1 At 4,478 meters (14,692 feet), the Matterhorn is Western Europe’s 12th-highest peak.

2 The Matterhorn straddles two countries, Switzerland and Italy, and has three common names. The German name Matterhorn derives from the words for "meadow" and "peak." The Italian name (Cervino) and French (Cervin) likely originated with the Latin word for forest, silva, though some believe it comes from the Italian and French words for “deer.”

3 Every year The mountain is closed to all climbing on July 14, 2015, out of respect for those who have died on the peak.

4 Due to its steep faces of the mountain and its isolated location Matterhorn is exposed to rapid weather changes.

5 The first successful ascent of this iconic peak was on July 14, 1865 by a team led by English illustrator, climber and explorer Edward Whymper.

6 The formation of the Matterhorn (and the rest of the Alps) began some 50 to 60 million years ago when the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, and layers of sedimentary rock that had formed in the seas between them were thrust up above sea level. Experts suggest that the Matterhorn began as a rounded hill, but gained its distinct pyramidal shape as a result of natural erosive forces over the last million years.

7 Walt Disney and his family frequently visited Zermatt, a swiss village, which lies in the valley facing the north side of the peak. Captivated by the mountain and enchanted by the surrounding scenery, Walt Disney returned to California and began the construction of his now famous Matterhorn bobsled ride.

8 Unknown to most, the Romans originally named the Matterhorn, ‘Mons Silvius’. In fact, it wasn’t until sometime during the 1500’s that Germans named the mountain, the Matterhorn

9 Although first climbed in 1865, The mountain’s difficult north face wasn’t climbed until July 31 1931 by the brothers Franz and Toni Schmid

10 The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt in the canton of Valais to the north-east and the Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley to the south. Just east of the Matterhorn is Theodul Pass, the main passage between the two valleys on its north and south sides and a trade route since the Roman Era.