The Italian: Partizione delle Alpi (Italian for "Partition of the Alps", German: Einteilung der Alpen, French: Partition des Alpes) is a classification of the mountain ranges of the Alps, that is primarily used in Italian literature, but also in France and Switzerland. It was devised in 1926.
This classification system entails a division of the main arc of the Alps into the Italian: Alpi Occidentali (Western Alps), Italian: Alpi Centrali (Central Alps) and Italian: Alpi Orientali (Eastern Alps).
The basic structure is based on the three main divisions. These were further subdivided into 26 sections" and 112 "groups".
The boundary between the western and central arc of the Alps is the line Ivrea – Aosta Valley – Italian Val Ferret – Col Ferret – Swiss Val Ferret – Martigny-Ville – eastern end of Lake Geneva near Montreux/Vevey
The eastern section is bounded by the line of the Adige valley – valley of the Eisack – Brenner – valley of the Sill – Innsbruck – Lower Inn Valley as far as Rosenheim
The term "Central Alps" should not be confused with the Central Alps within the north-to-south division of the Eastern Alps.
This classification of the Alps was compiled in 1926 on the occasion of the IXth Congresso Geografico Italiano and published in the Nomi e limiti delle grandi parti del Sistema Alpino ("Names and Boundaries of the Major Elements of the Alpine System").
The system covered the entirety of the Alps and not just that part of the Alps that lay on Italian soil. In spite of that, the classification is focussed on Italy, because it does not employ the usual bipartite division, and in general the subdivisions usually used in other countries were ignored. It was seen as flawed because it included regions that, according to research, were not part of the Alps.
The following have been cited by Marazzi as basic shortcomings and inconsistencies:
More up to date versions of this system are found in standard works like the Dictionnaire encyclopédique des Alpes (2006) or Il Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico delle Alpi (2007).
| No. | English name | Italian name | French / Slovenian names [2] | German name | Groups (i.e. ranges) (English names in brackets) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Alps | Westalpen | From Colle di Cadibona to the Col Ferret | ||||
| 1 | Meeralpen, Seealpen | 1a Alpi liguri/Alpes ligures (Ligurian Alps) 1b Alpi del Var 1c Prealpi di Nizza/Préalpes de Nice, Préalpes Niçoises (Nice Prealps) | ||||
| 2 | Cottische Alpen | 2a Alpi Cozie meridionali, Gruppo del Monviso (Southern Cottian Alps) 2b Alpi Cozie centrali, Alpi del Monginevro (Central Cottian Alps →Col de Montgenèvre) 2c Alpi Cozie settentrionali Catena del Cenisio/Massif du Mont-Cenis (Northern Cottian Alps) | ||||
| 3 | Grajische Alpen | 3a Gruppo del Gran Paradiso 3b Alpi della Tarantasia 3c Gruppo del Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc Group) | ||||
| 4 | Provenzalische Alpen | |||||
| 5 | Dauphiné-Alpen, Dauphinéer Alpen | 5a Gruppo del Champsaur 5b Massiccio del Pelvoux 5c Alpi di Moriana | ||||
| 6 | Provenzalische Voralpen | 6a Chaînes des Plans 6b Montagne di Sainte Victoire 6c Catena della Sainte Baume 6d Monti dei Maures e dell'Esterel/Massif des Maures et Esterel | ||||
| 7 | Dauphiné-Voralpen, Dauphinéer Voralpen | 7a Montagna del Luberon 7b Montagne di Valchiusa 7c Massiccio del Dévoluy 7d Vercors | ||||
| 8 | Savoie-Voralpen, Savoie-Alpen, Savoier Alpen | |||||
| Central Alps | Zentralalpen | From Col Ferret to the Brenner Pass | ||||
| 9 | Penninische Alpen | 9a Alpi del Vallese (Valais Alps) 9b Gruppo della Val Sesia (Valsesia Group) | ||||
