The+Alps

The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching approximately 750 miles across eight Alpine countries. The countries are Austria, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Southeast Germany, Monaco and Italy. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme crustal shortening caused by the plates colliding resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Mont Blanc spans across the French–Italian border, and at 4,800m is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region contains about a hundred peaks higher than 4,000m, known as the "four-thousanders." The altitude and size of the range affects the climate in Europe. In the mountains, precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones. Wildlife such as ibex live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m, and plants such as Edelweiss grow in rocky areas in lower elevations, as well as in higher elevations.  Evidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the Paleolithic era. A mummified man, determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the Austrian–Italian border in 1991. By the 6th century BC, the Celtic La Tene culture was well established. Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. In 1800, Napoleon crossed one of the mountain passes with an army of 40,000. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an increase of naturalists, writers, and artists, in particular the Romantics, followed by the golden age of alpinism as mountaineers began to ascend the peaks. In World War II, Adolf Hitler kept a base of operation in the Bavarian Alps throughout the war.