The Ötztal Alps
(, ) 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 aris ...
in the
Central Eastern Alps, in the
State of Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; ; ) is an Austrian federal state. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical Princely County of Tyrol. It is a constituent part of the present-day Euroregion Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino (together with South Tyrol and Tre ...
in western
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and the
Province of South Tyrol in northern
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Geography
The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at the head of the
Ötztal valley, a side valley of the
Inn river southwest of
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
, Austria. One line of summits forms part of the border between Austria and Italy.
The Ötztal Alps are bordered by the
Reschen Pass
Reschen Pass (, ; ) is a mountain pass across the main chain of the Alps, connecting the Upper Inn Valley in the northwest with the Vinschgau region in the southeast. Since 1919, the border between South Tyrol, Italy and Tyrol, Austria has app ...
(1504 m) in the west and the Inn river in the northwest and north. In the east the range is separated from the
Stubai Alps by the
Ötztaler Ache in the Ötztal, the
Timmelsjoch (2474 m) and the
Passer
''Passer'' is a genus of Old World sparrow, sparrows, also known as the true sparrows. The genus contains 28 species and includes the house sparrow and the Eurasian tree sparrow, two of the most common birds in the world. They are small birds wi ...
river in the
Passeier Valley. On the south and southwest, the range is limited by the deep valley of the
Etsch
The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...
river, here known as the
Vinschgau.
The Ötztal Alps are surrounded by the following ranges:
*
Lechtal Alps
*
Mieming Range
*
Stubai Alps
*
Sarntal Alps
*
Ortler Alps
The Ortler Alps ( ; ; ) are a mountain range of the :Southern Limestone Alps, Southern Limestone Alps mountain group in the Central Eastern Alps, in Italy and Switzerland.
Geography
The Ortler Alps are separated from:
# the Sesvenna Alps in the n ...
*
Sesvenna Alps
*
Samnaun Alps
In September 1991,
Ötzi
Ötzi, also called The Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC. Ötzi's remains were discovered on 19 September 1991, in the Ötztal Alps (hence the nickname "Ötzi", ) at the Austria–Italy border. He i ...
the so-called "Iceman" was found on the
Hauslabjoch between the peaks
Fineilspitze and
Similaun.
Peaks
The highest point of the Ötztal Alps is
Wildspitze , which is also the second highest mountain in Austria (after
Großglockner). Wildspitze is on one of several arms that extend north and northeast from the main ridge.
Some of the main peaks of the Ötztal Alps are:
Passes
The main
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
es of the Ötztal Alps are:
See also
*
Banker Kirchenkogel
*
Geography of the Alps
The Alps form a large mountain range dominating Central Europe, including parts of Italy, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Germany and Hungary.
This article describes the delimitation of the Alps as a whole and of subdivi ...
External links
Ötztal Alps on kamdoalp.cz - Hikes description, prominent peaks
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otztal Alps
Rhaetian Alps
Mountain ranges of the Alps
Mountain ranges of Trentino
Mountain ranges of Tyrol (federal state)
Mountain ranges of Italy