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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Alps
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1992-09-02
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26 lines
Mountain chain, the barrier between N Italy
and France, West Germany and Austria. Famous
peaks include Mont Blanc, the highest at
4,809 m/15,777 ft, first climbed by Jacques
Balmat and Michel Paccard 1786; Matterhorn in
the Pennine Alps, 4,479 m/14,694 ft, first
climbed by Edward Whymper 1865 (four of the
party of seven were killed when the rope
broke during their descent); Eiger in the
Bernese Alps/Oberland, 3,970 m/13,030 ft,
with a near-vertical rock wall on the N face,
first climbed 1858; Jungfrau, 4,166 m/13,673
ft; and Finsteraarhorn 4,275 m/14,027 ft.
Famous passes include Brenner, the lowest,
Austria/Italy; Great St Bernard, the highest,
2,472 m/8,113 ft, Italy/Switzerland (by which
Napoleon marched into Italy 1800); Little St
Bernard, Italy/France (which Hannibal is
thought to have used); and St Gotthard, S
Switzerland, which Suvorov used when ordered
by the tsar to withdraw his troops from
Italy. All have been superseded by
all-weather road/rail tunnels. The Alps
extend into Yugoslavia with the Julian and
Dinaric Alps.