href="/wiki/Wei%C3%9Fkugel" title="Weißkugel">Weißkugel</a> (3,739 m), then crossing the <a href="/wiki/Timmelsjoch" title="Timmelsjoch">Timmelsjoch</a> (2,474 m) and rising again in <a href="/wiki/Stubai_Alps" title="Stubai Alps">Stubai Alps</a> Both the highest summits of the Ötztal and the Stubai, the <a href="/wiki/Wildspitze" title="Wildspitze">Wildspitze</a> (3,774 m) and the <a href="/wiki/Zuckerh%C3%BCtl" title="Zuckerhütl">Zuckerhütl</a> (3,505 m), stand a little to the north. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Brenner_Pass" title="Brenner Pass">Brenner</a> (1,370 m) is the lowest of all the great road passes across the core part of the main chain and has always been the chief means of communication between Germany and Italy. For some way beyond it, the watershed runs eastwards over the highest crest of the <a href="/wiki/Zillertal_Alps" title="Zillertal Alps">Zillertal Alps</a>, which attains 3,510 metres in the <a href="/wiki/Hochfeiler" title="Hochfeiler">Hochfeiler</a>. But, a little farther, at the <a href="/wiki/Dreiherrnspitze" title="Dreiherrnspitze">Dreiherrnspitze</a> (3,499 m), the chain splits: the main watershed between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean heads south, along the <a href="/wiki/Rieserferner_Group" title="Rieserferner Group">Rieserferner Group</a> to the <a href="/wiki/Dolomites" title="Dolomites">Dolomites</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Julian_Alps" title="Julian Alps">Julian Alps</a>. </p><p>The main alpine divide head east, traversing the <a href="/wiki/High_Tauern" title="High Tauern">High Tauern</a> range, crossing the <a href="/wiki/Grossvenediger" class="mw-redirect" title="Grossvenediger">Grossvenediger</a> (3,666 m), passing just north of Austria's highest peak (the <a href="/wiki/Grossglockner" title="Grossglockner">Grossglockner</a>), traversing <a href="/wiki/Ankogel" title="Ankogel">Ankogel</a> (3,252 m), before curving northern across the <a href="/wiki/Lower_Tauern" title="Lower Tauern">Lower Tauern</a>, traversing its highest peak, <a href="/wiki/Hochgolling" title="Hochgolling">Hochgolling</a> (2,863 m) in the <a href="/wiki/Schladming_Tauern" title="Schladming Tauern">Schladming Tauern</a> and then continuing on the same eastward path up to the <a href="/wiki/Schober_Pass" title="Schober Pass">Schober Pass</a> in <a href="/wiki/Styria" title="Styria">Styria</a>. The <a href="/wiki/Drainage_divide" title="Drainage divide">drainage divide</a> further runs eastwards through the <a href="/wiki/Northern_Limestone_Alps" title="Northern Limestone Alps">Northern Limestone Alps</a>, ending at "<a href="/wiki/Vienna" title="Vienna">Vienna</a> Gate", the steep slopes of the <a href="/wiki/Leopoldsberg" title="Leopoldsberg">Leopoldsberg</a> (425 m) high above the <a href="/wiki/Danube" title="Danube">Danube</a> water gap and the <a href="/wiki/Vienna_Basin" title="Vienna Basin">Vienna Basin</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Western_Alps">Western Alps</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Western Alps"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Starting from the <a href="/wiki/Bocchetta_di_Altare" class="mw-redirect" title="Bocchetta di Altare">Bocchetta di Altare</a> or di <a href="/wiki/Colle_di_Cadibona" title="Colle di Cadibona">Colle di Cadibona</a> (west of <a href="/wiki/Savona" title="Savona">Savona</a>), the main chain extends first south-west, then north-west to the <a href="/wiki/Col_de_Tenda" class="mw-redirect" title="Col de Tenda">Col de Tenda</a>, though nowhere rising much beyond the zone of coniferous trees. Beyond the <a href="/wiki/Col_de_Tenda" class="mw-redirect" title="Col de Tenda">Col de Tenda</a> the direction is first roughly west, then north-west to the <a href="/wiki/Rocca_dei_Tre_Vescovi" title="Rocca dei Tre Vescovi">Rocca dei Tre Vescovi</a> (2,840 m), just south of the <a href="/wiki/Enciastraia" title="Enciastraia">Enciastraia</a> (2,955 m), several peaks of about 3,000 metres rising on the <a href="/wiki/Drainage_basin" title="Drainage basin">watershed</a>, though the highest of all, the <a href="/wiki/Punta_dell%27Argentera" class="mw-redirect" title="Punta dell'Argentera">Punta dell'Argentera</a> (3,297 m) stands a little way to its north. From the Rocher des Trois Eveques the drainage divide runs due north for a long distance, though of the two loftiest peaks of this region one, the <a href="/wiki/Aiguille_de_Chambeyron" title="Aiguille de Chambeyron">Aiguille de Chambeyron</a> (3,412 m), is just to the west, and the other, the <a href="/wiki/Monviso" class="mw-redirect" title="Monviso">Monviso</a> (3,841 m), is just to the east of the divide. From the head of the <a href="/wiki/Val_Pellice" class="mw-redirect" title="Val Pellice">Val Pellice</a> the main chain runs north-west and diminishes much in average height until it reaches the <a href="/wiki/Mont_Thabor" title="Mont Thabor">Mont Thabor</a> (3,178 m), which forms the apex of a salient angle which the main chain