Documents for "Central European Physical Geography":

• Český Les see Bohemian Forest.

• Świna or Swine , channel, 13 mi (21 km) long, NW Poland, leading from the Zalew Szczeciński (Ger. Stettiner Haff ) to the Baltic Sea. It passes between the islands of Wolin and Usedom. Świnoujście,...

• Ötztal Alps mountain group, in the Tyrol, W Austria, S of the Inn River and extending into northern Italy. It rises to 12,380 ft (3,773 m) in the Wildspitze, the highest peak in the Tyrol. The village of...

• Aar river: see Aare.

• Aare or Aar , longest river entirely in Switzerland, 183 mi (295 km) long, rising in the Bernese Alps and fed by several glaciers. The upper Aare emerges from dam-impounded Grimsel Lake and flows generally W...

• Aletsch glacier, 66 sq mi (171 sq km), 16 mi (26 km) long and 1.2 mi (1.9 km) wide, S central Switzerland, largest in the Alps. It lies between the Jungfrau and the Aletschhorn, one of the highest (13,721...

• Alps great mountain system of S central Europe, c.500 mi (800 km) long and c.100 mi (160 km) wide, curving in a great arc from the Riviera coast on the Mediterranean Sea, along the borders of N Italy...

• Arlberg pass, 5,946 ft (1,812 m) high, W Austria, on the boundary between Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The Arlberg region forms the water divide between rivers flowing to the North Sea and those flowing into the...

• Böhmerwald see Bohemian Forest.

• Balaton lake, 230 sq mi (596 sq km), W central Hungary, at the foot of the Bakony Forest. The Zala River is its main tributary; the lake is drained by the Sió River. It is the largest lake in Central...

• Baradla Caves three large caves, NE Hungary and SE Slovakia, c.25 mi (40 km) NW of Miskolc, Hungary. Aggtelek and Josvafö caves are in Hungary; Dobšiná is in Slovakia. They are noted for their huge stalactites...

• Bernina mountain group, part of the Rhaetian Alps on the Swiss-Italian border, SE Switzerland. Piz Bernina is the highest (13,304 ft/4,055 m) peak. The group has many glaciers; Morteratsch Glacier is the...

• Beskids Czech and Slovak Beskydy, Pol. Beskidy , mountain range of the Carpathians, extending c.200 mi (320 km) along Poland's border with the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The highest peak, Babia Góra (Slovak Babí Hora ) rises to 5,658 ft (1,725 m). The Dunajec River divides the range into eastern and western sections. The Vistula River rises in the Western Beskids. Several passes, notably Jablunkov, Dukla, and...

• Białowieza Rus. Byelovezhskaya Pushcha, large forest, c.450 sq mi (1,170 sq km), E Poland and W Belarus. The last great first-growth forest of Europe, its varied trees (predominantly pines) shelter many animals, including boar, deer,...

• Black Forest Ger. Schwarzwald, mountain range, SW Germany, extending 90 mi (145 km) between the Rhine and Neckar rivers. Feldberg is the highest (4,898 ft/1,493 m) peak. The range is covered by dark pine forests and cut by deep...

• Bodensee see Constance, Lake.

• Bohemian Forest Czech Český Les, Ger. Böhmerwald, mountain range, extending c.150 mi (240 km) along the S Czech-German border and extending into Austria. The Czech name for its southern section is Sumava. A thickly wooded area, it rises to 4,780 ft (1,457 m) in the Grosser Arber (Czech Javor ). There are many marshes, swamps, and peat bogs in the Bohemian Forest. Agriculture is limited because of the harsh climate; grazing is common. Coal, graphite, kaolin, and granite are extracted...

• Brünig Pass 3,396 ft (1,035 m) high, ancient route between the Forest Cantons and the Bernese Alps, central Switzerland. It is crossed by a highway and a railroad.

• Brenner Pass Ital. Brennero, Alpine pass, 4,495 ft (1,370 m) high, connecting Innsbruck, Austria, with Bolzano, Italy. The lowest of the principal Alpine passes, it was an important Roman route through which many invasions of...

