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The Swiss Alps are one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the world, expanding over 80,000 square miles.

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The Swiss Alps is the mountainous region of Switzerland and is part of the Alps Mountain Range which extends across Europe.

Swiss Alps Location

The northern part of Switzerland is known, as the Swiss Plateau. Many of Switzerland's largest cities, including Zurich, Basel, and Bern are located on the Swiss Plateau. The Swiss Alps lie to the south of the Swiss Plateau. The geographic boundary between the Alps and the Plateau runs from Vevey on the shores of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to Rorschach on the shores of Lake Constance. The cities of Thun and Lucerne are on the southern fringe of the Swiss Plateau and are set against the Swiss Alps to the south. The lower hills and mountains in Switzerland that lie in the foothills of the Alps are called the Swiss Prealps.

Geographic Setting

The Swiss Alps lie at a northerly latitude which is roughly between 45° and 47° which is a latitude comparable to that between Minneapolis and Duluth Minnesota in the US.

Swiss Alps Geographic Importance

Since before Roman times, the Swiss Alps have formed a natural barrier and division between northern and southern Europe. As such, they have played an important role in European history. At the same time, the mountain passes through the Swiss Alps have provided important trade routes connecting Italy with European countries to the north.

The Swiss Alps Today

Today, most international travelers visiting the Swiss Alps fly into airports in Zurich or Geneva, then travel by car, bus, or Switzerland's excellent rail network to popular tourist destinations like Lucerne and Interlaken, which are traditional gateways to the Swiss Alps. From there, they visit many of the winter and summer resorts in the higher elevation alpine valleys such as Zermatt, Grindelwald, and St. Moritz.

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Swiss Alps | Geograph | Location | History

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The Swiss Alps is the mountainous region of Switzerland and is part of the Alps Mountain Range which extends across Europe. The northern part of Switzerland is known, as the Swiss Plateau. Many of Switzerland's largest cities, including Zurich, Basel, and Bern are located on the Swiss Plateau.

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The city of Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland with a population of 402,762 people. The city and with the rest of northern Switzerland sits on a plateau, which a flat area of ground that is elevated.

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The Swiss Alps is the mountainous region of Switzerland and is part of the Alps Mountain Range which extends across Europe.

Swiss Alps Location

The northern part of Switzerland is known, as the Swiss Plateau. Many of Switzerland's largest cities, including Zurich, Basel, and Bern are located on the Swiss Plateau. The Swiss Alps lie to the south of the Swiss Plateau. The geographic boundary between the Alps and the Plateau runs from Vevey on the shores of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to Rorschach on the shores of Lake Constance. The cities of Thun and Lucerne are on the southern fringe of the Swiss Plateau and are set against the Swiss Alps to the south. The lower hills and mountains in Switzerland that lie in the foothills of the Alps are called the Swiss Prealps.

Geographic Setting

The Swiss Alps lie at a northerly latitude which is roughly between 45° and 47° which is a latitude comparable to that between Minneapolis and Duluth Minnesota in the US.

Swiss Alps Geographic Importance

Since before Roman times, the Swiss Alps have formed a natural barrier and division between northern and southern Europe. As such, they have played an important role in European history. At the same time, the mountain passes through the Swiss Alps have provided important trade routes connecting Italy with European countries to the north.

The Swiss Alps Today

Today, most international travelers visiting the Swiss Alps fly into airports in Zurich or Geneva, then travel by car, bus, or Switzerland's excellent rail network to popular tourist destinations like Lucerne and Interlaken, which are traditional gateways to the Swiss Alps. From there, they visit many of the winter and summer resorts in the higher elevation alpine valleys such as Zermatt, Grindelwald, and St. Moritz.

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Swiss Alps | Geograph | Location | History

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The Swiss Alps is the mountainous region of Switzerland and is part of the Alps Mountain Range which extends across Europe. The northern part of Switzerland is known, as the Swiss Plateau. Many of Switzerland's largest cities, including Zurich, Basel, and Bern are located on the Swiss Plateau.

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The Lago di Luzzone, Blenio, is a 1,606 meter (above sea level) dam in Switzerland home to a reservoir.

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Home to about 150,000 people, the city of Schwyz is the capitol of Schwyz canton. The population is largely Roman Catholic and German speaking.

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Schwyz, capital of Schwyz canton, central Switzerland, at the foot of the Grosser Mythen (6,230 feet [1,899 m]), just east of Lucerne and 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Brunnen, its port on Lake Lucerne. The traditional centre of the canton, its Bundesbriefarchiv (Federal Archives, 1936) houses the

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A sovereign demicanton scince 1803, Obwalden is administratively independent of Nidwalden.

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Obwalden, Halbkanton (demicanton), central Switzerland, formerly part of the canton of Unterwalden. The demicanton is drained by the Sarner River and occupies the western part of former Unterwalden canton. Obwalden means "above the forest" and refers to the great forest of Kerns that divided the