The French Alps. The height of Mont Blanc. Geography of France

France on the world map is not the last place. This is the largest country in Western Europe. Due to the size of the country, its landscape is quite diverse. The French Alps are one of the most noteworthy parts of it. How did these mountains form? In which country are the Alps still? What are the attractions and resorts in the Alps of France? Let's find out about this.

Geography of France

The French Republic is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations, a member of the G-7, and one of the founders of the European Union. This is a one-national, highly urbanized state. In France, there are 66.7 million people, most of whom are French. About 80% of the population lives in cities. The capital of the republic is the city of Paris.

Next to the country is Spain, Andorra, Italy, Monaco, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Germany. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. From the point of view of political geography, France is in Western Europe. More precisely, there is a large part of it, because the country is located not only on the continent. It owns more than twenty island territories near Africa, North and South America.

Together with the overseas territories, France on the world map is the second largest state in Europe. It occupies the fifth part of the European Union. Its total area is 674,685 square kilometers, and the maritime borders of the republic stretched for 5,500 kilometers.

Relief of France

The relief of the state is not homogeneous, there are plains, mountains, as well as ancient plateaus. Plains mainly cover the territory from the north to the south-west. The North-French and Aquitaine lowlands stand out most clearly. Lowland in the south-eastern part is located between the Central Massif and the French Alps.

The plateau on the territory of the country is nothing but the remains of the more ancient Hercynian mountains. They are small in height Armorian and Central French Massifs, Vosges and Ardennes. The Armorian massif and the Vosges are heavily indented by river valleys, and the Central Massif is dotted with extinct volcanoes.

In the south-west France is separated from Spain by a mountain chain. Throughout the border, the Pyrenees stretched out. Countries are joined only in a few narrow aisles between the mountains. In the south-east of the country there are the Jura and Alps mountains with the highest point of France - Mont Blanc. These massifs share the country with Italy and Switzerland.

French Alps

The Alps are located not only in France. They cover the territory of Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Monaco, Slovenia, Germany and Liechtenstein. This is one of the most studied mountain ranges in the world. The length of the mountains is up to 1200 kilometers, and the width is 260 kilometers.

Alps - the longest and highest mountain system, which is entirely in Europe. The largest mountain in height is Mont Blanc. In addition to it, there are about a hundred peaks in the Alps, exceeding four thousand meters. The mountains stretch outward and are divided into the Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern, Central.

The French Alps are Western. They stretched for 330 kilometers. The height of Mont Blanc, the highest point, is 4808 meters. The French Alps are also divided into several parts: northern and southern.

Both parts differ between each other with climate and landscapes. In the north glaciers and higher peaks predominate. The Southern Alps are affected by the sea, since they are located very close to the coast, covering the Primorsky and Provencal regions.

Alpine climate

Beginning by the sea, the Southern French Alps have a subtropical climate. Their heights are small compared to the rest of the mountain system. Departing to the north, they fall into the zone of temperate climate. Of course, their regime largely depends not only on their location, but also on the height. In the Alps, five belt zones are distinguished:

• Lowland - up to 1000 meters,
• A moderate belt - with 1000 meters,
• Subalpine belt - from 1500 meters,
• Alpine meadow - from 2000 meters,
• Nival - above 3000 meters.

The weather in the French Alps is changeable. The hottest time is before lunch, then it gradually gets colder. In the mountains, a lot of precipitation falls (up to 1000 mm / g). Snow lasts a long time, until the end of June.

In the northern parts of the Alps the climate is colder, but humid, but in the southern part, on the contrary, it is dry and warm. In winter fogs often occur, and in summer hot weather can dramatically change to cold.

Above 3000 meters, ice and snow do not melt for years. It's cold and practically nothing grows. Below, an alpine meadow or mountain tundra begins with less cold temperatures, bushes and low grasses. In the subalpine zone, the temperature does not rise above 25 degrees, there are frosts even in summer.

In the two lower belts, the climate is most favorable for both animals and humans. Here it is possible to keep house and live. In these belts there is a great variety of plants and animals.

