Mont Blanc << mawn BLON or mont BLAHNGK >> is the highest mountain in the Alps. Mont Blanc is often called the monarch of mountains. Its name is French for white mountain. Mont Blanc rises 15,771 feet (4,807 meters) on the border between France, Italy, and Switzerland. The base of the mountain is a huge mass of granite that extends into all three countries. Its highest peak is in southern France.
Mont Blanc is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) long and 10 miles (16 kilometers) wide. Thick woods and swift streams cover its lower slopes. But above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters), there is almost always a thick blanket of snow. The peak of Mont Blanc is capped with ice. Changes in amounts of snow and wind may raise or lower the elevation of the summit from year to year. Mont Blanc has several large glaciers. Its most famous glacier is Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice). A scientific laboratory was built on Mont Blanc in 1893.
Jacques Balmat, a French glass cutter, and Michel Paccard, a French physician, first climbed Mont Blanc in 1786. Today, it is easily climbed, and it is a resort center. People can ride up 6,287 feet (1,916 meters) to Mer de Glace on a cog railway. For those who prefer to climb, there are shelters to aid them in their 50- to 60-hour journey. One of the world’s highest aerial tramways goes up Aiguille du Midi, a lower peak of Mont Blanc. In 1965, the Mont Blanc Tunnel, linking France and Italy, was opened for auto traffic.
