Mont Blanc massif
Name Height ( metres ) Height ( feet )
Tour Ronde 3,792 12,441
Aiguille Noire de Peuterey 3,773 12,379
Aiguille du Dru 3,754 12,316
Dômes de Miage 3,673 12,051
Aiguille du Plan 3,673 12,051
Aiguille du Tour 3,540 11,614
Aiguilles Dorées 3,514 11,529
Grand Darray 3,514 11,529
Grande Lui 3,509 11,512
Petit Darray 3,508 11,512
Aiguille du Grépon 3,482 11,424
Aiguille des Grands Charmoz 3,445 11,302
Petit Grépillon 3,358 11,017
Le Portalet 3,344 10,971
Pointe d'Orny 3,271 10,732
Petite Pointe d'Orny 3,187 10,456
Grande Pointe des Planereuses 3,151 10,338
Pointe des Grands 3,101 10,174
Pointe des Plines 3,052 10,013
Pointe des Berons 2,954 9,692
The Mont Blanc massif (; ) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major independent summits, each over in height. It is named after Mont Blanc (), the highest point in western Europe and the European Union. Because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the massif is covered by glaciers, which include the Mer de Glace and the Miage Glacierthe longest glaciers in France and Italy, respectively. Not only does the massif form a watershed between the vast catchments of the rivers Rhône and Po, as well as a tripoint between France, Italy and Switzerland, it also marks the border between two climate regions by separating the northern and western Alps from the southern Alps. The mountains of the massif consist mostly of granite and gneiss rocks and at high altitudes the vegetation is an arctic-alpine flora. The valleys that delimit the massif were used as communication routes by the Romans until they left around the 5th century AD. The region has remained of some military importance through to the mid-20th century. A peasant farming economy operated within these valleys for many centuries until the glaciers and mountains were discovered by the outside world in the 18th century. Word of these impressive sights began to spread, and Mont Blanc was finally climbed in 1786, marking the start of the sport of mountaineering. The region is now a major tourist destination, drawing in over sixmillion visitors per year. It provides a wide range of opportunities for outdoor recreation and activities such as sight-seeing, hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing.