2. The Alps is a Fold Mountain Range
• Stretches across Central Europe
• Formed 30 million years ago by the collision
of the African and European plates
• The tallest Peak is Mont Blanc at 4810m
• Has a population of ~12 million
3. Uses of the Alps
• Farming – Steep upland areas used to farm goats, which provide
milk, cheese and meat. Some sunnier slopes have been used by
being terraced to plant vineyards.
• HEP – Narrow valleys are dammed to generate HEP. Switzerland
gets 60% of its electricity from HEP.
• Tourism – 100million visitors every year. 70% of tourists visit
steep, snow covered mountains in the winter for sport. Summer for
summer sports.
• Mining – Salt, iron ore, gold, silver and copper were mined in Alps.
• Forestry – Scots Pine is planted all over the Alps because it’s more
resilient to the munching goats, which kill native tree saplings. The
trees are logged and sold for furniture.
4. People have adapted to the conditions
in the Alps
• Steep Relief – Goats are farmed there because
they are well adapted to live on steep mountains.
Trees and man-made defences are used to protect
against avalanches and rock slides.
• Poor soil – Animals are grazed in most high areas
as the soil is poor for crops.
• Limited communication – Roads built over
passes. It can take a long time to drive over passes
and can be blocked by snow, so tunnels have been
cut through the mountains to provide fast
transport links.