Fold mountains - The Alps

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  • The alps
    • The alps were formed about 30 million years ago by the collision between the African and European plates
    • People use the alps for:
    • 1) Farming
      • the steep upland areas are used to farm goats, which provide milk, cheese and meat
      • some slopes are used to plant vineyards
    • 2) Hydro-electric power (HEP)
      • the narrow valleys are dammed to generate HEP
      • The electricity produced is used locally to power homes and businesses, also exported to towns and cities further away
    • 3) Tourism
      • 100 million tourists visit the alps each year making tourism a huge part of the economy
      • 70% of tourists visit the steep, snow covered mountains in the winter for skiing and snowboarding
      • In the summer tourists visit for walking, mountain biking and climbing
      • new villages have been built to cater for the quantity of tourists
    • 4) Mining
      • Iron, gold, silver and copper were mined in the Alps but mining has declined dramatically
    • 5) Forestry
      • The trees around the Alps are sold to make things like furniture
    • Steep relief
      • goats are farmed there because they're well adapted to live on steep mountains
    • Poor Soils
      • animals are grazed in most high areas as the soil isn't great for growing crops
    • Limited communications
      • roads have been built over passes. it takes a long time to drive over passes and they can be blocked by snow, so tunnels have been cut through the mountais to provide fast transport links

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