| 10 | Lepontinische Alpen | 10a Gruppo del Monte Leone (Monte Leone Group) 10b Gruppo dell'Adula (Adula Alps) 10c Alpi Ticinesi (Tessine Alps) | ||||
| 11 | Rätische Alpen | 11a Gruppo dell'Albula e Silvretta (Albula Alps and Silvretta) 11b Gruppo della Plessur (Plessur Alps) 11c Catena del Reticone (Rätikon) 11d Gruppo del Ferwall (Verwall Alps) 11e Gruppo del Bernina (Bernina Group) 11f Gruppo dell'Umbraglio (Umbrail Group) 11g Alpi Venoste (Vintschgau Alps) 11h Alpi Breonie (roughly corresponds to the Stubai Alps) 11i Alpi Sarentine (Sarntal Alps) 11j Gruppo dell'Ortles (Ortler Alps) 11k Monti della Val di Non (Nonstal Alps, Nonsberg Alps) 11l Gruppo dell'Adamello (Adamello Group) 11m Dolomiti di Brenta (Brenta group) | ||||
| 12 | Berner Alpen | 12a Massiccio del Finsteraarhorn (Finsteraarhorn Massif) 12b Gruppo del Wildhorn (Wildhorn Group) 12c Alpi Urane (Uri Alps) | ||||
| 13 | Glarner Alpen | 13a Gruppo del Tödi (Tödi Group) 13b Gruppo della Sardona (Surenstock) | ||||
| 14 | Schweizer Voralpen | 14a Prealpi della Simmental (Simmental Alps) 14b Prealpi dell'Emmental (Emmental Alps) 14c Prealpi della Linth (Linth Alps) | ||||
| 15 | – | Bayrische Alpen | 15a Alpi dell'Algovia (Allgäu Alps) 15b Alpi della Lechtal (Lechtal Alps) 15c Monti dell'Achensee (Achensee Mountains) | |||
| 16 | Lombard Prealps | – | Lombardische Voralpen, Lombardische Alpen | |||
| Eastern Alps | Ostalpen | From Brenner to Rijeka | ||||
| 17 | – | Norische Alpen | 17a Prealpi del Tux (Tux Alps) 17b Alpi della Zillertal (Zillertal Alps) 17c Alti Tauri (High Tauern) 17d Bassi Tauri (Low Tauern) 17b Alpi Carinziane (Carinthian Alps) | |||
| 18 | – | Dolomiten | ||||
| 19 | Karnische Alpen | 19a Alpi della Gail (Gailtal Alps) 19b Alpi di Tolmezzo | ||||
| 20 | Julische Alpen | 20a Alpi Giulie settentrionali (Northern Julian Alps) 20b Alto Carso (High Karst) 20c Carso Corniolino (Krain Karst) | ||||
| 21 | Kamnik-Savinja Alps | Alpi di Kamnik e della Savinja | Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe | Steiner Alpen | 21a Kamniške Alpe (Kamnik Alps) 21b Savinjske Alpe (Savinja Alps) | |
| 22 | Karawanks | Karawanken | 22a Catena delle Caravanche (Karawanks chain) 22b Monti di Bacher (Bacher Mountains/Kamnic Alps) | |||
| 23 | Salzburg Alps | – | Salzburger Alpen | 23a Alpi di Kitzbühel (Kitzbühel Alps) 23b Monti Steinernes Meer[3] 23c Monti del Kaiser (Kaiser Mountains) 23d Monti dello Stein (Lofer and Leogang Mountains) 23e Monti di Tennen (Tennen Mountains) 23f Monti del Dachstein (Dachstein Group) | ||
| 24 | Austrian Alps | – | 24a Monti Totes (Totes Gebirge) 24b Gruppo del Pyhrgas (Phyrgas Group) 24c Monti di Sengsen (Sengsen Mountains) 24d Alpi di Ennstal (Ennstal Alps) 24e Gruppo dello Hochschwab (Hochschwab Group) 24f Alpi di Rax (Raxalpe) 24g Gruppo dello Schneeberg (Schneeberg Group) 24h Prealpi dell'Ötscher (Ötsch Prealps) 24i Selva Viennese (Vienna Woods) | |||
| 25 | Styrian Alps | – | Steirische Alpen, Steirische Voralpen | 25a Alpi di Stub (Stubalpe) 25b Alpi di Glein (Gleinalpe) 25c Alpi di Hoch (Hochalpe) 25d Alpi di Kor (Koralpe) 25e Monti di Windische Bühel 25f Monti Stiriani (Styrian Prealps) 25g Monti di Bucklige Welt 25b Monti di Rosalia (Rosalian Mountains) | ||
| 26 | Venetian Alps | Venetische Alpen, Venetische Voralpen | 26a Monti Lessini (Lessine Alps) 26b Altopiano di Asiago 26c Monte Grappa 26d Prealpi Bellunesi (Bellunese Prealps) 26e Prealpi Carniche (Carnic Prealps) 26f Prealpi Giulie (Julian Prealps) | |||
| 27 | Karst | Karst | 27a Piccolo Carso (Little Karst) 27b Carso istriano (Istrian Karst) |