• Brocken granite peak, 3,747 ft (1,142 m) high, central Germany; highest peak of the Harz Mts. Popular legend makes it the meeting place of the Walpurgis Night or Witches' Sabbath. The "Brocken scene" in...

• Bug Pol. Bug, Ukr. Buh or Zakhidnyy Buh, river, c.480 mi (770 km) long, rising in the Volhynian-Podolian hills, W Ukraine. It flows N along the Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Belarusian borders past Brest and then NW through Poland to join...

• Cervin, Mont or Monte Cervino: see Matterhorn.

• Chiemsee lake, 31 sq mi (80 sq km), SE Germany, SE of Munich. It is drained by the Alz River. Many resorts are along its shores. On the largest of three islands is a palace built by Louis II of Bavaria in...

• Combin, Grand peak, 14,164 ft (4,317 m) high, Valais canton, S Switzerland, in the Pennine Alps, near the Italian border.

• Constance, Lake Ger. Bodensee, lake, 208 sq mi (539 sq km), bordering on Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. It is 42 mi (68 km) long and has a maximum depth of 827 ft (252 m). The lake is fed and drained by the Rhine River and...

• Cris see Körös , river, Romania.

• Dent Blanche peak, 14,318 ft (4,364 m) high, Valais canton, S Switzerland, in the Pennine Alps.

• Dents du Midi mountain group in the Alps, Vaud canton, SW Switzerland, near the French border. It rises to 10,695 ft (3,260 m) in Dent du Midi (Haute Cime) peak.

• Dom peak, 14,942 ft (4,554 m) high, Valais canton, S Switzerland, in the Mischabelhörner group. It is the highest peak entirely in Switzerland.

• Dortmund-Ems Canal waterway, 165 mi (266 km) long, NW Germany, from Dortmund to Emden. Built from 1892 to 1899, it connects the industrial Ruhr district with the Ems River and the North Sea. It is connected to the Rhine...

• Drachenfels [Ger.,=dragon's rock], mountain, 1,053 ft (321 m) high, in the Siebengebirge , W Germany, on the Rhine. It is of volcanic origin. In legend, it is the scene of Siegfried's triumph over the dragon. The Drachenburg, a fortress that is now in ruins, was built on the mountain...

• Drau see Drava.

• Drava or Drave , Ger. Drau, Hung. Dráva, river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in the Carnic Alps, N Italy. It flows generally E through S Austria (where it is called the Drau) and enters Slovenia. It forms part of the Croatian-Hungarian...

• Dufourspitze peak: see Rosa, Monte.

• Dunajec river, 156 mi (250 km) long, rising in the Carpathians, S Poland, and flowing NE past Nowy Sącz into the Vistula River. There are hydroelectric stations at Rożnów (the largest in Poland), Czchów,...

• Eder river, c.110 mi (180 km) long, rising near Siegen, central Germany, and flowing E to the Fulda River. The Eder dam, at Hemfurth, impounds one of the largest reservoirs in Germany; it has a...

• Eider river, 117 mi (188 km) long, rising S of Kiel, N Germany, and flowing N to the Kiel Canal before turning west and meandering to the North Sea at Tönning. It is navigable for most of its length...

• Eifel undulating plateau, W Germany, N of the Moselle River and E of the Ardennes. The Eifel forms the northwestern part of the Rhenish Slate Mts. and is a barren area characterized by deep valleys,...

• Elbe Czech Labe, a major river of central Europe, c.725 mi (1,170 km) long, rising in the Krknoše Mts., NW Czech Republic, and traversing NW Czech Republic in a wide arc. It then cuts through steep sandstone...

• Emmental valley of the Emme River, W central Switzerland. In a region devoted to farming, cattle raising, and dairying, it produces emmenthaler, also called Swiss cheese.

• Ems river, 208 mi (335 km) long, rising in the Teutoburger Wald, NW Germany, and flowing NW into the North Sea near Emden. Its wide mouth is called the Dollart. The Ems is paralleled for much of its...

• Emsland see under Ems , river.

• Engadine Romansh Engiadina , valley of the upper Inn River, Grisons canton, E Switzerland, in the Rhaetian Alps. It extends for c.60 mi (100 km) NE from Maloja Pass to the Austrian border and consists of the Upper and the...