here presents towards the west. From here the divide extends eastwards, culminating in the <a href="/wiki/Aiguille_de_Scolette" title="Aiguille de Scolette">Aiguille de Scolette</a> (3,505 m), but makes a great curve to the north-west and back to the south-east before rising in the <a href="/wiki/Rocciamelone" title="Rocciamelone">Rocciamelone</a> (3,509 m). From there the direction taken is north as far as the eastern summit (3,619 m) of the <a href="/wiki/Levanna" title="Levanna">Levanna</a>, the divide rising in a series of snowy peaks, though the loftiest point of the region, the <a href="/wiki/Pointe_de_Charbonnel" title="Pointe de Charbonnel">Pointe de Charbonnel</a> (3,760 m), stands a little to the west. Once more the chain bends to the north-west, rising in several lofty peaks (the highest is the <a href="/wiki/Aiguille_de_la_Grande_Sassi%C3%A8re" title="Aiguille de la Grande Sassière">Aiguille de la Grande Sassière</a>, 3,751 m), before attaining the considerable depression of the <a href="/wiki/Little_St_Bernard_Pass" title="Little St Bernard Pass">Little St Bernard Pass</a>. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg/220px-Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg/330px-Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg/440px-Witenwasserenstock_Tripoint.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2481" data-file-height="1654" /></a><figcaption>View of the <a href="/wiki/Witenwasserenstock" title="Witenwasserenstock">Witenwasserenstock</a> with the tripoint between the Rhone, Rhine, and Po basins (center left)</figcaption></figure> <p>The divide then briefly turns north to the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Col_de_la_Soigne&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Col de la Soigne (page does not exist)">Col de la Soigne</a>, and then north-east along the crest of the Mont Blanc chain, which culminates in the peak of <a href="/wiki/Mont_Blanc" title="Mont Blanc">Mont Blanc</a> (4,810 m),<sup id="cite_ref-smc4810.45_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-smc4810.45-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> the highest in the Alps. A number of high peaks line the divide, notably the <a href="/wiki/Grandes_Jorasses" title="Grandes Jorasses">Grandes Jorasses</a> (4,208 m) before it reaches <a href="/wiki/Mont_Dolent" title="Mont Dolent">Mont Dolent</a> (3,823 m), where France, Italy and Switzerland meet. From there, after a short dip to the south-east, the chain takes, near the <a href="/wiki/Great_St._Bernard_Pass" class="mw-redirect" title="Great St. Bernard Pass">Great St. Bernard Pass</a>, a generally eastern direction that it maintains until it reaches <a href="/wiki/Monte_Rosa" title="Monte Rosa">Monte Rosa</a>, where it bends northwards, making one small dip to the east to the <a href="/wiki/Simplon_Pass" title="Simplon Pass">Simplon Pass</a>. It is in the portion of the watershed between the Grande St Bernard Pass and the Simplon that the main chain maintains a greater average height than in any other part. But, though it rises in a number of lofty peaks, such as the <a href="/wiki/Mont_V%C3%A9lan" title="Mont Vélan">Mont Vélan</a> (3,727 m), the <a href="/wiki/Matterhorn" title="Matterhorn">Matterhorn</a> (4,478 m), the <a href="/wiki/Lyskamm" title="Lyskamm">Lyskamm</a> (4,533 m), the Nord End of <a href="/wiki/Monte_Rosa" title="Monte Rosa">Monte Rosa</a> (4,575 m), and the <a href="/wiki/Weissmies" title="Weissmies">Weissmies</a> (4,023 m), many of the highest points of the region, such as the <a href="/wiki/Grand_Combin" title="Grand Combin">Grand Combin</a> (4,314 m), the <a href="/wiki/Dent_Blanche" title="Dent Blanche">Dent Blanche</a> (4,357 m), the <a href="/wiki/Weisshorn" title="Weisshorn">Weisshorn</a> (4,505 m), the true summit or <a href="/wiki/Dufourspitze" title="Dufourspitze">Dufourspitze</a> (4,634 m) of Monte Rosa itself, and the <a href="/wiki/Dom_(mountain)" title="Dom (mountain)">Dom</a> (4,545 m), all rise on its northern slope and not on the main chain. On the other hand, the chain between the Grande St Bernard and the Simplon sinks at barely half a dozen points below a level of 3,000 metres. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Simplon_Pass" title="Simplon Pass">Simplon Pass</a> (1.994 m) corresponds to a change in the main chain: the peaks and passes are lower, but as far as the Splugenpass, all the highest summits rise on the divide. From there to the <a href="/wiki/Gotthard_pass" class="mw-redirect" title="Gotthard pass">St. Gotthard pass</a> (2,106 m) the divide runs north-east, crossing <a href="/wiki/Monte_Leone" title="Monte Leone">Monte Leone</a> (3,533 m), and <a href="/wiki/Pizzo_Rotondo" title="Pizzo Rotondo">Pizzo Rotondo</a> (3,192 m). Near the <a href="/wiki/Witenwasserenstock" title="Witenwasserenstock">Witenwasserenstock</a> is the point where the basin of the Po, the Rhine and the Rhone meet, and the European Watershed joins the Alpine divide. From the St. Gotthard to the <a