Rhaetian Alps

a chain of the Alps in E Switzerland and W Austria. Highest peak, Mt. Bernina, 13,295 ft. (4052 m).

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Segment of the central Alps located mainly in Switzerland but also extending along the Italian-Swiss and Austrian-Swiss borders.

Bernina Peak, on the Italian border, is the highest point, at elevation 13,284 ft (4,049 m). In the eastern section is the Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, with an area of 65 sq mi (169 sq km); it is known for its rugged Alpine scenery and its wildlife.

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▪ mountains, Europe

Italian  Alpi Retiche,  German  Rätische Alpen,  French  Alpes Rhétiques,  

      segment of the Central Alps extending along the Italian-Swiss and Austrian-Swiss borders but lying mainly in Graubünden canton, eastern Switzerland. The mountains are bounded by the Lepontine Alps and Splügen Pass (west-southwest), the Hinterrhein River (west), the Lechtaler Alps (northeast), the Ötztal Alps and Resia Pass (east-northeast), and the Valtellina (valley of the upper Adda River; south). Bernina Peak (13,284 feet [4,049 m]), on the Italian border, is the highest point. Included within the Rhaetian Alps are the subranges of Silvretta, Rhätikon, and the Albula (Albula Alps) and Bernina Alps (qq.v.). The Engadin (valley of the Upper Inn River) cuts northeast to southwest among these subranges. In the eastern part (between the Inn River and Ofen Pass) is the Swiss National Park (founded 1914; area 65 square miles [169 square km]), which is noted for its rugged Alpine scenery and its wildlife. Many health resorts and winter sports centres lie within the range.

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