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This article is about the mountain. For other uses, see Mont Blanc (disambiguation).
See also: Mont Blanc Massif
Mont Blanc — Monte Bianco

Mont Blanc and the Dôme du Goûter
Elevation 4,810 metres (15,781 ft)
Location Flag of Italy Italy / Flag of France France
Range Graian Alps
Prominence 4,695 m (15,404 ft) ranked 11th
Coordinates 45°50′1″N 6°51′54″E / 45.83361, 6.865Coordinates: 45°50′1″N 6°51′54″E / 45.83361, 6.865
First ascent August 8, 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard
Easiest route Basic snow/ice climb

Mont Blanc (French for white mountain) or Monte Bianco (Italian, same meaning), also known as "La Dame Blanche" (French, the white lady) is a mountain in the Alps. The Mont Blanc Massif (Massiccio del Monte Bianco Massif du Mont-Blanc is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. The Dôme du Goûter (4304 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif. In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Graian Alps (Italian Alpi Graie; French Alpes Grées) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. This is a list of Mountain peaks ordered by their Topographic prominence. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. In Climbing, a first ascent (FA is the first modern recorded climb to reach the top of a Mountain, or the first to follow a particular Climbing route Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Jacques Balmat, called le Mont Blanc (1762 - 1834 was an Italian mountain guide Michel Gabriel Paccard (1757 - 1827 was an Italian doctor and alpinist A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak With its 4,810 m summit, it is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' [1]

The mountain lies between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Haute-Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Amont / Hiôta-Savouè) is a French department, named for its location in This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The location of the summit itself is a subject of controversy between the two countries, as each tends to place it within its own boundaries on maps. In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes In a convention between France and Kingdom of Sardinia, in Turin (1861), the border [2] was fixed on the highest point of Mont Blanc. Kingdom of Sardinia, also known as Piedmont-Sardinia or Sardinia-Piedmont, was the name given to the possessions of the House of Savoy in 1720 when the This was the last official definition of this border, but often the French maps do not respect this solution.

The two most famous towns near Mont Blanc are Courmayeur, in Aosta Valley, Italy, and Chamonix, in Haute-Savoie, France - the site of the first Winter Olympics. Courmayeur is an Italian town and commune in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley, in northern Italy. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or more commonly Chamonix (ʃamɔni in French is a Town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix From Chamonix a cable car ascends the mountain side.

Begun in 1957 and completed in 1965, the 11. 6 km (7¼ mi) Mont Blanc Tunnel runs beneath the mountain between these two countries and is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a Road Tunnel in the Alps under the Mont Blanc mountain linking Chamonix, Haute-Savoie,

The Mont Blanc Massif is popular for mountaineering, hiking, and skiing. The Mont Blanc Massif (Massiccio del Monte Bianco Massif du Mont-Blanc is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries but there are differences in usage Snow skiing is a group of sports utilizing Skis as primary equipment

Contents

History

Aerial view of the southern side of Mont Blanc in early November, on a Paris–Turin commercial flight, with the Brouillard ridge (centre) flanked by the Brouillard (left) and Fréney (right) glaciers
Aerial view of the southern side of Mont Blanc in early November, on a Paris–Turin commercial flight, with the Brouillard ridge (centre) flanked by the Brouillard (left) and Fréney (right) glaciers

The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc was on August 8, 1786 by Jacques Balmat and the doctor Michel Paccard. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Jacques Balmat, called le Mont Blanc (1762 - 1834 was an Italian mountain guide Michel Gabriel Paccard (1757 - 1827 was an Italian doctor and alpinist This climb, initiated by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who gave a reward for the successful ascent, traditionally marks the start of modern mountaineering. Horace-Bénédict de Saussure ( February 17, 1740 - January 22, 1799) was a Swiss aristocrat Physicist and Alpine traveller The first woman to reach the summit was Marie Paradis in 1808. Marie Paradis was the first woman to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of western Europe, on July 14[[ 808]]

Now the summit is ascended by an average 20,000 mountaineer-tourists each year and could be considered an easy, yet long, ascent for someone who is well trained and used to the altitude. Altitude is the Elevation of a point or object from a known level or datum (plural data This impression is reinforced by the fact that from l'Aiguille du Midi (where the cable car stops), Mont Blanc seems quite close, being merely 1000 m higher. The Aiguille du Midi (3842 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.

