The
main chain of the Alps, also called the
Alpine divide is the central line of mountains that forms the
water divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest
peaks of a range; the
Alps are something of an unusual case in that several significant groups of mountains are separated from the main chain by sizable distances. Among these groups are the
Dauphine Alps, the Eastern and Western
Graians, the entire
Bernese Alps, the
Tödi,
Albula and
Silvretta groups, the
Ortler and
Adamello ranges, and the
Dolomites of
South Tyrol, as well as the lower
Alps of
Vorarlberg, Bavaria and
Salzburg.