The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount

Triglav Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Natio ...

, the highest peak in

. A large part of the Julian Alps is included in Triglav National Park. The second highest peak of the range, the 2,755 m high

Jôf di Montasio The Jôf di Montasio (Italian, fur, Jôf dal Montâs, sl, Montaž, german: Montasch) is located in the Province of Udine, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. With its elevation of , it is the second highest mountain of ...

, lies in

. The Julian Alps cover an estimated 4,400 km² (of which 1,542 km² lies in Italy). They are located between the

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally th ...

Valley and

Canale Valley Canale may refer to: Places ;Italy * Canale, Piedmont, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cuneo * Canale, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, a ''frazione'' in the Province of Trento * Canale d'Agordo, a ''comune'' in the Province of Belluno, Veneto * Can ...

. They are divided into the Eastern and Western Julian Alps.

Name

The Julian Alps were known in antiquity as ''Alpe Iulia'', and also attested as ''Alpes Juliana'' AD 670, ''Alpis Julia'' 734, and ''Alpes Iulias'' in 1090. Like the

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privi ...

of ''Forum Julii'' (now Cividale del Friuli) at the foot of the mountains, the range was named after

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

of the

Julian clan The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the c ...

, perhaps due to a road built by Julius Caesar and completed by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

Eastern Julian Alps

There are many peaks in the Eastern Julian Alps over 2,000 m high, and they are mainly parts of ridges. The most prominent peaks are visible by their height and size. There are high plateaus on the eastern border, such as Pokljuka,

Mežakla Mežakla () is a long undulating plateau about long in the foothills of the Julian Alps above the town of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. It ranges from approximately to high. It is mostly covered with spruce and beech trees. There are many ...

, and

Jelovica Jelovica () is a karst plateau in northwestern Slovenia. It is the easternmost part of the Julian Alps and is overgrown by spruce forest. Partisan Peak ( sl, Partizanski vrh), originally known as Mount Kotlič, located on the southern part of the ...

. The main peaks by height are the following: *

– the highest mountain and on the coat of arms of Slovenia *

Škrlatica Škrlatica, historically also known as Suhi plaz ("Dry Avalanche"), is a mountain in the Slovenian Julian Alps. With its summit at 2,740m above sea level, it is the second highest peak in Slovenia (after Triglav at 2,864m) and the third highest i ...

Mangart Mangart or Mangrt is a mountain in the Julian Alps, located on the border between Italy and Slovenia. With an elevation of , it is the third-highest peak in Slovenia, after Triglav and Škrlatica. It was first climbed in 1794 by the naturalist F ...

* Jalovec * Razor * Kanjavec *

Prisojnik Prisojnik or Prisank is a mountain of the Julian Alps in Slovenia. Its summit is 2,547m above sea level. It is located above the Vršič Pass The Vršič Pass (; sl, prelaz Vršič, it, passo della Moistrocca, german: Werschetzpass), with ...

Rjavina Rjavina is a mountain in Slovenian Julian Alps. It rises above sea level. Located between two Alpine glacial valleys, Kot and Krma, it offers nice views to some of the highest Slovenian peaks, including Triglav, Škrlatica and Rž. Southeast ...

Prestreljenik Mount Prestreljenik ( it, Monte Forato) is a mountain in the western range of the Julian Alps, in the Tolmin region of Slovenia on the Italian–Slovenian border. It is the second-highest peak in the central part of the Kanin group. Prestrelje ...

Špik Špik is a mountain in the Slovenian Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mou ...

* Tosc *

Krn Krn (; ) is a mountain of the southwestern Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. It is the highest mountain of the Krn Mountains. The mountain is located about from the Adriatic Sea. The Soča River flows west of the peak, and the smaller Le ...

Western Julian Alps

The Western Julian Alps cover a much smaller area, and are located mainly in

. Only the Kanin group lies in part in Slovenia. The main peaks by height are: *

() *

Jôf Fuart Jôf Fuart (''Viš'' in slovene) is a mountain of the Julian Alps in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. It lies in the far northeast of Italy, near the border with Slovenia and is the second highest peak in the western Julian Alps after Jôf di Mont ...

() * High Mount Kanin ()

Passes

Important passes of the Julian Alps are: *The

Vršič Pass The Vršič Pass (; sl, prelaz Vršič, it, passo della Moistrocca, german: Werschetzpass), with an elevation of , is a high mountain pass across the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. It is the highest pass in Slovenia, as well as the highe ...

, 1,611 m (5,826 feet), links the

and Soča valleys. It is the highest mountain road pass in

. *The

Predil Pass The Predil Pass or Predel Pass ( it, Passo di Predil; sl, Predel, ) (el. 1156 m) is a high mountain pass on the border between Italy and Slovenia. Geography The pass is located in the Julian Alps, between the peaks of Mount Mangart to t ...

(links

Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the po ...

via Tarvisio and Bovec to

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...

), paved road 1,156 m (3,792 feet) *The Pontebba Pass (links Villach via Tarvisio and Pontebba to

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

), railway, paved road, 797 m (2,615 feet)

Gallery

File:View from Mangart MC.jpg, View from

toward east (from left to right:

Ponca The Ponca ( Páⁿka iyé: Páⁿka or Ppáⁿkka pronounced ) are a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca ...

, Mojstrovka,

, Razor,

Travnik Travnik is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, west of Sarajevo. As of 201 ...

, Kanjavec, Jalovec,

Lepo Špičje A Low Exercise Price Option (LEPO) is an Australian Stock Exchange traded option (finance), option with a low exercise price that was specifically designed to be traded on Margin (finance), margin. It is a Option_style, European style call option w ...

File:Julian Alps from Vrsic Pass (3).jpg, The Julian Alps seen from the

File:Julian Alps from the N.jpg, The Julian Alps from the north File:Julijske Alpe z Vršiča.jpg, The Julian Alps, from the Vršič Pass File:Leontopodium alpinum.jpg, Edelweiss, Julian Alps,

File:Julian Alps with Prisojnik and Razor.jpg, The Julian Alps with Prisojnik and Razor File:Krnica.jpg, The Krnica Valley near Kranjska Gora File:Mangart 16.jpg, Mount Mangart File:Modeon del Montasio 2.jpg, Modeon del Montasio seen from Cima di Terrarossa

References

External links

Julian Alps on Hiking Trail

Julian Alps in Slovenia (All information about it)
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of the Alps Mountain ranges of Italy Mountain ranges of Slovenia * * Southern Limestone Alps Landforms of Upper Carniola Biosphere reserves of Slovenia Natura 2000 in Slovenia