However, every year the Mont Blanc massif takes many victims, and in peak weekends (normally around August) the local rescue service flies an average of 12 missions, mostly directed towards people in trouble on one of the normal routes of the mountain. In Geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or Flexures In the movement of the crust, a massif Rescue refers to operations that usually involve the saving of Life, or prevention of Injury. These are courses that require knowledge of high-altitude mountaineering, a guide (or at least a veteran mountaineer), and proper equipment. It is a long course that includes delicate passages and the hazard of rock slides. Also, at least one night at the refuge is required to get used to the altitude (the summit is almost 5 km above sea level); less could lead to altitude sickness and possible death. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness ( AMS) altitude illness, or soroche, is a pathological condition that is caused by acute

Ownership of summit

Since the French Revolution this question has spurred many debates. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Before this event, the whole mountain was in the Kingdom of Sardinia for several centuries. Kingdom of Sardinia, also known as Piedmont-Sardinia or Sardinia-Piedmont, was the name given to the possessions of the House of Savoy in 1720 when the

The first treaty to define a border in the region is dated May 15, 1796. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1796 ( MDCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year In this treaty the Sardinian king ceded the territories of Savoie and Nice to the French Republic, and in article 4 of this treaty it says: "The border between the Sardinian kingdom and the departements of the French Republic will be established on a line determined by the most advanced points on the Piedmont side, of the summits, peaks of mountains and other locations subsequently mentioned, as well as the intermediary peaks, knowing: starting from the point where the borders of Faucigny, the Duchy of Aoust and the Valais, to the extremity of the glaciers or the Monts-Maudits: first the peaks or plateaus of the Alps, to the rising edge of the Col-Mayor". Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Avâl) is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes ( Rôno-Arpes Nice (nis Niçard Occitan: Niça norm or Nissa, Italian: Nizza or Nizza Marittima, Greek This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Piedmont ( Piemonte; Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont; French: Piémont) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. Faucigny is a village and municipality of the Haute-Savoie département of France. In the mid-13th century the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta (the Valle d'Aosta) a Duchy The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its This act is even more confusing, because it states that the border should be visible from the town of Chamonix and Courmayeur. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or more commonly Chamonix (ʃamɔni in French is a Town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie Courmayeur is an Italian town and commune in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley, in northern Italy. The summit is not visible from Courmayeur, because part of the mountain lower down obscures it. Already inaccurate at the time, this treaty is no longer valid, because it was replaced by a later legal act.

Mont Blanc summit border line as stated on the act signed in Turin on March 7, 1861
Mont Blanc summit border line as stated on the act signed in Turin on March 7, 1861

This act was signed in Turin on March 24, 1860 by Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, and deals with the annexation of Savoie. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President Victor Emmanuel II King of Italy ( Vittorio Emanuele II; March 14, 1820 – January 9, 1878) was the King of Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Avâl) is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes ( Rôno-Arpes A demarcation agreement, signed on March 7, 1861, defines the "new border". Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

One of the prints from the Sarde Atlas,[2] made in 1823 and positions the border exactly on the summital edge of the mountain (and measures it to be 4,804 m high).

The convention of March 7, 1861 recognizes this, through an attached map, taking into consideration the limits of the massif, and drawing the border on the icecap of the Mont Blanc, and therefore makes it both French and Italian. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Watershed analysis of modern topographic mapping not only places the main summit on the border, but also suggests that the border should follow a line northwards from the main summit towards Mont Maudit, leaving the south east ridge to Mont Blanc de Courmayeur wholly within Italy. A topographic map is a type of Map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using Contour lines in modern Mont Maudit (4465 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy. Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4748 m in the italian part of the Mont Blanc massif, is the second highest peak in the Alps.