• Erzberg peak, 3,531 ft (1,076 m) high, in Styria, central Austria. Rising above the town of Eisenerz, the Erzberg is almost literally a mountain of iron. Its rich iron ore (about 35% pure iron) is mined...

• Erzgebirge [Ger.,=ore mountains], Czech Krušné Hory, mountain range, along the Czech-German border, extending c.95 mi (150 km) from the Fichtelgebirge in the southwest to the Elbe River in the northeast. It reaches its highest point (4,080 ft/1,244...

• Feldberg see Black Forest.

• Fertő tó lake: see Neusiedler Lake , Austria and Hungary.

• Fichtelgebirge mountain knot, in SE Germany, between Bayreuth and the Czech border; rises to 3,447 ft (1,051 m) in Schneeberg peak. The rugged mountains are composed mainly of metamorphic rock. The Erzgebirge,...

• Finsteraarhorn peak, 14,032 ft (4,277 m) high, S central Switzerland; highest of the Bernese Alps.

• Frankenwald Eng. Franconian Forest, wooded plateau, in central Germany, between the Fichtelgebirge and the Thuringian Forest. Döbraberg is the highest (2,608 ft/795 m) point. Barley growing and cattle raising are important there. The...

• Furka road, S central Switzerland, linking Uri and Valais cantons. Built (1864-66) chiefly for military reasons, it crosses Furka Pass, 7,992 ft (2,436 m) high, in the Alps. A rail line goes through...

• Görlitzer Neisse river: see Neisse , river.

• Gastein valley, Salzburg prov., central Austria, in the N Hohe Tauern range. A popular and beautiful resort area, it has hot radioactive springs. Badgastein, one of the most fashionable spas in Europe,...

• Gemmi pass, 7,620 ft (2,323 m) high, S Switzerland, connecting Bern and Valais cantons, in the Bernese Alps.

• Geneva, Lake Fr. Lac Léman , crescent-shaped lake, 224 sq mi (580 sq km), c.45 mi (70 km) long, on the Swiss-French border, between the Alps and the Jura mts. About 134 sq. mi. are Swiss and 90 French. It has a maximum depth...

• Gerlachovský peak, 8,711 ft (2,655 m) high, in the Tatra Mts.; highest peak of the Carpathian Mt. system and of Slovakia.

• Glatzer Neisse river: see under Neisse.

• Grütli see Rütli.

• Great Alföld see Alföld , plain, Hungary.

• Grimsel pass, 7,159 ft (2,182 m) high, S Switzerland, between the Rhône and Aare valleys. The Grimsel Road (built 1891-94), over the pass, connects Bern and Valais cantons.

• Grossglockner peak, 12,460 ft (3,797 m) high, in Tyrol, S Austria, the highest point in the Hohe Tauern range and in Austria. It is traversed by the Grossglocknerstrasse (built 1930-35), a magnificent Alpine...

• Habsburg castle, Aargau canton, N Switzerland, near the Aare River. Built c.1030, it served during the 12th and 13th cent. as the seat of the counts of Habsburg or Hapsburg , whose name derives from the castle...

• Harmás Körös river: see Körös , river, Hungary.

• Harz mountain range, northern Germany, extending c.60 mi (100 km) between the Elbe and Leine rivers. The rugged mountains were once densely forested. They culminate in Brocken peak (3,747 ft/1,142 m...

• Havel river, c.215 mi (350 km) long, rising in the lake region of Mecklenburg, N Germany. It flows generally S through West Berlin to Potsdam where it turns west. At Brandenburg it turns northwest and...

• Hohe Tauern range of the Eastern Alps, S Austria, extending c.70 mi (110 km) E from the Italian border. It rises to 12,460 ft (3,798 m) in the Grossglockner. The Tauern railroad (built 1901-8) traverses the...

• Hohentwiel mountain, 2,260 ft (689 m) high, in Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany. On the summit of Hohentwiel are the ruins of an ancient castle that was the seat of the dukes of Swabia in the 10th cent.

