France is far from the last place on the world map. It is the largest country in Western Europe. Due to the considerable size of the country, its landscape is quite diverse. The French Alps are one of its most remarkable parts. How did these mountains form? What country are the Alps in yet? What are the sights and resorts in the Alps of France? Let's find out about it.
Geography of france
The French Republic is one of the five permanent members of the UN, is a member of the "Big Seven", as well as one of the founders of the European Union. This is a mono-national highly urbanized state. 66.7 million people live in France, most of whom are French. About 80% of the population lives in cities. The capital of the republic is the city of Paris.
Near the country is Spain, Andorra, Italy, Monaco, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Germany. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of political geography, France is located in Western Europe. More precisely, most of it is located there, because the country is located not only on the continent. She owns more than twenty island territories near Africa, North and South America.
Together with the overseas territories, France is the second largest European state on the world map. It occupies a fifth of the European Union. Its total area is 674, 685 square kilometers, and the republic’s maritime borders stretch for 5, 500 kilometers.
Relief of france
The relief of the state is heterogeneous, there are plains, mountains, as well as ancient plateaus. The plains mainly cover the territory from the north to the southwest. The most prominent are the North French and Aquitaine lowlands. The lowland in the southeastern 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 represented by 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 long extinct volcanoes.
In the south-west, France is separated from Spain by a mountain range. Along the entire border, the Pyrenees stretched there. Countries connect only in a few narrow passages between the mountains. In the south-east of the country are the mountains of Jura and the Alps with the highest point in France - Mont Blanc. These massifs share the country with Italy and Switzerland.
French alps
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.
The Alps are the longest and highest mountain system, which is entirely located in Europe. The largest mountain in height is Mont Blanc. In addition to it, in the Alps there are about a hundred peaks exceeding four thousand meters. Mountains stretch in an arc and are divided into Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern, Central.
The French Alps belong to the 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 in climate and landscape. Glaciers and higher peaks prevail in the north. The sea affects the Southern Alps, as they are located very close to the coast, covering the Primorsky and Provencal regions.
Alpine climate
Starting by the sea, the Southern French Alps have a subtropical climate. Their heights are small compared to the rest of this mountain system. Deviating to the north, they fall into the temperate zone. Of course, their mode largely depends not only on their location, but also on height. In the Alps there are five zone zones:
- lowland - up to 1000 meters,
- temperate zone - from 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. The mountains have a lot of rainfall (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 wetter, but in the southern part it is, on the contrary, dry and warm. Fogs often occur in winter, and in summer, hot weather can change dramatically to cold.
Above 3000 meters, ice and snow do not melt for years. It is cold and almost nothing grows. Below begins an alpine meadow or mountain tundra with less cold temperatures, shrubs and low grasses. In the subalpine zone, the temperature does not rise above 25 degrees, there are frosts even in summer.
In the lower two zones, the climate is most favorable for both animals and humans. Here it is possible to farm and live. In these zones there is a wide variety of plants and animals.
Local wind
The Alps are characterized by the appearance of so-called local winds (boron, hair dryer, etc.). They are slightly different from the standard for this area, but are regular. One of the alpine local winds is considered a hair dryer. It occurs at the top of the mountains and goes down into the valleys.
The hair dryer blows with strong gusts of dry, hot air. Every hundred meters, the wind heats up more. It can last from one day to five days.
The appearance of hair dryers in the mountains as a whole helps agriculture. The wind creates a soft microclimate necessary for a number of thermophilic plants. However, it can be harmful and even fatal. By heating the air in the spring, the hair dryer contributes to the rapid melting of snow, due to which avalanches appear.
Plants and animals
In the French Alps there are completely different natural complexes, which, of course, depend on the height. Great heights are desert treeless territories. Only some plants "climb" the peaks, for example, glacial buttercup, which is found even at an altitude of 4000 meters.
Alpine meadows are steep slopes and rocky hills covered with grass and flowers. The plants of this belt are low, but very bright. Typical representatives are alpine edelweiss, wild strawberries, alpine dream grass, tar, poppy, red lily, forget-me-not, orchid, aster, etc. Livestock graze here and marmots, mountain goats, chamois, jackdaws, naughty, swifts and golden eagles live..
Trees begin in the subalpine zone. These are mainly larch, pine and spruce, oak, beech forests are found below. On the border of the forest and rocks, birds like to settle: lemon and snow reel, stone and colorful thrush, tits.
In addition, in the Alps there are salamanders, hares, boreal owls, red deer, ptarmigan, and curlers. Mouflons boldly walk along the rocky slopes and the red-winged stenolazes run - small birds with a long beak and red stripes on the wings.
Alpine tourism
The Alps have prepared a lot of exciting things for travelers: dense forests, rocky peaks, unique landscapes and wildlife. And France, in turn, made it all affordable and convenient.
In the mountains, many routes with specially equipped parking lots have been laid. On the way you can always find shelters or lonely huts where tourists stay for the night. Detailed travel plans for the avid traveler are easy to find at local tourist centers.
However, not all routes are designed for long trips. There are a large number of trails done for simple day trips. They are easy to make, living in one of the mountainous regions, for example Aravi, Vercor, Chablis.
The most popular times in the Alps are winter (December to April) and mid-summer (July). During these periods, the base is filled with vacationers. However, getting around such excitement is not always possible. The rest of the time, 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 hiking in summer, snowboarding, sleigh rides, snowshoeing and skiing in winter. Mountaineering, surfing and yachting in local lakes are developing in the region.
In the resort town of Chamonix, you can admire the beautiful Mont Blanc at least every day. At an altitude of 3840 meters is the White Valley - the highest point of the resort and a place for one of the most extreme slopes in France. Here paragliding, canyoning (descent along canyons of rivers without swimming means), rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding are possible.
The largest region for skiing and snowboarding is the Three Valleys. It has more than six hundred kilometers of mountain routes and hundreds of lifts. The region includes several world-famous resorts at once: Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens. Here are located not only tourist, but also Olympic tracks, open-air glacial arenas, hockey pitches and much more.