href="/wiki/Maloja_Pass" title="Maloja Pass">Maloja</a> the watershed between the basins of the <a href="/wiki/Rhine" title="Rhine">Rhine</a> and <a href="/wiki/Po_River" class="mw-redirect" title="Po River">Po</a> runs in a generally easterly direction. It goes over <a href="/wiki/Passo_del_Lucomagno" class="mw-redirect" title="Passo del Lucomagno">Passo del Lucomagno</a> (1,915 m), across <a href="/wiki/Scopi" title="Scopi">Scopi</a> (3,200 m), <a href="/wiki/Piz_Medel" title="Piz Medel">Piz Medel</a> (3,210 m) and <a href="/wiki/Piz_Terri" title="Piz Terri">Piz Terri</a> (3,149 m), where it turns towards the south to the <a href="/wiki/Rheinwaldhorn" title="Rheinwaldhorn">Rheinwaldhorn</a> (3,402 m). Here the divide veers back east over the <a href="/wiki/Vogelberg" title="Vogelberg">Vogelberg</a> (3,220 m) to the San Bernardino Pass (2,067 m), then over the <a href="/wiki/Tambohorn" class="mw-redirect" title="Tambohorn">Pizzo Tambo</a> (3,279 m), the <a href="/wiki/Splugenpass" class="mw-redirect" title="Splugenpass">Splugenpass</a> (2,114 m) and <a href="/wiki/Piz_Timun" title="Piz Timun">Piz Timun</a> (3,209 m). From here the divide heads south again to <a href="/wiki/Pizzo_Stella" title="Pizzo Stella">Pizzo Stella</a> (3,163 m) and then east over <a href="/wiki/Pizz_Gallagiun" title="Pizz Gallagiun">Pizz Gallagiun</a> (3,107 m), to where, near the <a href="/wiki/Lunghin_pass" class="mw-redirect" title="Lunghin pass">Lunghin pass</a>, it reaches the main triple divide of the Alps: where water can flow to the Atlantic, the Mediterranean or the Black Sea. The main <a href="/wiki/European_watershed" title="European watershed">European watershed</a> leaves the Alpine divide here, heading north, while the divide continues east to the <a href="/wiki/Maloja_Pass" title="Maloja Pass">Maloja Pass</a> (1,815 m). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Glaciers">Glaciers</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Glaciers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The main chain has more <a href="/wiki/Glacier" title="Glacier">glaciers</a> and eternal snow than the independent or external <a href="/wiki/Mountain_range" title="Mountain range">ranges</a>. The longest of these were both <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1154941027">.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}</style>14.9 kilometres (<span class="frac">9<span class="sr-only">+</span><span class="num">1</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> miles) a century ago, the <a href="/wiki/Mer_de_Glace" title="Mer de Glace">Mer de Glace</a> at <a href="/wiki/Chamonix" title="Chamonix">Chamonix</a> (now <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1154941027">7.6 km or <span class="frac">4<span class="sr-only">+</span><span class="num">3</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> mi) and the <a href="/wiki/Gorner_Glacier" title="Gorner Glacier">Gorner Glacier</a> at <a href="/wiki/Zermatt" title="Zermatt">Zermatt</a> (now <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1154941027">12.5 km or <span class="frac">7<span class="sr-only">+</span><span class="num">3</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> mi). In the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Alps" title="Eastern Alps">Eastern Alps</a> the longest glacier was the <a href="/wiki/Pasterze_Glacier" title="Pasterze Glacier">Pasterze Glacier</a> (<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1154941027">8.4 km or <span class="frac">5<span class="sr-only">+</span><span class="num">1</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> mi in 1911), which is not near the true main watershed, though it clings to the slope of the <a href="/wiki/Grossglockner" title="Grossglockner">Grossglockner</a> (3,798 m) in the Hohe Tauern range east of the Dreiherrenspitze. But two other long glaciers in the Eastern Alps (the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Hintereis&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Hintereis (page does not exist)">Hintereis</a>, and the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Gepatsch&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Gepatsch (page does not exist)">Gepatsch</a>) are both in the Ötztal Alps, and so are close to the true main <a href="/wiki/Drainage_basin" title="Drainage basin">watershed</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Alps" title="Alps">Alps</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Alps" title="Eastern Alps">Eastern Alps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Western_Alps" title="Western Alps">Western Alps</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Geography_of_the_Alps" title="Geography of the Alps">Geography of the Alps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/High_Alps" title="High Alps">High Alps</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span class="noprint"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="13" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/18px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/24px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="410" data-file-height="430" /></span></span> </span>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the <a href="/wiki/Public_domain" title="Public domain">public domain</a>: <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFLakeKnoxCoolidge1911" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><a href="/wiki/Philip_Lake" title="Philip Lake">Lake, Philip</a>; Knox, Howard; <a href="/wiki/W._A._B._Coolidge" title="W. A. B. Coolidge">Coolidge, W. A. B.