• Inn river, c.320 mi (515 km) long, rising near the Lake of Sils, SE Switzerland. It flows NE through the Engadine valley, then through W Austria, past Innsbruck and Solbad Hall (the head of...

• Isar river, 160 mi (257 km) long, rising in the Tyrol, W Austria, and flowing NE through S central Germany, past Munich, to the Danube River. There are more than 25 large hydroelectric plants below...

• Julier pass, 7,504 ft (2,287 m) high, Grisons canton, SE Switzerland, connecting the Upper Engadine Valley to the Oberhalbstein Valley. Used since ancient times, it is crossed by the Julier Road (built...

• Jungfrau peak, 13,642 ft (4,158 m) high, S central Switzerland, in the Bernese Alps. It was first ascended by the Meyer brothers in 1811. Aletsch Glacier is on the south side. The Jungfraujoch is a mountain saddle 11,333 ft (3,454 m) high, the highest point in Europe reached by rail. It has a scientific institute and is popular with tourists. A meteorological station is on the nearby...

• Körös or Hármas Körös [Hung.,=triple Körös], Rom. Criş, river, c.345 mi (560 km) long, formed in E Hungary by the junction of three headstreams that rise in Transylvania, NW Romania. It meanders west through farmland to the Tisza River at Csongrád. The...

• Kaiser Wilhelm Canal see Kiel Canal.

• Karkonosze see Krkonoše , mountains.

• Kiel Canal artificial waterway, 61 mi (98 km) long, in Schleswig-Holstein, N central Germany, connecting the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. At sea level, the canal extends from Kiel on the Baltic to...

• Krkonoše Ger. Riesengebirge, Pol. Karkonosze, highest range of the Sudetes, extending c.25 mi (40 km) along the border of N Czech Republic and SW Poland. Its highest peak, Snĕžka (Ger. Schneekoppe, Pol. Śnieźka ), rises to 5,258 ft (1,603 m). Paper and textile mills, which use the range's waterpower, are found on both sides of the border. There are numerous resorts and spas in the mountains; the most...

• Krušné Hory see Erzgebirge.

• Léman, Lac see Geneva, Lake , Switzerland.

• Lötschberg Railway electrical railroad, crossing the Bernese Alps from Thun, W central Switzerland, to Brig, on the Rhône River, S Switzerland. It passes through the Lötschberg Tunnel (9 mi/14 km long; alt....

• Labe river: see Elbe.

• Lausitzer Neisse see under Neisse , river.

• Lech river, c.175 mi (280 km) long, rising in Vorarlberg, W Austria, and flowing NE into S Germany past Augsburg to the Danube River. The Wertach River is its chief tributary. There are about 20...

• Lechfeld plain near Augsburg, S Germany, drained by the Lech River. There in 955, King (later Emperor) Otto I defeated the Magyars and stopped their expansion into central Europe.

• Leitha Hung. Lajta, river, 112 mi (180 km) long, formed in E Austria by the confluence of the Schwarza and Pitten rivers. It flows generally east to an arm of the Danube River near Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary. It was the...

• Lippe river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in the Teutoburg Forest, W Germany and flowing westward into the Rhine River. It is canalized to permit barge navigation. Water from the Lippe is used in the...

• Lorelei cliff, 433 ft (132 m) high, on the right bank of the Rhine River, near St. Goarshausen, W Germany, about midway between Koblenz and Bingen. There the Rhine forms a dangerous narrows, and in German...

• Lucerne, Lake of Ger. Vierwaldstätter See, irregular-shaped lake, 44 sq mi (114 sq km), central Switzerland. It has a maximum depth of c.700 ft (210 m). The lake is fed and drained by the Reuss River. Surrounded by mountains, the Lake of...

• Lusatian Neisse river: see under Neisse.

• Main river, c.310 mi (500 km) long, formed near Kulmbach, E central Germany, by the confluence of the Roter Main and the Weisser Main, both of which rise in the Fichtelgebirge. It then winds generally...

• Maloja pass, 5,960 ft (1,817 m) high, Grisons canton, SE Switzerland, leading from the Engadine valley to Italy. The lowest of passes to Italy, it crosses the Rhaetian Alps.

• March see Morava , river.

