Matterhorn, << MAT uhr `hawrn,` >> is a famous mountain peak in the Pennine Alps. It rises 14,692 feet (4,478 meters) on the boundary between the canton (state) of Valais in southern Switzerland and the Piedmont region of Italy. The mountain is known as Monte Cervino in Italian and Mont Cervin in French.
The peak of the Matterhorn rises like a pyramid from the surrounding mountain base. Snow always covers the upper slopes of this peak. Many climbers have scaled its steep sides. The first person to make the challenging climb to the top of the Matterhorn was Edward Whymper in 1865.
See also Alps .
