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Vanoise - France/Italy/Switzerland Vanoise National Park, the first national park of France, lies just south of the Mont Blanc Massif along the spine of the Haute Alpes, or High Alps, in the Savoie region of France. A small park by American standards, the Vanoise National Park covers a little over 520 square kilometers (200 square miles) but encompasses an impressive diversity of flora, fauna, geology, views, and points of interest. Chamois, ibex, marmots, 125 species of birds including golden eagles, various owls, and three-toed woodpeckers, as well as an enormous array of alpine wildflowers all thrive in the valleys and peaks of Vanoise. The geology ranges from sedimentary sandstone and limestone to metamorphic schist and gneiss, all showing signs of the extensive glaciation that shaped the Alps. The tremendous range of altitude through the park (770m - 2796m or 2,541ft - 9,227ft) provides habitat for many species of flora and fauna, as well as breathtaking views of snow-capped Alps and green valleys. Established in 1963 as the first French National Park, the Vanoise is separated into two zones: the Central zone, or park proper, with 528 square kilometers (203 square miles), and a Peripheral zone of 1450 square kilometers (557 square miles) which surrounds the central zone as a buffer of protection to ensure the pristine nature of the central park zone. The peripheral zone allows people less restricted access to nearly wild lands and the opportunity to experience traditional alpine community life without compromising the preservation goal of the central zone. The central zone abuts the Italian border and the Gran Paradiso National Park of Italy, which covers an area of 720 square kilometers (276 square miles), making this the largest protected area in Western Europe. Despite their size and rugged nature, the European Alps are heavily used by hikers, farmers, herders, and skiers. The purpose of the Vanoise National Park is to preserve a section of Alps from the daily use by people, and to hike through this area is to see the Alps in their natural state, away from the crowds that frequent the more accessible portions of this extensive mountain range. The area the national park encloses could not have been more carefully chosen for its dramatic scenery and abundant wildlife This is an used pin obtained from an individual in France. This pin measures approx 2.8 cm by 1.80 cm. This is an extremely nice pin. Scan did not do it justice Thank you all for your interest. Please check my ebay store for many hundreds and hundreds of additional walking stick pins and hat pins. http://stores.ebay.com/Four-Winds-Products International buyers please email me for correct shipping charges. Please make arrangements for payment within 10 business days.....I prefer paypal. I will answer whatever questions I can. Powered by eBay Turbo Lister On Apr-24-07 at 14:17:26 PDT, seller added the following information: Use the FREE Counters 1 million sellers do - Andale!
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