1.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
2.
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
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Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department and it lies in the Maurienne, the valley of the River Arc. It was also an Episcopal See of Savoy during the Ancien Régime and its original name was simply Maurienne, or Moriana in Italian and Latin. Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is located at the confluence of the Arc, a river which has shaped the Maurienne Valley, the neighbouring communes of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne are Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis, Jarrier, Hermillon, Villargondran, Albiez-le-Jeune, Albiez-Montrond, Saint-Pancrace and Pontamafrey-Montpascal. The climate is the type because of the presence of the Alpine Massif. Route nationale 6 A43 autoroute Col de la Croix de Fer Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is located on the route of the future new Lyon-Turin rail link, homes, businesses, the SNCF railway station and the rescue centre are fully affected by this project. Responsible for the studies, the Lyon Turin Railway company foresees the installation of a new station in the Sous-le-Bourg quarter, serving the historic line. Geological and topographical investigations are underway and this project promises to be even more complex than that of the Channel Tunnel. The town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is equipped with a network of public transport run by the Communauté de communes Cœur de Maurienne, a heliport is available for the helicopter of the gendarmerie whose base is located in Modane. La Bastille, les Chaudannes and les Clapeys are the three main quarters, the total number of dwellings in the commune is 4,240. Among such housing,87. 9% are principal residences,5. 4% are secondary homes and 6. 7% are vacant dwellings. These accommodations have a share of 17. 5% as individual houses,79. 3% as apartments, the number of residents who own their homes is 37. 9%. This is lower than the average which adds up to nearly 55. 3%. The number of tenants is 56. 7% throughout the housing which is higher than the average of 39. 8%. It may be noted also that 5. 4% of the inhabitants of the commune are people who are housed for free while at the level of the whole of the France the percentage is 4. 9%. Still on all of the municipality housing,3. 5% are studios,11. 5% are two-room housing,28. 4% have three,34. 5% of dwellings have four rooms, and 22. 1% of dwellings have five rooms or more. Locality named after John the Baptist, the precursor, who was born in Ain-Karim, son of Zechariah and Saint Elizabeth, cousin of Jesus, Latin name, Mauriana Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne has been the capital of the Maurienne Valley since the 6th century. The oldest possessions of the Counts of Savoy were the counties of Maurienne, Savoy proper, the Duchy of Savoy, which had been a French-speaking province under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, was invaded by Revolutionary France, but restored to Piedmont in 1815
3.
Alps
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The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc, Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,810 m is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains about a hundred peaks higher than 4000 metres, the altitude and size of the range affects the climate in Europe, in the mountains precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones. Wildlife such as live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m. Evidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the Palaeolithic era, a mummified man, determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the Austrian–Italian border in 1991. By the 6th century BC, the Celtic La Tène culture was well established, Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. In 1800 Napoleon crossed one of the passes with an army of 40,000. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, in World War II, Adolf Hitler kept a base of operation in the Bavarian Alps throughout the war. The Alpine region has a cultural identity. The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, at present, the region is home to 14 million people and has 120 million annual visitors. The English word Alps derives from the Latin Alpes, maurus Servius Honoratus, an ancient commentator of Virgil, says in his commentary that all high mountains are called Alpes by Celts. The term may be common to Italo-Celtic, because the Celtic languages have terms for high mountains derived from alp and this may be consistent with the theory that in Greek Alpes is a name of non-Indo-European origin. According to the Old English Dictionary, the Latin Alpes might possibly derive from a pre-Indo-European word *alb hill, Albania, a name not native to the region known as the country of Albania, has been used as a name for a number of mountainous areas across Europe. In Roman times, Albania was a name for the eastern Caucasus, in modern languages the term alp, alm, albe or alpe refers to a grazing pastures in the alpine regions below the glaciers, not the peaks. An alp refers to a mountain pasture where cows are taken to be grazed during the summer months and where hay barns can be found. The Alps are a crescent shaped geographic feature of central Europe that ranges in a 800 km arc from east to west and is 200 km in width, the mean height of the mountain peaks is 2.5 km. The range stretches from the Mediterranean Sea north above the Po basin, extending through France from Grenoble, the range continues onward toward Vienna, Austria, and east to the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. To the south it dips into northern Italy and to the north extends to the border of Bavaria in Germany
4.
