Apennine Mountains

:This is about the terrestrial mountain range. There is also a lunar mountain range named the Montes Apenninus.

Related Topics:
Lunar - Montes Apenninus

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The Apennine Mountains (Greek: Απεννινος; Latin: Appenninus--in both cases used in the singular; Italian: Appennini) are a range of mountains stretching 1000 km from the north to the south of Italy along its east coast, traversing the entire peninsula, and forming, as it were, the backbone of the country. The name is probably derived from the Celtic pen, a mountain top: it originally belonged to the northern portion of the chain, from the Maritime Alps to Ancona; and Polybius is probably the first writer who applied it to the whole chain, making, indeed, no distinction between the Apennines and the Maritime Alps, and extending the former name as far as Marseilles. They lend their name to the Apennine peninsula which forms the major part of Italy. The mountains are mostly green and wooded, although one side of the highest peak, Corno Grande (2,912 m), is partially covered by the southernmost glacier in Europe. The eastern slopes down to the Adriatic Sea are steep, while the western slopes form a plain on which most of Italy's historic cities are located.

Related Topics:
Km - Italy - Marseilles - Apennine peninsula - Corno Grande - 2,912 m - Glacier - Adriatic Sea

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Classical authors do not differentiate the various parts of the chain, but use the name as a general name for the whole. The total length is some 800 miles and the maximum width 70 to 80 miles.

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