Blanc, Mont

Blanc, Mont (Italian Monte Bianco), mountain mass in the western Alps, on the border of France and Italy. The highest peak of the Alps, also called Mont Blanc, is part of this mountainous area, which in geology is known as a massif. The peak is situated in the Haute-Savoie Department of France and is the highest point (4,810 m/15,781 ft) in Western Europe—the only higher peaks in Europe are found in the Caucasus Mountains, in Russia, on the border with Georgia.

The entire massif forms part of the Savoy Alps. From the summit down to about the 2,440-m (8,000-ft) level its slopes are covered by an ice cap that is more than 23 m (75 ft) thick. On the lower slopes are a number of glaciers, notably Mer de Glace on the northern slope. The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc was made in 1786.