Cottian Alps
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The Cottian Alps, are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy, the Fréjus Road Tunnel and Fréjus Rail Tunnel between Modane and Susa are important transportation arteries between France and Italy. The name Cottian comes from Marcus Julius Cottius, a king of the tribes inhabiting that region in the 1st century BC. These tribes had opposed but later made peace with Julius Caesar. Cottius was succeeded by his son, also named Marcus Julius Cottius, on his death, Nero annexed his kingdom as the province of Alpes Cottiae. The Dauphins also held, in addition to the slopes of the range. The Alpine territory of Dauphiné, known as Escartons, used to have a limited autonomy, after the treaty annexing Nice and Savoy to France, signed in Turin in March 1860, the north-western slopes of the range became part of the French republic. Administratively the range is divided between the Italian provinces of Cuneo and Turin and the French departments of Savoie, Hautes-Alpes, and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The Cottian Alps are drained by the rivers Durance and Arc and their tributaries on the French side, and by the Dora Riparia and other tributaries of the Po on the Italian side
5.
Graian Alps
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The Graian Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. The name Graie comes from the Graioceli Celtic tribe, which dwelled in the surrounding the Mont Cenis pass. Other sources claim that the name comes from the Celtic Graig meaning rock/stone, literally the Rocky Mountains The Graian Alps are located in France, Italy, the French side of the Graian Alps is drained by the river Isère and its tributary Arc, and by the Arve. The Italian side is drained by the rivers Dora Baltea, Orco and Stura di Lanzo, the Graian Alps can also be divided into the following four groups, the Mont Blanc group the Central group the Western or French group, and the Eastern or Italian group. The main peaks of the Graian Alps are, The main passes of the Graian Alps are shown in the table below. The group in which the pass is located is indicated with MB for Mont Blanc group, C for Central group, E for Eastern group, and W for Western group. The western group contains the Vanoise National Park, established in 1972 and covering 1250 km², the group contains the Gran Paradiso National Park. Also on the Italian side is located the Parco Regionale del Monte Avic, ascents in Gran Paradiso group - Czech and English Graian Alps on Summitpost - English
6.
Lyon
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Lyon or Lyons is a city in east-central France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, about 470 km from Paris and 320 km from Marseille. Inhabitants of the city are called Lyonnais, Lyon had a population of 506,615 in 2014 and is Frances third-largest city after Paris and Marseille. Lyon is the capital of the Metropolis of Lyon and the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the metropolitan area of Lyon had a population of 2,237,676 in 2013, the second-largest in France after Paris. The city is known for its cuisine and gastronomy and historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lyon was historically an important area for the production and weaving of silk. It played a significant role in the history of cinema, Auguste, the city is also known for its famous light festival, Fête des Lumières, which occurs every 8 December and lasts for four days, earning Lyon the title of Capital of Lights. Economically, Lyon is a centre for banking, as well as for the chemical, pharmaceutical. The city contains a significant software industry with a focus on video games. Lyon hosts the headquarters of Interpol, Euronews, and International Agency for Research on Cancer. Lyon was ranked 19th globally and second in France for innovation in 2014 and it ranked second in France and 39th globally in Mercers 2015 liveability rankings. These refugees had been expelled from Vienne by the Allobroges and were now encamped at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers, dio Cassius says this task was to keep the two men from joining Mark Antony and bringing their armies into the developing conflict. The Roman foundation was at Fourvière hill and was officially called Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, a name invoking prosperity, the city became increasingly referred to as Lugdunum. The earliest translation of this Gaulish place-name as Desired Mountain is offered by the 9th-century Endlicher Glossary, in contrast, some modern scholars have proposed a Gaulish hill-fort named Lugdunon, after the Celtic god Lugus, and dúnon. It then became the capital of Gaul, partly due to its convenient location at the convergence of two rivers, and quickly became the main city of Gaul. Two emperors were born in city, Claudius, whose speech is preserved in the Lyon Tablet in which he justifies the nomination of Gallic senators. Today, the archbishop of Lyon is still referred to as Primat des Gaules, the Christians in Lyon were martyred for their beliefs under the reigns of various Roman emperors, most notably Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus. Local saints from this period include Blandina, Pothinus, and Epipodius, in the second century AD, the great Christian bishop of Lyon was the Easterner, Irenaeus. Burgundian refugees fleeing the destruction of Worms by the Huns in 437 were re-settled by the commander of the west, Aëtius. This became the capital of the new Burgundian kingdom in 461, in 843, by the Treaty of Verdun, Lyon, with the country beyond the Saône, went to Lothair I
7.
