Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, town in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie Department, on the Arve River, near Switzerland and Italy. A popular alpine summer and winter resort, Chamonix serves as a starting point for expeditions to ascend the nearby Mont Blanc massif and to explore its glaciers, the Mer de Glace. One of the world's highest cable-car systems links the town with a point near the summit of the Aiguille du Midi (3,843 m/12,608 ft). Population 9,830 (1999).