Maritime Alps
Maritime Alps | |
---|---|
French: Alpes Maritimes Italian: Alpi Marittime | |
![]() Maritime Alps | |
Highest point | |
Peak | Monte Argentera |
Elevation | 3,297 m (10,817 ft) |
Coordinates | 44°10′45″N 7°18′18″E / 44.17917°N 7.30500°E |
Geography | |
Countries | France, Italy and Monaco |
Regions, Régions | Piedmont, Liguria and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
Rivers | Verdon, Ubaye, Roya, Var and Stura di Demonte |
Range coordinates | 44°13.9′N 7°10.6′E / 44.2317°N 7.1767°ECoordinates: 44°13.9′N 7°10.6′E / 44.2317°N 7.1767°E |
Parent range | Alps |
Borders on | Ligurian Alps, Cottian Alps, Provence Alps and Prealps and Mediterranean Sea |
Geology | |
Orogeny | Alpine orogeny |
The Maritime Alps (French: Alpes Maritimes [alp maʁitim]; Italian: Alpi Marittime [ˈalpi maˈrittime]) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the Italian regions of Piedmont and Liguria. They are the southernmost part of the Alps.
Geography[]
Administratively the range is divided between the Italian provinces of Cuneo and Imperia (eastern slopes) and the French department of Alpes-Maritimes (western slopes).
The Maritime Alps are drained by the rivers Roya, Var and Verdon and their tributaries on the French side; by the Stura di Demonte and other tributaries of the Tanaro and Po on the Italian side. There are many attractive perched villages, such as Belvédère at the entrance to the spectacular Gordolasque valley, some concealing unexpected architectural riches (for example in the south there are numerous churches decorated with murals and altarpieces by primitive Niçois painters).
Borders[]
The borders of the Maritime Alps are (anticlockwise):
- Vermenagna creek, Col de Tende - which connects them with the Ligurian Alps - and Roya (east);
- Mediterranean Sea and Var valley (south)
- Verdon, Col d'Allos - which connects them with Provence Alps and Prealps - and Ubaye (west);
- Maddalena Pass (which connects them with the Cottian Alps) and Stura di Demonte (north).
Peaks[]
The main peaks of the Maritime Alps are:
Name | Elevation |
---|---|
Monte Argentera | 3,297 m |
3,262 m | |
Cime du Gélas | 3,135 m |
3,108 m | |
Monte Matto | 3,097 m |
Mont Pelat | 3,053 m |
Mont Clapier | 3,046 m |
3,032 m | |
Enciastraia | 2,955 m |
Mont Bégo | 2,872 m |
2,818 m | |
2,755 m |
Mountain passes[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Allos001.jpg/220px-Allos001.jpg)
The chief passes of the Maritime Alps are:
Name | Location | Type | Elevation |
---|---|---|---|
Col de la Bonette | to Barcelonnette | Road (minor loop climbs to 2,802 m) | 2715 |
Col de Restefond | Col de la Bonette to Barcelonnette | Road | 2680 |
Tinée Valley to | Bridle path | 2630 | |
Saint-Martin-Vésubie to Terme di Valdieri | Bridle path | 2551 | |
Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée to Barcelonnette | Bridle path | 2512 | |
Tinee Valley to Argentera | Footpath | 2506 | |
Tinee Valley to Vinadio | Footpath | 2451 | |
Col de la Lombarde | Isola to Vinadio | Road | 2350 |
Col de la Cayolle | Var River valley to Barcelonnette | Road | 2327 |
Tende to Valdieri | Bridle path | 2264 | |
Col d'Allos | Verdon River valley to Barcelonnette | Road | 2250 |
Maddalena Pass | Barcelonnette to Cuneo | Road | 1995 |
Col de Tende | Tende to Cuneo | Road, road tunnel Railway tunnel |
1873 |
Col de Turini | Vésubie river valley to Sospel | Road | 1607 |
Nature conservation[]
The French Mercantour National Park (central area:68,500 ha + peripheral area:140,000 ha[1]) is part of the Maritime Alps as well as the Parco naturale delle Alpi Marittime, an Italian regional nature park of 28,455 ha.[2]
References[]
- public domain: Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Alps". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 741. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Le Parc national du Mercantour, www.vesubian.com (accessed on April 2012)
- ^ Parco delle Alpi Marittime, web-site of the park on www.parks.it (accessed on April 2012)
Maps[]
- Italian official cartography (Istituto Geografico Militare - IGM); on-line version: www.pcn.minambiente.it
- French official cartography (Institut Géographique National - IGN); on-line version: www.geoportail.fr
- Maritime Alps
- Mountain ranges of the Alps
- Mountain ranges of Piedmont
- Mountains of Alpes-Maritimes
- Mountain ranges of Liguria