Local winds

The appearance of the so-called local winds (boron, hair dryer, etc.) is typical for the Alps. They are slightly different from the standard for this area, but are regular. One of the Alpine local winds is a hair dryer. It arises at the top of the mountains and descends down into the valleys.

The hair dryer blows strong gusts of dry hot air. Every hundred meters the wind heats up more. It can last from day to five days.

The appearance of a hair dryer in the mountains as a whole helps agriculture. The wind creates a soft microclimate, necessary for a number of heat-loving plants. However, it can be harmful and even fatal. Heating the air in the spring, the dryer contributes to the rapid melting of snow, which causes avalanches.

Plants and animals

In the French Alps there are completely different natural complexes, which, of course, depend on height. Great heights are deserted treeless territories. Only some plants, such as the glacial buttercup, can climb to the tops, which occurs even at an altitude of 4000 meters.

Alpine meadows are steep slopes and stony hills covered with grass and flowers. Plants of this belt are low, but very bright. Typical representatives are alpine edelweiss, wild strawberry, alpine dream-grass, tar, poppy, red lily, forget-me-not, orchid, aster, etc. Here the cattle graze and live marmots, mountain goats, chamois, jackdaws, chicks, swifts and golden eagles .

Trees start in the subalpine belt. Basically it is larch, pine and spruce, below there are oak, beech forests. On the border of the forest and rocks like to settle birds: lemon and snow finch, stone and motley thrush, tits.

In addition, in the Alps, there are salamanders, hares, owls, noble deer, tundra partridges, and jealous. On the rocky slopes boldly walk the moufflons and run red-winged stenolazes - small birds with a long beak and red stripes on their wings.

Alpine tourism

Travelers of the Alps have prepared a lot of fascinating: dense forests, rocky peaks, unique landscapes and wildlife. And France, in turn, has made this all accessible and convenient.

In the mountains, many routes with specially equipped places for parking are laid. On the way you can always find shelters or lonely huts, where tourists stop for the night. Detailed plans for routes for avid travelers are easy to find in local tourist centers.

However, not all routes are designed for long hikes. There are a large number of trails made for simple one-day walks. They are easy to perform, living in one of the mountain regions, for example, Arabi, Vercors, Chablis.

The most popular time in the Alps is winter (from December to April) and mid-summer (from July). During these periods the bases are filled with vacationers. However, it is not always possible to bypass such agiotage. At other times, the weather is very unpredictable, and because of the snow, some passes are often closed until the second half of June.

Resorts

The resorts of the French Alps offer walks in the summer, snowboarding, sleigh rides, snowshoes and skiing in the winter. The region develops mountaineering, surfing and sailing on yachts in local lakes.

In the resort town of Chamonix you can admire the beautiful Mont Blanc at least every day. At an altitude of 3840 meters is Belaya Dolina - the highest point of the resort and the place for one of the most extreme descents in France. Paragliding, canyoning (descent through canyons of rivers without swimming means), rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding are possible here.

The largest region for skiing and snowboarding is the Three Valleys. It is located more than six hundred kilometers of high-mountain routes and hundreds of ski lifts. The region includes several world-famous resorts: Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens. There are not only tourist, but also Olympic tracks, ice arenas under the open sky, hockey grounds and many other interesting things.

Inimitable Alps

The French Alps are a unique nature and breathtaking landscapes. They are part of the Western Alps and stretch straight from the Mediterranean coast of the country in a northeasterly direction.

Within their borders there are dozens of national parks and security zones. The most famous of them are Vercors, Chartreuse, Keira, Bozh, etc. The region has popular resorts and picturesque mountainous settlements. The highest mountain town, Briançon, is located near the park of Keira.

The French Alps are a place where active recreation with extreme sports and quiet pastime is possible. There are green flower meadows, swampy forests and bare rocks covered with glaciers, and cold high-altitude lakes with clear blue water. It is simply impossible to remain indifferent to these places.