# Dominance of selected Swiss mountains A thematic map of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. The map is drawn in the browser; this file describes it and lists its variants and links, but not the data values shown on the map. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/dominance-of-selected-swiss-mountains/ - Short title: Swiss mountains: Dominance - Map id: 567 - Categories: Portrait of Switzerland › Geography of Switzerland - Keywords: Mountaineering, Mountains - Published: 2020-11-25 - Last revised: 2026-08-19 - Content language: English - Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/dominanz-ausgewaehlter-schweizer-berge.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/dominance-de-montagnes-suisses-selection.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/isolamento-topografico-delle-montagne-svizzere-selezione.md) ## Description What is a mountain? How many mountains are there? It turns out that answering these simple questions about global and national topography is not that easy. If you classify every tiny rise in elevation as a mountain, then there are an infinite number of mountains. A meaningful, objective definition is therefore necessary in order to establish a mountain ranking. Three topographicaly based criteria are used for this calculation: elevation, isolation and prominence. ### Isolation Isolation is the horizontal distance from the peak of a mountain to the nearest point of equal or higher elevation. Thus, the isolation of "Mountain A" is measured in terms of distance to the nearest higher mountain. Isolated mountains are therefore those that are the highest within a wider area. If the criterion for isolation is a radius of 1 km, then there are more than 1'500 major mountains in Switzerland, 62 mountains within a radius of 10 km and 3 mountains within a 50-km radius. In Switzerland, the Piz Bernina is the most isolated mountain at 137.9 km; the Finsteraarhorn is the nearest higher mountain. The second-most isolated mountain is the Dufourspitze at 78.2 km. Next come the Finsteraarhorn at 51.65 km, the Chasseral at 49.5 km, the Piz Russein (Tödi massif) at 42.05 km and Mont Tendre at 38.7 km. ### Prominence Prominence of a mountain is the difference in elevation between the summit and the highest ridge that leads to a higher summit. In other words: Prominence is the smallest descent that must be made in order to climb a higher mountain. This distance indicates how free-standing a mountain is. The Finsteraarhorn has the largest prominence at 2280 m, followed by Piz Bernina at 2234 m, Dufourspitze at 2165 m and Säntis at 2021 m. ### Significance Finally, a mountain peak can be defined by its significance. This is calculated based on a peak’s isolation, relative prominence and elevation. Indices are calculated for each of these variables, then added together and divided by three. For the category “supreme mountains”, such as Mont Blanc and the Grossglockner, this results in values of less than 1.0; for the “major mountains of a continent”, e.g. Säntis, values are less than 2.0. ## Sources - Leonhard: [Die 4000er der Alpen](http://www.thehighrisepages.de) - Wikipedia contributors (2018): [Dominanz (Geographie)](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominanz_%28Geographie%29). In: Wikipedia - Thöni (2003): Von Schartenhöhe und Dominanz. In: Die Alpen ## Data sources - Wikipedia contributors (2018): [Liste von Bergen in der Schweiz](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_von_Bergen_in_der_Schweiz). In: Wikipedia ## Data owners - [Atlas of Switzerland (AoS)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/) ## Citation The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as: > Atlas of Switzerland (2026): Dominance of selected Swiss mountains. ETH Zürich. Map data © AoS. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/dominance-of-selected-swiss-mountains/ ## Variants The map has 6 variants. Levels: variant → time. The `u` value of a variant selects it in the links below. - Overview - 2025: `u=A-4AAACL` (default) - 10–15 km - 2025: `u=A-4AAACM` - 15–20 km - 2025: `u=A-4AAACN` - 20–25 km - 2025: `u=A-4AAACO` - 25–50 km - 2025: `u=A-4AAACP` - 50–150 km - 2025: `u=A-4AAACQ` ## Links Replace `{u}` with the `u` value of a variant above, or leave out `u={u}` for the default variant. The map opens at its full extent; a link cannot set the map position. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/dominance-of-selected-swiss-mountains/?u={u} - Short link, stays valid when the title changes: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/t/567/?u={u} - Side by side with another map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/comparison/?lt=567&lu={u}&rt={id of the other map}&ru={u of the other map, or leave out} Embed in another website (allowed by the terms of use, as long as the source references stay visible): ```html ``` In the embed URL, `dm` sets what is shown: `e` the map with its title bar (default), `p` also the values of an object clicked on the map, `m` only the map with a button that opens it in the atlas. `ig=1` (default) lets the map react to scrolling and dragging only after a click into it, `ig=0` right away. The size can be changed in `style`. ## Related maps - [Significance of selected Swiss mountains](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/significance-of-selected-swiss-mountains.md) (id 587) - [Dominance of selected European mountains](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/dominance-of-selected-european-mountains.md) (id 568, former edition, desktop atlas only) - [Dominance of worldwide selected mountains](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/dominance-of-worldwide-selected-mountains.md) (id 576, former edition, desktop atlas only) - [Significance of worldwide selected mountains](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/significance-of-worldwide-selected-mountains.md) (id 577, former edition, desktop atlas only) For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).