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The Alps are Europe’s biggest mountain range and lie right at the heart of the continent. They stretch across eight countries: France, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia.

The mountains were formed millions of years ago as two giant tectonic plates collided, creating some of the highest mountains in Europe, like the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, and the Eiger.

There are many glaciers here, these are massive blocks of ice that form high in the mountains.

Water from alpine glaciers and lakes provide most of Europe’s lowland water and is the source of some its main rivers, like the Rhine, the Rhone and the Po.

Lakes, like Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland, Como in Italy and Constance in Germany are renowned for their beauty. But not all the lakes here are natural. Some are man-made reservoirs for dams that provide hydroelectric power to towns and cities.

Although the electricity they generate is vital for people, the dams have an impact on wildlife. The ibex, a type of mountain goat, climb up them to find food! There are many rare animals and plants here that are adapted to living at high altitude and are found nowhere else in the world.

People have traditionally used the land here to make a living, with grassland in the valleys and hills perfect for farming and forests providing trees for woodworking. But these days a lot more money is made from tourists coming to sightsee, ski, walk and do other sports such as mountain biking and paragliding.

30 million visitors come to the Alps every year including meeee!