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Europe
In Focus
The lay of the land
The Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus and Urals are major mountain systems that dominate huge swathes of Europe. Beginning in the Riviera on the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps arc eastward through eight countries to end in Austria and Slovenia. The term “Alps” has come to refer as much to the green hills and deep valley floors in the area as it does to the system's jagged, ice-capped peaks. The well-forested Carpathians are a continuation of the Alps. They form a natural bridge between western and eastern Europe, which passes through seven more countries from the Czech Republic to Romania.
At Europe's eastern confines, the Caucasus Mountains straddle several countries, stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. They host a unique and concentrated mix of flora and fauna, which has earned them recognition as a biodiversity hotspot . The Urals drop down 2,400 kilometres – from arctic tundra in the Russian Federation to the deserts north of the Caspian Sea – serving as the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.
Who needs the mountains of Europe
Large, densely populated portions of Europe – including some of the wealthiest communities in the world – count on the mountains for resources and income. Many millions of people of dozens of ethnicities and languages inhabit the mountains and surrounding areas. They live in rural areas, as well as numerous large cities, such as Geneva, Zürich, Münich, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Baku and Yekaterinburg.
Rural communities are clustered mostly in the lowlands and inter-montane valleys. In the summer, livestock are sent to graze in pastures at the higher altitudes. In the Carpathians and Caucasus, most inhabitants are farmers. Farming in the Alps is predominantly commercial.
While tourism is a hugely profitable industry in all the mountain systems of Europe, it is particularly important in the Alps. Other significant industries are mining in the Urals and Carpathians, and manufacturing, logging, and metal and oil processing in the Urals. The Caucasus are a major source of oil revenue.
The mountains of Europe are also the origin of rivers that are critical to life in the region. The Rhine, Rhône, Po, Danube, and Volga are just a few. Their water is vital for drinking, irrigation, industry and hydroelectric power.