• Marchfeld plain, NE Austria, NE of Vienna, between the Danube and the Morava (Ger. March ) rivers, on the border of Slovakia. A strategic approach to Vienna, it was the site of several important battles. In 1260, Ottocar II of Bohemia defeated Bela IV of Hungary on the Marchfeld, and in...

• Matterhorn Fr. Mont Cervin, Ital. Monte Cervino, peak, c.14,700 ft (4,480 m) high, in the Pennine Alps, on the Swiss-Italian border, near Zermatt. Its distinctive pyramidal peak was formed by the enlargement of several cirques. It was first...

• Midland Canal Ger. Mittelland Kanal, artificial waterway system of Germany, extending eastward c.200 mi (320 km) along the North German plain from the Dortmund-Ems Canal, Germany, to Magdeburg, Germany, on the Elbe River. An eastward...

• Mittelland Kanal see Midland Canal.

• Moldau see Vltava , river, Czech Republic.

• Morava Ger. March, river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising in the Sudetes, N Czech Republic, and flowing generally S past Olomouc into the Danube River, W of Bratislava. It is navigable in its lower course, which also...

• Morgarten mountain, 4,084 ft (1,245 m) high, N central Switzerland, on the border of Schwyz and Zug cantons. There, on Nov. 15, 1315, a small Swiss force decisively defeated the Austrians, thus paving the...

• Morteratsch glacier, SE Switzerland, one of the largest in the country. It lies at the foot of Piz Morteratsch, an Alpine peak, 12,317 ft (3,754 m) high, in the Bernina Mts.

• Mur Hung., Slovenian, and Croatian Mura , river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in the Hohe Tauern, S central Austria. It flows NE to Bruck, where it receives the Mürz River, its chief tributary. Turning southeast, it flows past Graz (the...

• Narew Rus. Narev, river, c.275 mi (440 km) long, rising in the Białowieza Forest, W Belarus, near the border with Poland. It flows generally NW through NE Poland past Łomża, the head of navigation, then SW to the...

• Neckar river, 228 mi (367 km) long, rising in the Black Forest, SW Germany. It flows generally N past Tübingen, Stuttgart, and Heilbronn, then W past Heidelberg before joining the Rhine River at...

• Neisse two rivers of SW Poland. The Glatzer Neisse , Pol. Nysa Kłodzka, c.120 mi (190 km) long, rises in the Sudetes, SW Poland, and winds generally NE past Kłodzko to the Oder River near Brzeg. A large dam at Otmuchow serves hydroelectric and irrigation projects. The Lausitzer Neisse or Lusatian Neisse , Czech Lužická Nisa, Pol. Nysa Łużycka, c.140 mi (230 km) long, rises in the Sudetes, N central Czech Republic, and flows generally N to the Oder River near Guben, Germany. Since 1945 it has formed...

• Neusiedler Lake Ger. Neusiedlersee, Hung. Fertő tó, c.130 sq mi (340 sq km), on the Austria-Hungary border SE of Vienna. The lake's area and depth (average 5 ft/1.5 m) vary considerably with the seasons. The heavy growth of lake reeds supplies the...

• Nisa rivers: see Neisse , rivers of Poland.

• Noteć river, c.270 mi (430 km) long, NW Poland. It rises S of Inowrocław and flows generally W into the Warta River near Gorzów Wielkopolski. The Noteć is connected by the Bydgoszcz Canal with the...

• Oberalp Alpine pass, 6,733 ft (2,052 m) high, between Grisons and Uri cantons, S central Switzerland. Oberalpsee, a small lake, is nearby, and the Alpine peak Oberalpstock, 10,926 ft (3,330 m) high, is...

• Odenwald hilly, forested region, S central Germany, bordering on the Neckar and Main rivers and the Rhine plain. Its highest point (2,055 ft/626 m) is the Katzenbuckel. Fruit and grapes are grown in the...

• Oder Czech and Pol. Odra, river, 562 mi (904 km) long; the second longest river of Poland. It rises in the E Sudetes, NE Czech Republic, and flows generally NW through SW Poland, then N along the Poland-Germany border to...

• Odra see Oder , river, Poland and Czech Republic.

