The Alps is a "collective name for one of the great mountain systems of Europe stretching from the Gulf of Genoa to Vienna, and rising between the plains of northern Italy and of southern Germany" . They are formed of numerous ranges, divided by comparatively deep valleys, and are, therefore, not a continuous barrier nor very extensive. The highest peak in the Alps is 15,771 feet and Hannibal made sure to avoid it. The Alps had gained an insurpassable reputation because of their height, their steep sides, the hostile tribes that lived there, and no organized army had passed through them before Hannibal's.
Hannibal's crossing of the Alps was between the Rhone River and Turin, 461 kilometers (258 miles). He managed to travel this distance in 25 days. It took 15 days for the actual crossing of the mountains. Hannibal hurried his troops across the Alps because he needed to get to Italy to fight Rome, while Rome was still confused and unprepared for war.
