Pennine Alps

The Pennine Alps (also: Valais Alps, formerly called Alpes Poeninae) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland (Valais) and Italy (Piedmont and the Aosta Valley). They are not to be confused with the Pennines.

Geography

The Italian side is drained by the rivers Dora Baltea, Sesia and Toce, tributaries of the Po. The Swiss side is drained by the Rhône River.

The Great St Bernard Tunnel, under the Great St Bernard Pass, leads from Martigny, Switzerland to Aosta.

Morphology

The main chain (watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and Adriatic Sea) runs from west to east on the border between Italy (south) and Switzerland (north). From Mont Vélan, the first high summit east of St Bernard Pass, the chain rarely goes below 3000 metres and contains many four-thousanders such as Matterhorn or Monte Rosa. The valleys are quite similar on both side of the border, being generally oriented perpendicular to the main chain and descending progressively into the Rhône Valley on the north and the Aosta Valley on the south. Unlike many other mountain ranges, the higher peaks are often located outside the main chain and found themselves between the northern valleys (Grand Combin, Weisshorn, Mischabel, Weissmies).

Peaks

The chief peaks of the Pennine Alps are:

Glaciers

Main glaciers:

• Gorner Glacier
• Corbassière Glacier
• Findel Glacier
• Zmutt Glacier
• Zinal Glacier
• Otemma Glacier
• Allalin Glacier
• Ferpècle Glacier
• Fee Glacier
• Mont Miné Glacier
• Ried Glacier
• Turtmann Glacier
• Moiry Glacier
• Arolla Glacier
• Moming Glacier
• Cheilon Glacier

Passes

The chief passes of the Pennine Alps are:

Nature conservation

Some regional nature parks, like the Parco Naturale Alta Valsesia (6,511 ha - Piedmont, IT), the Riserva Naturale Mont Mars (390 ha - Aosta Valley, IT) and the Regional park of Binn valley (15,891 ha - Valais,CH), have been established on both sides of the main water divide.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Maps

• Swiss official cartography (Swiss Federal Office of Topography - Swisstopo); on-line version: map.geo.admin.ch
• Italian official cartography (Istituto Geografico Militare - IGM); on-line version: www.pcn.minambiente.it

See also

• Swiss Alps
• Alpi Biellesi
• Alpi Cusiane