• Ofen Alpine pass, 7,070 ft (2,155 m) high, Grisons canton, E Switzerland. The Ofen Pass Road links the Engadine Valley with the Italian Tyrol.

• Ore Mountains see Erzgebirge.

• Pilatus mountain, 6,800 ft (2,073 m) high, in the Alps of the Four Forest Cantons, central Switzerland. According to medieval legend, the corpse of Pontius Pilate was thrown into a small lake on the...

• Puszta arid grasslands that once covered a large part of the Alföld , E Hungary. They were used for extensive cattle raising. With the irrigation and drainage projects of the late 19th cent., the Puszta disappeared except in the small Hortobagy region (c.100 sq...

• Rába Ger. Raab, river, c.160 mi (260 km) long, rising in the mountains of SE Austria. It flows SE to the Austria-Hungary line, then NE through W Hungary to the Danube River at Győr. There are many small...

• Rütli or Grütli , meadows, Uri canton, central Switzerland, on the shore of the Lake of Lucerne. Here, according to the legend of William Tell, representatives of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden met in 1307 to swear...

• Raab see Rába , river, Hungary and Austria.

• Reichenbach Falls waterfalls, total drop 656 ft (200 m), S central Switzerland, where the Reichenbach River joins the Aare River. Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts (c.300 ft/90 m high) in the...

• Rhein see Rhine , river.

• Rhenish Slate Mountains Ger. Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, extensive mountainous plateau, W Germany, lying between W Hesse state and the borders of Belgium and Luxembourg. It comprises the Eifel, Hunsrück, Taunus, and Westerwald mts., which flank both...

• Rhine Du. Rijn, Fr. Rhin, Ger. Rhein, Lat. Rhenus, principal river of Europe, c.820 mi (1,320 km) long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and...

• Rhine Canals Among the chief canals linking the Rhine with other river systems are the Rhine-Rhône Canal, 217 mi (349 km) long (built 1784-1833, now unimportant), connecting with the Rhône River through the...

• Riesengebirge see Krkonoše , mountains.

• Rigi mountain, in the Alps, N central Switzerland, between the lakes of Lucerne, Zug, and Lauerz, rising to 5,908 ft (1,801 m) at the Kulm, the highest peak. Ascended by rack-and-pinion railways (built...

• Rijn see Rhine , river.

• Rosa, Monte massif, in the Pennine Alps, on the Swiss-Italian border. Its highest peak, the Dufourspitze, 15,217 ft (4,638 m), is the highest point in Switzerland. The Swiss side is covered by glaciers. A...

• Ruhr region, c.1,300 sq mi (3,370 sq km), W Germany; a principal manufacturing center of Germany and formerly known as one of the world's greatest industrial complexes. In the 1980s the coal and steel...

• Saale river, c.265 mi (430 km) long, rising in the Fichtelgebirge, central Germany, and flowing generally N through E central Germany, past Jena, Naumberg (the head of navigation), and Halle, to the...

• Saar Fr. Sarre, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in the Vosges Mts., NE France, and flowing N past Sarrebourg and Sarreguemines. It enters Saarland, W Germany, and continues NW past Saarbrücken into the...

• Saint Gotthard mountain group of the Lepontine Alps, S central Switzerland, rising to Pizzo Rotondo (10,472 ft/3,192 m high). The Reuss, Rhine, Ticino, and Rhône rivers rise there. It is crossed by the Saint Gotthard Pass, 6,935 ft (2,114 m) high. The pass, first extensively used in the 11th cent., has been important since then. It is crossed by the St. Gotthard Road (built 1820-30). The St. Gotthard Railway (built...

• San Bernardino Alpine pass, 6,770 ft (2,063 m) high, between Mesocco Valley and Rheinwald Valley, Grisons canton, SE Switzerland. Used possibly since prehistoric times, it is crossed by a road (built 1818-23)...

• Sans Souci [Fr.,=without care], palace built (1745-47) at Potsdam, Germany, by Frederick II, who lived there for 40 years. Over 300 ft (91 m) long, it is believed to have been conceived by Frederick himself...

• Sarre see Saar , river; Saarland.

