Geography of the Alpes-Maritimes

The department of the the Alpes-Maritimes is very contrasted, since it goes from the sea the Mediterranean to the Alps. However, there exist homogeneous units:

Coastal plains

The littoral plains are restricted. With the outlets of the Siagne, the Brague, Wolf, Cagne, Spangle and especially of the Var one finds the plains widest. Formerly marshy, the human occupation initially avoided them to prefer the first hills, but at the 20th century these spaces were the subject of an intense development, agricultural initially then urban.

The layout of the Trunk road 7 is an good example of this repulsion first plains: they were systematically avoided. with Cagnes-on-sea, it is into 1966 that contour was replaced by a straight line across the developed marshes.

Examples: Cannes, Cagnes-on-sea.

West of the department (district of Fatty)

Buttresses

On the basis of the plains, the relief is accentuated. The landscape consists of hills, mainly limestones but also of the reliefs of Poudingue directed NS, notched small valleys (Loup, Cagne, Brague). The human occupation is old here. The agricultural activities were centered around the culture of the olive-tree and the Vigne, later the Fleur S with perfume like the Jasmin, the pink . This part of the department today is strongly urbanized and its population continues to grow.

Examples: Biot, Roquefort-the-Pines

The plates limestones

The limit between this relief of hills and the back country are very marked: an important cliff line, to approximately 800 m, constitutes the barrier between the coastal country, densément populated, and the back country grassois, very slightly inhabited. The cliffs (Baou de Saint-Jeannet, Baou of the White) dominate the cities located at the limit of the two morphological zones, historically important: Fatty, Vence. Behind, extend from the ic plates Karst in the process of fast Déprise. These plates yield the place to large rock bars, resulting from foldings of the Alps, directed E-W.

Cities: Gréolières, Coursegoules.

Is department

In the East of the VAr, the relief is organized in long valleys NS separated by important reliefs (Férion Mount). This cashing of the valleys led to a great insulation of the various villages (valley of the Paillon of Tales, Paillon of Peille). More to the east, the relief falls directly into the sea, reducing the coastal plains to a very fine strip of land. It is the case in particular with Turbie, Monaco, Èze, the coastal village highest of Europe.

High-Country

The High-Country is consisted of the valleys of the affluents of the Var, namely the Tinée, the Vésubie and the Esteron mainly. Having known a rural migration very extremely for a hundred and fifty years, the High-Country has known today a certain renewed interest with tourism related on the mountain and in particular to the National park of Mercantour.

Communications

The communications in the department are made difficult by the relief and its orientation. All the East-West traffic in particular passes by the littoral zone. to on this subject see Transport of the Alpes-Maritimes

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