Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc (môN bläN), Alpine massif, on the French-Italian border, SE of Geneva. One of its several peaks, also called Mont Blanc (15,771 ft/4,807 m), is the highest peak in France and the second highest in Europe. The southeastern (Italian) face is a massive wall; on the northwestern slopes are numerous glaciers, the largest of which (the Mer de Glace) flows into the valley of Chamonix, a famous French resort region and starting point for mountain climbers. There are many hotels and hostels along the base of Mont Blanc. The first successful ascent of Mont Blanc was made in 1786. In 1965 a highway tunnel (7.5 mi/12.1 km long) under Mont Blanc, linking Chamonix with Courmayeur, Italy, was opened to traffic. It provides a short, year-round route between Paris and Rome, as well as a link between the Geneva region and Italy. It was closed as a result of a fire from 1999 to 2002. The tunnel is one of the longest vehicular tunnels in the world.

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Mont Blanc

a massif in SW Europe, mainly between France and Italy: the highest mountain in the Alps; beneath it is Mont Blanc Tunnel, 12 km (7.5 miles) long. Highest peak (in France): 4807 m (15 771 ft.)

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Mont Blanc 

a mountain massif in the Western Alps, extending from southwest to northeast for 50 km along the border of France, Italy, and Switzerland. Elevation, up to 4,807 m (the highest in the Alps and in all of Western Europe). It is composed of granites, gneisses, and crystalline schists. There is sharply dissected alpine relief. The snow line is at elevations of 2,850–3,100 m. The area of the present glaciation is 277 sq km; the largest glacier is Mer de Glace (15 km long). Part of the watershed between the Po and Rhône rivers runs along the massif. Mont Blanc is a mountain-climbing center and has astronomy and meteorology observatories. An 11.6-km vehicular tunnel from France to Italy passes through Mont Blanc.