• Schönbrunn former imperial palace in Vienna, built during the reigns of Emperor Charles VI and Maria Theresa. Mainly designed by Fischer von Erlach , it is a splendid example of Austrian baroque. Its beautiful...

• Schütt, Great Slovak Velký Žitný Ostrov , island, c.725 sq mi (1,880 sq km), SW Slovakia, in the Danubian lowlands between the Danube River and its northern arm. It extends c.55 mi (90 km) from Bratislava to Komárno. The island's fertile...

• Schreckhörner two peaks of the Bernese Alps, S central Switzerland. Gross Schreckhorn is 13,387 ft (4,080 m) high; Klein Schreckhorn reaches a height of 11,473 ft (3,497 m).

• Schwarzwald see Black Forest.

• Semmering scenic resort region of the Eastern Alps, E Austria. The Alps there are crossed by the Semmering Pass, 3,215 ft (980 m) high and 275 ft (84 m) long. Beneath it runs the first mountain railroad in...

• Siebengebirge [Ger.,=seven mountains], small wooded range of the Rhenish Slate Mts., W Germany. Of volcanic origin, it extends for c.10 mi (16 km) S of Bonn along the Rhine River and rises to 1,509 ft (460 m) in...

• Silvretta mountain group of the Alps, in E Switzerland and SW Austria. Its highest peak, Piz Linard (11,185 ft/3,409 m) is in Switzerland; Piz Buin (10,869 ft/3,313 m) is the highest of the group in...

• Simplon pass, 6,590 ft (2,009 m) high, in the Lepontine Alps, Valais canton, S Switzerland. It is crossed by the Simplon Road built (1800-1806) by Napoleon I. The Simplon Railway passes through Simplon Tunnel I and II, one of the longest (both 12.3 mi/19.8 km) in Europe. Opened in 1906 and 1922, respectively, the tunnels cross the Swiss-Italian border from Brig to Isella. They have a maximum elevation of 2,313 ft...

• Splügen Ital. Spluga, pass, in the Rhaetian Alps, 6,946 ft (2,117 m) high, between Splügen, SE Switzerland, and Chiavenna, N Italy. Frequented since Roman times, it is crossed by the Splügen Road (built 1819-21), which...

• Spree river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, rising in the Lausitz Mts., E Central Germany, near the Czech Republic border. It flows N past Cottbus, then NW through the Spree Forest, and from there it meanders...

• Sudetes Czech Sudety, Ger. Sudeten, mountain range, along the border of the Czech Republic and Poland, extending c.185 mi (300 km) between the Elbe and Oder rivers. It is continued on the W by the Erzgebirge and on the E by the...

• Sumava see Bohemian Forest.

• Szigetköz island, Hungary: see under Schütt, Great.

• Tatra or Tatras , Pol. and Slovak Tatry, highest group of the Carpathian mountain system, in E central Europe. The High Tatra (Slovak Vysoké Tatry, Pol. Tatry Wysokie ) extends c.40 mi (60 km) along the Polish-Slovakian border; its highest peak, Gerlachovský (8,711 ft/2,655 m) is in Slovakia. The Low Tatra, Slovak Nízké Tatry, lies entirely in Slovakia; it rises to 6,702 ft (2,043 m) in the Dumbier. The extensively glaciated mountains have numerous lakes, moraines, and hanging valleys. Tatra National Park (est. 1948)...

• Taunus range of the Rhenish Slate Mts., W Germany, extending c.50 mi (80 km) NE from the Rhine River, N of Mainz. It rises to 2,887 ft (880 m) in the Grosser Feldberg. The Taunus is covered by forests...

• Teutoburg Forest Ger. Teutoburger Wald, hilly range, in NW Germany, stretching roughly between Osnabrück and Paderborn. It is forested, and it rises to 1,465 ft (447 m) S of Detmold. Near Detmold is a monument (the Hermannsdenkmal  ) commemorating the victory (AD 9) of the Germans under Arminius (or Hermann, in modern German) over the Roman legions under Varus. The war (late 8th cent.) between Charlemagne and the Saxon...

• Théodule see Matterhorn , peak, Switzerland.