Despite the fact that the Franco-Italian border was redefined in both 1947 and 1963, the commission, made up of both Italians and French, tactfully ignored the Mont Blanc issue.

The Vallot cabin

The first real scientific investigations on the summit were conducted by the botanist-meteorologist Joseph Vallot at the end of the 19th century. Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary He wanted to stay near the top of the summit, so he had to build his own permanent cabin.

The Janssen Observatory

In 1891, Pierre Janssen, a scientific academic, envisaged the construction of an observatory at the summit of Mont Blanc. Pierre Jules César Janssen ( February 22, 1824 &ndash December 23, 1907) was a French astronomer who along with the English An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events Gustave Eiffel agreed to take on the project, provided he could find strong foundations. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( December 15, 1832 &ndash December 27, 1923; in French efɛl in English usually ˈaɪfəl was a French The Swiss surveyor Imfeld dug down 15 m but found nothing solid, so Eiffel gave up. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

Despite this, the observatory was built in 1893. During the cold wave of January 1893 a temperature of -43C was recorded on the Mount Blanc, being the lowest ever recorded there. Levers attached to the ice supported the observatory. This worked to some extent until 1906, when the building started leaning heavily. The movement of the levers corrected the lean slightly, but three years later (two years after Jannsen’s death) a crevasse started opening under the observatory and it was abandoned. Eventually the building fell, and only the tower could be saved in extremis. M N O

Air crashes

The mountain was the scene of two fatal Air India air crashes in 1950 [1] and 1966. Air India Limited ( एअर इंडिया) is the national Airline of India with a worldwide network of passenger and cargo services Both planes were approaching Geneva airport and the pilots miscalculated their descent; 48 and 117 people, respectively, lost their lives. Geneva Cointrin International Airport is an Airport in Geneva, Switzerland. [2]

Altitude

The Mer de Glace glacier can be seen slowly streaming down the flanks of Mont Blanc on the left side of the image
The Mer de Glace glacier can be seen slowly streaming down the flanks of Mont Blanc on the left side of the image

The summit of Mont Blanc is a thick, perennial ice and snow dome whose thickness varies, so no exact and permanent summit altitude can be determined. But accurate measurements have been made. For a long time its official altitude was 4,807 m. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Then in 2002, the IGN and expert surveyors, with the aid of GPS technology, measured it to be 4,810. The Institut Géographique National (National Geographic Institute or IGN is a French public state administrative establishment founded in 1940 whose task is to Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth 40 m. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International

After the 2003 heatwave in Europe, a team of scientists re-measured the height on 6 and 7 September. Country-by-country France In France, 14802 people&mdashmostly elderly&mdashdied from heat according to the country's largest funeral service The team was made up of the glaciologist Luc Moreau, two surveyors from the GPS Company, three people from the IGN, seven expert surveyors, four mountain guides from Chamonix and Saint-Gervais and four students from various institutes in France. The Institut Géographique National (National Geographic Institute or IGN is a French public state administrative establishment founded in 1940 whose task is to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or more commonly Chamonix (ʃamɔni in French is a Town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie This team noted that the altitude was 4,808. 45 m, and the peak was 75 cm away from where it had been in 2002. A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth

After these results were published, more than 500 points were measured, to assess the effects of climate change, and the fluctuations in the height of the mountain at different points. From then on the altitude of the mountain has been measured every two years.

The interpretation that the heatwave had caused this fluctuation is disputed, because the heatwave is known not to have significantly affected the glaciers above 4000 m. The height and position of the summit could have been moved by general glacial forces. At this altitude, the temperatures rarely rise above 0 °C. Altitude is the Elevation of a point or object from a known level or datum (plural data The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. During the summer of 2003, the temperature rose to 2 °C, and even 3 °C, but this would not have been enough for the ice, which stayed at -15 °C, to melt.

