The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called Central Alps. While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.
The Gotthard Pass or St. Gotthard Pass at 2,106 m (6,909 ft) is a mountain pass in the Alps traversing the Saint-Gotthard Massif and connecting northern Switzerland with southern Switzerland. The pass lies between Airolo in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, and Andermatt in the German-speaking canton of Uri, and connects further Bellinzona and Lugano to Lucerne, Basel, and Zurich. The Gotthard Pass lies at the heart of the Gotthard, a major transport axis of Europe, and it is crossed by three traffic tunnels, each being the world's longest at the time of their construction: the Gotthard Rail Tunnel (1882), the Gotthard Road Tunnel (1980) and the Gotthard Base Tunnel (2016). With the Lötschberg to the west, the Gotthard is one of the two main north-south routes through the Swiss Alps.
The Grimsel Pass is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of 2,164 metres (7,100 ft). The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with the upper valley of the Rhône. In so doing, and as the Aare is a tributary of the Rhine, the pass crosses the continental divide between the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Andermatt is a mountain village and municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. At an elevation of 1,437 meters (4,715 ft) above sea level, Andermatt is located at the center of the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the historical center cross of north-south and east-west traverses of Switzerland. It is some 28 km (17 mi) south of Altdorf, the capital of Uri.
Linthal is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. The village lies near the head of the valley of the Linth river, and at the foot of the Klausen Pass into the canton of Uri. It is the terminus of the railway line that traverses the length of Glarus.
Quinto is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
Paradiso is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It lies on the shore of Lake Lugano and, although administratively independent of the city of Lugano, it is surrounded on all other sides by that city.
Lago di Lei is a reservoir in the Valle di Lei, powering the Hinterrhein storage power stations. The reservoir is almost entirely in Italy, but the barrage was built on territory ceded by Italy to Switzerland in 1955 after diplomatic talks, while an equivalent sized territory further north of the lake was ceded to Italy in the exchange. The dam is operated by Kraftwerke Hinterrhein. The waters of the lake are the only waters in Italian territory that drain to the North Sea, being part of the Rhine's drainage basin. Other waters of Italy that do not flow to the Mediterranean Sea are found in the valley of Livigno, valley of Sexten, Puster Valley east of Innichen, and most of the waters of the municipality of Tarvisio east of Sella Nevea: all these waters flow to the Black Sea through the basin of the Danube.
Lago di Poschiavo is a natural lake in the Val di Poschiavo in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
The Lac d'Émosson is a reservoir in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is located in the municipalities of Salvan and Finhaut. The closest small city in Switzerland is Martigny. The lake has a surface area of 3.27 km² and an elevation of 1,930 m. The maximum depth is 180 meters. The purpose of the Émosson Dam is hydroelectric power generation. Water from the reservoir first powers the 189 MW Vallorcine Power Station downstream and just over the border in Vallorcine, France. Water is then sent through a headrace tunnel to the 190 MW La Bâtiaz Power Station, 12 km (7 mi) to the east in Martigny, Switzerland. The drop between the dam and La Bâtiaz Power Station is 1,400 m (4,593 ft).
Lake Cadagno is a meromictic lake in the Piora valley, Switzerland. As one of a few meromictic lakes in Europe, it is the object of numerous scientific studies. The Piora valley - located in the Saint-Gotthard Massif in the Southern part of Switzerland near Airolo at an altitude of 1921 m above sea level - is a landlocked alpine valley whose scientific value has been recognized for more than two centuries. In the past, the lake was used as a reservoir.
Lago di Luzzone is a reservoir in Ticino, Switzerland. The reservoir has a volume of 108 million m³ and a surface area of 1.27 km2 (0.49 sq mi). It is located in the upper Blenio valley, in the municipalities of Ghirone and Aquila.
Palü Lake is a lake below Piz Palü in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It has an elevation of 1,923 m (6,309 ft) and a surface area of 5.2 ha. Water from Palü Glacier feeds into the lake.
Ambrì is a Swiss village in the municipality of Quinto, Leventina District, Canton of Ticino.
Pizzo Taneda is a mountain of the Lepontine Alps, overlooking the Lago Ritom in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It lies between the valleys of Piora and Cadlimo and on the main Alpine watershed between the basin of the Rhine and that of the Ticino.
Lugano railway station is the main railway station of the city of Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The station is on the Gotthard railway and is also the terminus of the Lugano Città–Stazione funicular. The metre gauge Lugano–Ponte Tresa Railway (FLP) has a separate station at Lugano FLP railway station across the station forecourt from the main line station.
The Linth–Limmern Power Stations are a system of hydroelectric power stations located south of Linthal in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. The system uses five reservoirs and four power stations at steep variations in altitude.
Piotta is a village in the municipality of Quinto in the Swiss canton of Ticino.
The Ritom funicular is a funicular railway in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus at Piotta, in the valley of the Ticino River near the southern portal of the Gotthard Tunnel, with an upper terminus at Piora, a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) walk from Ritom Lake. There is also an intermediate stop at Altanca.
An inclined elevator or inclined lift is a form of cable railway that hauls rail cars up a steep gradient.