Turin
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Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region and was the first capital city of Italy. The city is located mainly on the bank of the Po River, in front of Susa Valley and surrounded by the western Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 892,649 while the population of the area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million, in 1997 a part of the historical center of Torino was inscribed in the World Heritage List under the name Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. Turin is well known for its Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-classical, many of Turins public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi such as Palazzo Madama, were built between the 16th and 18th centuries. This was after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy was moved to Turin from Chambery as part of the urban expansion, the city used to be a major European political center. Turin was Italys first capital city in 1861 and home to the House of Savoy, from 1563, it was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, then of the Kingdom of Sardinia ruled by the Royal House of Savoy and finally the first capital of the unified Italy. Turin is sometimes called the cradle of Italian liberty for having been the birthplace and home of notable politicians and people who contributed to the Risorgimento, such as Cavour. The city currently hosts some of Italys best universities, colleges, academies, lycea and gymnasia, such as the University of Turin, founded in the 15th century, in addition, the city is home to museums such as the Museo Egizio and the Mole Antonelliana. Turins attractions make it one of the worlds top 250 tourist destinations, Turin is ranked third in Italy, after Milan and Rome, for economic strength. With a GDP of $58 billion, Turin is the worlds 78th richest city by purchasing power, as of 2010, the city has been ranked by GaWC as a Gamma World city. Turin is also home to much of the Italian automotive industry, the Taurini were an ancient Celto-Ligurian Alpine people, who occupied the upper valley of the Po River, in the center of modern Piedmont. In 218 BC, they were attacked by Hannibal as he was allied with their long-standing enemies, the Taurini chief town was captured by Hannibals forces after a three-day siege. As a people they are mentioned in history. It is believed that a Roman colony was established in 27 BC under the name of Castra Taurinorum, both Livy and Strabo mention the Taurinis country as including one of the passes of the Alps, which points to a wider use of the name in earlier times. In the 1st century BC, the Romans created a military camp, the typical Roman street grid can still be seen in the modern city, especially in the neighborhood known as the Quadrilatero Romano. Via Garibaldi traces the path of the Roman citys decumanus which began at the Porta Decumani. The Porta Palatina, on the side of the current city centre, is still preserved in a park near the Cathedral
8.
Modane
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Modane is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it belongs to the Vanoise National Park. It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia until the Treaty of Turin in 1860, the commune of Modane is located in the Alps in the department of Savoie between the Vanoise massif to the north and between the Massif du Mont-Cenis and the Massif des Cerces to the south. Crossed by the Arc river, it extends to the doors of the Haute-Maurienne, the issue of the attachment or not of Modane in the Maurienne Valley or Haute-Maurienne differs depending on the disciplines of economics, geography or geology. However, for the majority of analysts, Modane is a commune attached to the middle part of this valley. With an area of 7,104 acres, the commune extends along a north-south axis on both sides of the valley, to the north, Modane is bounded by the Roc des Saints Pères, and the Aiguille de Péclet and the Dôme de Polset. The Modane territory extends in a particular form, indeed, a relatively short east-west width on the north side of the valley, is much larger on the south side. From north to south, the municipality extends however over a length of around 15 kilometres and these peaks, however, leave easy passages, particularly frequented during summer by hiking tourists, either to the Tarentaise Valley or to Italy. In addition, some ski resorts located within walking distance of the town, among which are Aussois, La Norma. The commune of Modane is bordered by nine communes in France. To the west, Modane mainly borders Saint-André and Fourneaux, but also to the south-west, Freney, Orelle, to the north, in the Vanoise National Park, the bordering communes are Saint-Martin-de-Belleville to the north-west, with Les Allues and Pralognan-la-Vanoise to the north-east. To the east lies Villarodin-Bourget, with Avrieux to the south-east, the commune is at the French end of the Fréjus Road Tunnel, one of the major transalpine road crossings along with the Mont Blanc Tunnel, linking France and Italy. Out of the tunnel, the A43 autoroute begins and which leads to Chambéry and Lyon, in addition, the D1006, an important route coming from Chambéry, also passes through Modane before continuing up to the Col du Mont-Cenis and the Italian border. The road is also the axis of the commune, which it crosses through the full length of the centre. However, it has several names including, from west to east, Avenue de la Liberté, Rue de la République, Avenue Jean Jaurès. There is therefore an electrical disconnection and signaling changes upstream, the railway line serving Modane is the Maurienne line, or its official name the ligne de Culoz à Modane. It marks the territory of the commune of Modane looping 180° between its exit from the station and its entry into the Fréjus tunnel, Rue de Chavière, A survivor street of the misfortunes of the city where you can still notice some houses with half-engaged spiral staircases. The Le Paquier quarter, The last historic quarter of the composed of traditional houses grouped around the parish church
9.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
10.