The summit was measured again in 2005, and the results were published on 16 December 2005. The height was found to be 4,808. 75 m, 30 cm more than the previous recorded height.

The actual rock summit is at 4,792 m, and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit.

Climbing routes

There are a few 'classic' climbing routes of Mont Blanc:

From the summit of Mont Blanc on a clear day, the Jura, the Vosges, the Black Forest and the Massif Central mountain ranges can be seen, as well as the principal summits of the Alps. The Jura Mountains are a small Mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of Vosges (voːʒ is a French department, named after the Vosges mountain range. For the suburb of Adelaide, please see Black Forest South Australia; for the CDP in Colorado, please see Black Forest Colorado. The Massif Central ( Occitan: Massís Central / Massís Centrau) is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of Mountains and

Exploits

Cultural works

Cinema and television

In literature

Protection of Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc massif is being put forward as a potential World Heritage Site because of its uniqueness and its cultural importance, considered the birthplace and symbol of modern mountaineering. Mary Shelley ( Née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 30 August "Mont Blanc Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni" is an Ode by the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4 1792 – July 8 1822 ˈpɝːsɪ ˈbɪʃ ˈʃɛlɪ was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among Point Blanc (North America Point Blank) follows on from Stormbreaker and is the second book in the ''Alex Rider'' series written by British Anthony Horowitz (born 5 April 1956 is an English Author and Screenwriter. Juliusz Słowacki ( 4 September 1809 in Kremenets, Volhynia, Russian Empire now in Ukraine &ndash 3 April In Geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or Flexures In the movement of the crust, a massif A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of However not everyone shares this goal and it would require the three governments of Italy, France and Switzerland to make a request to UNESCO for it to be listed. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16

Mont Blanc is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, and for this reason, it is threatened. Pro-Mont Blanc (an international collective of associations for the protection of Mont Blanc) published in 2002 the book Le versant noir du mont Blanc (The black hillside of Mont Blanc), which exposes current and future problems in conserving the site. [3]

In 2007, Europe's highest outhouses (two) were transported by helicopter and installed at an elevation of 4,260 metres. An outhouse, usually refers to a type of Toilet in a small structure separate from the main building which does not have a flush or sewer attached The dunny-cans are emptied by helicopter. The facilities will service 30,000 skiers annually, and will help prevent the deposit of urine and feces that spread down the mountain face with the spring thaw. [6]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Caucasus mountains, which include higher peaks than Mont Blanc, are included on political maps of Europe, although the case can be made that they are geographically and culturally more Asian than European. The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a Road Tunnel in the Alps under the Mont Blanc mountain linking Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, The Mont Blanc Tramway or Tramway du Mont-Blanc is a Mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie region of France. The Mont Blanc Massif (Massiccio del Monte Bianco Massif du Mont-Blanc is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. The Haute Route, (or The High Route or Mountaineers' Route is the name given to a route (with several variations undertaken on foot or by ski touring between Chamonix, The Tour du Mont Blanc or TMB is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. Mons Blanc is the tallest mountain in the Montes Alpes range on the Moon at 3 This article is about the terrestrial Eurasian mountain range Excluding the Caucasus, Mont Blanc is the highest summit in Europe.
  2. ^ a b Image:1823 Mont Blanc 1.jpg
  3. ^ Danish Artist Drapes Mont Blanc in Red, June 8, 2007
  4. ^ KAIRN > Montagne / Escalade / Nature / Outdoor
  5. ^ Jaccuzzi on mont-blanc summit
  6. ^ Ananova.com

Photo gallery

Mont Blanc as seen from Aiguille du Midi.

The top of Mont Blanc seen from the Gare des Glaciers.

Mont Blanc (view from Aiguille du Midi)

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc from Chamonix

From viewing area

Mont Blanc seen in the afternoon taken from the Rébuffat platform

External links

A kibibyte (a contraction of ki lo bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, established by the International

Dictionary

Mont Blanc

-proper noun

  1. The highest mountain in France
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