</a> (1911). "<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Alps" class="extiw" title="s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Alps">Alps</a>". In <a href="/wiki/Hugh_Chisholm" title="Hugh Chisholm">Chisholm, Hugh</a> (ed.). <i><a href="/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition" title="Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition">Encyclopædia Britannica</a></i>. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 737–754.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Alps&rft.btitle=Encyclop%C3%A6dia+Britannica&rft.pages=737-754&rft.edition=11th&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=1911&rft.aulast=Lake&rft.aufirst=Philip&rft.au=Knox%2C+Howard&rft.au=Coolidge%2C+W.+A.+B.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMain+chain+of+the+Alps" class="Z3988"></span> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=HwJ7ekNVh6QC"><i>Climate Change in the European Alps</i></a>. <a href="/wiki/OECD" title="OECD">OECD</a>. 2007. p. 18. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789264031692" title="Special:BookSources/9789264031692"><bdi>9789264031692</bdi></a>. <q>They are generally divided into the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, separated by Rhine and the Splügen pass in eastern Switzerland.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Climate+Change+in+the+European+Alps&rft.pages=18&rft.pub=OECD&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=9789264031692&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DHwJ7ekNVh6QC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMain+chain+of+the+Alps" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-smc4810.45-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-smc4810.45_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-smc4810.45_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html">"Mont Blanc shrinks by 45cm in two years"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald" title="The Sydney Morning Herald">The Sydney Morning Herald</a></i>. 2009-11-05. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230214082228/https://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2023-02-14.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Sydney+Morning+Herald&rft.atitle=Mont+Blanc+shrinks+by+45cm+in+two+years&rft.date=2009-11-05&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fenvironment%2Fmont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMain+chain+of+the+Alps" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://s.geo.admin.ch/9720cdf776">"Monte Forcola on the Swiss National Map"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Federal_Office_of_Topography" class="mw-redirect" title="Federal Office of Topography">Federal Office of Topography</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">4 April</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Monte+Forcola+on+the+Swiss+National+Map&rft.pub=Federal+Office+of+Topography&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fs.geo.admin.ch%2F9720cdf776&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMain+chain+of+the+Alps" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://geofinder.ch/alpenhauptkamm.php">Simplified depiction of the Alpine divide</a> on <i>GeoFinder.ch</i></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&oldid=1239404958">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Main_chain_of_the_Alps&oldid=1239404958</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Category</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Mountain_ranges_of_the_Alps" title="Category:Mountain ranges of the Alps">Mountain ranges of the Alps</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description is different from Wikidata">Short description is different from Wikidata</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_incorporating_a_citation_from_the_1911_Encyclopaedia_Britannica_with_Wikisource_reference" title="Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference">Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_incorporating_text_from_the_1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica" title="Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica">Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 9 August 2024, at 02:50<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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