Col du Galibier
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Col du Galibier is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the ninth highest paved road in the Alps and the sixth highest mountain pass and it is often the highest point of the Tour de France. It connects Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and Briançon via the col du Télégraphe and the Col du Lautaret, the pass is closed during the winter. It is located between the massif dArvan-Villards and the massif des Cerces, taking its name from the chain of mountains known as the Galibier. Before 1976, the tunnel was the point of passage at the top. The tunnel was closed for restoration until 2002, and a new road was constructed over the summit, the re-opened tunnel is a single lane controlled by traffic lights, which are among the highest such installations in Europe. In 1876 first passable road could be opened between Maurienne and Briançonnais respectively Oisans, in the north passroad begins in Valloire, this place is only reachable via Col du Télégraphe which is before Galibier and connects Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne with Valloire. In the south the road beginns at a level of 2,057 m Col du Lautaret, highest point of this road was at an altitude of 2,658 m,16 meters higher than nowadays. Road between Col du Lautaret is 24,5 kilometers long,16 kilometers is the part,8,5 kilometers is the south part. Road over Galibier was first a road and later asphalted. In the area of the summit it was hard to travel and this was the reason why in 1890 a crest tunnel was built, which was opened in 1891. The tube is four meters broad, a track which can be passed only alternately. The new tunnel is at an altitude of 2556 meters, this is the reason why the highest ponit is now 102 meters lower, new build tunnel shortens the distance to 23 kilometers. 15 kilometers is the part,7,5 Kilometer is the south part and 0,5 kilometers is the crest tunnel. From the north, starting at Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, the climb is 34.8 kilometres long, gaining 2,120 metres in height, the actual climb to the summit starts at Valloire and is 18.1 kilometres long at an average of 6. 9%. The maximum gradient is 10. 1% at the summit, from the south, the climb starts from the Col du Lautaret and is 8.5 kilometres long at an average gradient of 6. 9% with a maximum of 12. 1% at the summit. On both sides of the Col du Galibier mountain pass cycling milestone are placed every kilometre and they indicate the distance to the summit, the current height, and the average slope in the following kilometre. Such signposting for cyclists has become common in most major mountain passes in the French Pyrenees and Alps
11.
Col du Lautaret
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Col du Lautaret is a high mountain pass in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. It marks the boundary between the valleys of the Romanche and the Guisane, a tributary of the Durance which has its source at the col, the valleys are linked by national route 91. The Lautaret is one of the lowest points on the line which separates the north and south geographic areas of the French Alps. The Col has long used as a communication route between Grenoble and Briançon, and indeed for reaching Italy across the Alps. The Col is open all year round and provides views of La Meije to the south-west. It is also known for its botanical garden. The route to the side of the Col du Galibier leaves from the Lautaret. The eastern approach commences at Briançon, from there is 27.7 km to the summit, gaining 853 m in altitude, at an average gradient of 3. 1%. The Tour de France first crossed over the Col du Lautaret in 1911, since 1947, the passages which have been categorized have been, Col du Lautaret on Google Maps
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