SOIUSA (an acronym for Suddivisione Orografica Internazionale Unificata del Sistema Alpino - English: International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps-ISMSA ) is a proposal for a new classification system of the Alps from the geographic and toponomastic point of view. It was designed by Sergio Marazzi, Italian researcher and author of the Orographic Atlas of the Alps SOIUSA. His book was presented with the patronage of the Italian Alpine Club on 23 Jan 2006, but has yet to receive any formal acceptance.

History

The SOIUSA is an interpretation by Marazzi of the terrain of the Alps aiming to replace the traditional way the Alps were partitioned in Italy, the Partizione delle Alpi, which was adopted in 1926 by the Italian National Geographic Committee (Comitato Geografico Nazionale) after the IX Italian Geographic Congress (Congresso Geografico Italiano). SOIUSA takes into account the European geographic literature normalizing and standardizing the different national classification systems in use. It was publicly presented in a lecture organized by the Italian Alpine Club's Milan conference of 6 April 2006, following the publication of Marazzi's book.

Structure

The SOIUSA introduces the bipartition of the Alpine System (Western Alps and Eastern Alps) replacing the old tripartite division (Western Alps, Central Alps and Eastern Alps) by a multilevel pyramidal hierarchy according to identical scales and rules. Mountain groups higher level: fractionated with morphological and altimetric benchmark taking into account the historical and geographical regions in the Alps. Mountain groups lower level: divided with a benchmark mountaineering. (With some relative sectors (SR) intermediate to groups above) To any alpine mountain can be assigned a SOIUSA code, which shows to what part, sector, section, subsection, supergroup, group and subgroup the mountain belongs. Example: SOIUSA parametres for Pointe Sommeiller (Fr) / Punta Sommeiller (It) are: Main part:Western Alps Major sector:Southwestern Alps Section:Cottian Alps Subsection:Northern Cottian Alps Supergroup:chaîne Bernaude-Pierre Menue-Ambin (Fr) / catena Bernauda-Pierre Menue-Ambin (It) Group:groupe d'Ambin (Fr) / gruppo d'Ambin (It) Subgroup:crête Sommeiller-Vallonetto (Fr) / sottogruppo Sommeiller-Vallonetto (It) Code:I/A-4.III-B.6.b

Naming

Names of higher level groups are given in the four main languages spoken in the Alps (German, French, Italian, Slovene) and in English, while lower level groups are just named in the language/languages of the concerned country/countries. Examples: Northern Cottian Alps subsection (STS.4.III ) is also called: Nördliche Cottishche Alpen (De), Alpes du Mont Cenis (Fr), Alpi del Moncenisio (It), Severne Kotijske Alpe (Sl). Ambin group, located on the French-Italian border, is just referred as: Groupe d'Ambin (Fr) and Gruppo d'Ambin (It).

Western Alps

From the line Savona - Bocchetta di Altare - Montezemolo - Mondovì to the line Rhine - Splügen Pass - Lake Como - Lake Lecco; they are divided in 14 sections (in brackets their highest summit).

Southwestern Alps

Northwestern Alps

Eastern Alps

From the line Rhine - Splügen Pass - Lake Como - Lake Lecco to the line Vienna-Sopron-Köszeg-Graz-Maribor and Godovič Pass; they are divided in 22 sections (in brackets their highest summit).

Central-eastern Alps

Northeastern Alps

Southeastern Alps

References and footnotes

Sources