Page "Alps" Paragraph 1

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, 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 Tène culture was well established.

Hannibal may have 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 influx 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 the Third Reich invaded the Alpine countries, with the exception of Switzerland and Lichtenstein ; Adolf Hitler kept a base of operation in the Bavarian Alps throughout the war.