Croissant shaped,
stretching approximately
through 1,200 km and
8 European countries,
the Alps were formed over tens of millions of years
as the African and the Eurasian tectonic plates collided.
Although the mountains cover only 11 % of the continent's surface,
its one hundred
four-thousander peaks
provide up to 90 % of water to lowland Europe, particularly to arid areas and during the summer months.
