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This article is about the Alpine mountain. For other uses, see Mont Blanc (disambiguation)
Mont Blanc, in the Alps, is the highest mountain peak in Western Europe; its height is 4,808,45 metres (15,775.8 feet).
Mont Blanc lies between France and Italy, but the precise border line has been a subject of discussion since the 17th century. The two most famous cities near Mont Blanc are Chamonix, Haute-Savoie (France) and Courmayeur, Valle d'Aosta (Italy).
Begun in 1957 and completed in 1965, the 11.6 kilometer (7.25 mile) Mont Blanc Tunnel runs beneath the mountain between these two cities. It is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes particularly for Italy, which relies on the tunnel for shipping as much as one-third of its freight to northern Europe.
The Mont Blanc massif is very popular for mountaineering, hiking, and skiing. The first time Mont Blanc was climbed was on August 8, 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard; the first woman to reach the summit, in 1808, was Marie Paradis.
Mont Blanc was traditionally considered to be 4807 m high. However, some GPS measurements made in September 2001 revealed it was 3 meters higher than previously thought. New measurements of the Institut Géographique National (IGN) of France made in September 6, 2003 had given the new result of 4,808.45 m. Because the peak is covered with an glacier (thickness up to 23 m) the height of the peak is changing depending on climatic conditions. The mountain has a number of glaciers streaming down its flanks; the Mer de Glace is the largest of these.
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