Mont Blanc massif in the context of "Swiss Alps"

⭐ In the context of the Swiss Alps, the Mont Blanc massif is considered


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⭐ Core Definition: Mont Blanc massif

The Mont Blanc massif (French: Massif du Mont-Blanc [masif dy mɔ̃ blɑ̃]; Italian: Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major independent summits, each over 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) in height. It is named after Mont Blanc (4,808 metres (15,774 ft)), the highest point in western Europe and the European Union. Because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the massif is covered by glaciers, which include the Mer de Glace and the Miage Glacier – the longest glaciers in France and Italy, respectively.

The massif forms a watershed between the vast catchments of the rivers RhĂŽne and Po, and a tripoint between France, Italy and Switzerland; it also marks the border between two climate regions by separating the northern and western Alps from the southern Alps. The mountains of the massif consist mostly of granite and gneiss rocks and at high altitudes the vegetation is an arctic-alpine flora.

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👉 Mont Blanc massif in the context of Swiss Alps

The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called Central Alps. While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.

The Swiss Alps comprise almost all the highest mountains of the Alps, such as Dufourspitze (4,634 m [15,203 ft]), the Dom (4,545 m [14,911 ft]), the Liskamm (4,527 m [14,852 ft]), the Weisshorn (4,506 m [14,783 ft]) and the Matterhorn (4,478 m [14,692 ft]). The other following major summits can be found in this list of mountains of Switzerland.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of Massif

A massif (/mÊˈsiːf, ˈmĂŠsÉȘf/) is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain.

As a purely scientific term in geology, however, a "massif" is separately and more specifically defined as a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. A massif is a smaller structural unit than a tectonic plate and is considered the fourth-largest driving force in geomorphology.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc (UK: /ˌmɒ̃ˈblɒ̃(k)/, US: /ˌmɒn(t)ˈblɑːƋk/) is a mountain in the Alps, rising 4,805.59 m (15,766 ft) above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount Elbrus in Russia), and the 11th most prominent mountain in the world.

The mountain gives its name to its range, the Mont Blanc massif, which straddles parts of France, Italy, and Switzerland. Mont Blanc's summit lies on the watershed line between the valleys of Ferret and Veny in Italy, and the valleys of Montjoie, and Arve in France. Ownership of the summit area has long been disputed between France and Italy.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of Vallot Hut

The Vallot Hut (French: Refuge Vallot) is a refuge in the Mont Blanc massif on the upper slopes of Mont Blanc in the Alps. It is located below the Bosses Ridge between the Dome du Gouter and Mont Blanc summit, at an altitude of 4,362 metres. Intended only as an emergency shelter, and not as a base for ascending Mont Blanc, this unheated duralumin box was designed to accommodate up to 12 people, but often contains considerably more.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of French Alps

The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-RhĂŽne-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-CĂŽte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and Italy.

At 4,808 metres (15,774 ft), Mont Blanc, on the France–Italy border, is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the highest Western European mountain.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of Aiguille du Midi

The Aiguille du Midi (French pronunciation: [eɥɄij dy midi], "Southern Needle") is a 3,842-metre-tall (12,605 ft) mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of Vallée Blanche Cable Car

The Vallée Blanche Cable Car (Italian: Funivia dei Ghiacciai; French: Télécabine Panoramic Mont-Blanc, previously Télécabine de la Vallée Blanche) is a passenger cable car linking a mountain peak above Courmayeur (Italy) to a peak above Chamonix (France) by passing over the Mont Blanc massif, in the Alps. The engineering was developed by Vittorio Zignoli of Polytechnic University of Turin. No helicopters were used, and all the workers were chosen among locals and alpine guides. After a construction period of four years, it began service in 1958.

The cable car connects the peaks of Aiguille du Midi (3,778 m (12,395 ft) elevation) and Pointe Helbronner (3,466 m (11,371 ft) elevation), over a distance of some 5 km (3.1 mi). The two peaks have their own cable car system connecting them to their nearby villages. The French Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi connects the peak of Aiguille du Midi to the village of Chamonix, while the Italian Skyway Monte Bianco (Funivie Monte Bianco) connects the peak of Pointe Helbronner to the village of La Palud, just north of Courmayeur.

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Mont Blanc massif in the context of Grandes Jorasses

The Grandes Jorasses (French pronunciation: [ÉĄÊÉ‘Ìƒd ʒɔʁas]; 4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy.

The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (Pointe Walker) was by Horace Walker with guides Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange on 30 June 1868. The second-highest peak on the mountain (Pointe Whymper, 4,184 m; 13,727 ft) was first climbed by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer, Michel Croz and Franz Biner on 24 June 1865, using what has become the normal route of ascent and the one followed by Walker's party in 1868.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Swiss Alps ← Massif ← Mont Blanc ← Vallot Hut ← Mountain massif ← French Alps ← Aiguille du Midi ← VallĂ©e Blanche Cable Car ← Grandes Jorasses ← Monviso
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
French language → Italian language → Mountain range → Alps → France → Italy → Switzerland → Mont Blanc → Western Europe → European Union → Massif → Glacier → Mer de Glace → Miage Glacier → Drainage divide → Drainage basin → RhĂŽne → Po (river) → Tripoint → Climate classification → Granite → Gneiss → Arctic-alpine →