• Theiss river: see Tisza.

• Tisa river: see Tisza.

• Tisza Serbian Tisa , Rus. Tissa or Tisa , Ger. Theiss (tīs), river, c.600 mi (970 km) long, formed by two headstreams in the Carpathians, W Ukraine. It flows generally S across E Hungary, past Szolnok and Szeged, into N Serbia, where it enters the...

• Váh Hung. Vág, river, c.245 mi (390 km) long, Slovakia. It is formed by the union of the Biély Váh, rising in the High Tatra, and the Cierny Váh, rising in the Low Tatra, and flows SW into the Danube at Komárno...

• Via Mala narrow gorge of the Hinterrhein River, a headstream of the Rhine, c.3 1/2 mi (6 km) long, Grisons canton, E Switzerland. One of the most wild and picturesque gorges in Switzerland, it is walled by...

• Vierwaldstättersee see Lucerne, Lake of.

• Vistula Pol. Wisła, longest river and principal waterway of Poland, c.665 mi (1,070 km) long. It rises in the West Beskid range of the Carpathians, S Poland, and flows NE past Kraków, NW past Warsaw and Toruń, and N...

• Vistula Lagoon Pol. Zalew Wiślany, shallow inlet of the Baltic Sea, 322 sq mi (834 sq km), c.60 mi (100 km) long and from 6 to 11 mi (9.7-18 km) wide, N Poland and W Russia, separated from the Gulf of Danzig by a narrow sand spit...

• Vltava Ger. Moldau, longest river of the Czech Republic, c.270 mi (430 km) long, rising in the Bohemian Forest, SW Czech Republic, and flowing SE, then N, past České Budĕjovice and Prague, to the Elbe River at Mĕlník...

• Waag see Váh , river, Slovakia.

• Walensee lake, Switzerland: see Wallenstadt, Lake of.

• Wallensee see Wallenstadt, Lake of , Switzerland.

• Wallenstadt, Lake of Ger. Walensee or Wallensee, narrow mountain lake, c.9 sq mi (23 sq km), between St. Gall and Glarus cantons, E Switzerland. It is connected with Zürich by the Linth Canal. Wallenstadt, on the east shore, is a summer resort...

• Warta river, c.475 mi (760 km) long, rising in the Jura Krakowska, S Poland, and flowing N and W past Częstochowa and Poznań to the Oder River at Kostrzyn. It is connected with the Vistula River by the...

• Weisshorn peak, 14,782 ft (4,506 m) high, Valais canton, S Switzerland, one of the highest in the Pennine Alps.

• Weser river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, formed at Hannoversch-Münden, central Germany, by the junction of the Fulda and Werra rivers. It flows generally N past Minden, where it passes through the Porta...

• Wetterhorn peak, c.12,150 ft (3,700 m) high, Bern canton, S central Switzerland, in the Bernese Alps N of the Finsteraarhorn.

• White Mountain or White Hill, Czech Bílá Hora, hill near Prague, Czech Republic. There, in Nov., 1620, the Czech Protestants under Christian of Anhalt were routed by the combined armies of the...

• Wienerwald [Ger.,=Vienna forest], forested range, NE Austria, just W of Vienna. An outlier of the Eastern Alps, it rises to 2,930 ft (893 m) in the Schöpfl. The best-known summit, however, is the Kahlenberg...

• Wisła river, Poland: see Vistula.

• Wupper river, c.65 mi (100 km) long, W central Germany. It is formed by several headstreams and winds in a tortuous course N and SW past Wuppertal, Remscheid, and Solingen into the Rhine River. Its...

• Zürich, Lake of Ger. Zürichsee, narrow, elongated lake, 34 sq mi (88 sq km), 25 mi (40 km) long, N Switzerland. It has a maximum depth of c.470 ft (140 m). The lake is connected to the Lake of Wallenstadt (Walensee) by the Linth...

• Zalew Wiślany inlet: see Vistula Lagoon , Poland.

• Zugspitze mountain, 9,721 ft (2,963 m) high, in the Bavarian Alps and on the German-Austrian border; highest peak of Germany. A cog-and-pinion railroad connects the popular resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen,...