Main Mountain Ranges in Italy Compositio n Elevation Peaks Alps Very hard, compact, resistent Very high, impressive

Sharp peaks Highest peaks (Western Alps)= Mont Blanc 4807 m and Monte Rosa 4663 m Eastern Alps = Dolomites limestone Declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2009 Extend in an arch shape from Liguria to Friuli Venezia Giulia, 1300 km long Natural border to the north with France, Switzerland, Austria , Slovenia and in part with Germany and Lichtenstein Appenines Sedimentary rock Subject to erosion caused by rain,wind, changes in temperature lower Soft peaks Highest peaks= Gran Sasso dItalia (Abruzzo), Mount Etna (Sicily)

Location

Run through the entire peninsula from the northwest in Liguria to the southeast in Calabria and Sicily

Other Minor Moutain Chains or groups: 1. Apuanan Alps (Tuscany)run along the Ligurean Tyrrhenian coast 2. Mount Amianta (Tuscany)ancient extinct volcano limestone 3. Antiappenines (Campagna) 4. The Prealps (from Lombardy to Fiuli) is a group of mountains and hills that degrade towards the Padana plain. Mountain Ranges in Sardinia: occupied by hilly highland and low mountain ranges do not reach 200 m in height rounded peaks caused by erosion older than Alps and Appenines Punta Marmora 1834 m (Gennargentu range)highest peak

Answer the questions: 1. What kind of rock the Alps/Appenines made of? 2. Which mountain chain is higher? 3. How does each chain extend 4. Which countries do the Alps border? 5. What are the highest peaks in the Alps/Appenines? 6. Which mountain chains are made of limestone? 7. Name other minor chains. Where are they? 8. What are the differences between the mountain chains in Sardinia and the rest of Italy?

Plains Very little territory in Italy is flat. The Padana Plain, the largest of the plains is 46000 sq. m in area. Ten thousand years ago it was a marine basin: the Adriatic sea flowed through the Alps and the Northern Appenines. Slowly this large gulf (Padana gulf) was filled with loam, sand, gravel and other material eroded from the mountains and transported into the Po Valley and its tributaries. Other plains: Val Arno Inferiore (Tuscany) Maremma (betweenTuscany and Latium) Agro Pontino (Latium) Terra di Lavoro (Campania) Tavoliere delle Puglie Plain of Catania (Sicily) Campidano (Sardinia) Italys Glaciers Throughout history there have been periods of strong climate changes: starting from 2 million years ago until today there have been Periods of cooling most of the mountains and valleys were covered by extensive ice sheets Periods of warming (as today) o the less than 200 alpine glaciers found at the top of the highest peaks and at the top of some valleys, have shrunk The Valle DAosta has the most number of glaciers. They are found between Gran Paradiso, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa while in the Central Alps the largest glaciers lie on the Bernina, the Ortles and the Adamello mountains. Among the Eastern Alps the only important glacier is the Marmolada glacier.. The Appennine chain does not have glaciers, excluding the remains of the perennial glacier found on the Gran Sasso dItalia- the Calderone glacier. Match the underlined terms in the text with their corresponding Italian equivalents. Basin estendersi attraverso Sedimentary rock catena montuosa Limestone rimpicciolirsi Peak scorrere attraverso Mountain Chain limo Run through valle Flow through tra Run along ghiaia Extinct giacere, trovarsi, essere situato Flat estendersi lungo Ice sheets sabbia Shrink vetta Loam affluente Lie calotte Among estinto Gravel roccia sedimentaria Valley piatto Tributary bacino