Geography of the Territory of Belfort

Situation

The Territoire of Belfort constitutes the north-eastern corner of the Area of Franche-Comté. It is surrounded by the departments of the Doubs (in the south), of Haute-Saône (in the west), of the the Vosges (in north), of the Haut-Rhin (in the east) and has a border with the Suisse in south-east. It extends on a broad depression from about thirty kilometers (Belfort Gap) located between the solid mass of the the Vosges (Ballon of Alsace) and that of the the Jura (chain of Lomont) which was at all times a crossing point between the valley of the the Rhine (Alsace, Germanic countries) and the basin of the the Rhone (Franche-Comté, Burgundy), which was worth to him the name of Door of Burgundy. The department is located at approximately 47°40' northern latitude and with 7°00' of longitude is.

Dimensions

Whereas the average surface of a French department is of 5.800 km ², the Territory of Belfort covers only 610 km ², which places it among the smallest departments. It measures 44 km of north in the south and 22 km of is in west.

Relief

La chart opposite watch a plain of average altitude 400 m bordered in north by the Massive of the Vosges whose tops culminate to approximately 1000 m:

Balloon of Alsace: 1248 m (reference mark. C on the chart)
Board of the Daughters-in-law: 1148 m (reference mark D )
Baerenkopf: 1074 m (reference mark. E )
Sudel: 914 m
Fayé: 915 m

The town of Belfort (reference mark. B ) is to 370 m of altitude. It is dominated by the mount Salbert (647 m) which finishes west coast a range of hills hardly exceeding 500 m of altitude: Rudolphe mount, Extremely of Roppe, Wood-The-Lady (reference mark. G ), Wood of Châtelet. The extreme southern point is a plate (reference mark. F ) which reaches 621m at the Swiss border on the territory of the commune of Villars-the-Dryness. The Muddy one (reference mark. 3 ), whose bed is followed by the channel of the Rhone to the Rhine (reference mark. 2 ), penetrates in the department of Doubs at an altitude lower than 330 Mr.

The Ballon of Alsace is the top more in the south of the solid mass of the Vosges but it is far from in being most since it is only the 26th one by order decreasing height.

Hydrography

Two principal factors determine the advance of water in the Territory:

the presence of the Vosges, natural barrier to the clouds which come from the west.
impermeable ground of most of the department

The departmental limit between the Territory of Belfort and the Haut-Rhin roughly follows the Watershed between the basin of the the Rhine and that of the the Rhone.

Rivers

The solid mass of the Vosges collects important precipitations (approximately 2 m of water per annum to the Balloon of Alsace) which gives rise to the principal rivers of the department running out of north towards the south:

Tasty the (reference mark. 1 ) takes its source to 1.200 m at the top of the Balloon of Alsace.
It is joined with Valdoie by Rosemontoise (reference mark. 6 ).
the Madeleine (reference mark. 4 ) goes down from Baerenkopf and joins
the Autruche (reference mark. 8 ) then
the Saint Nicolas's Day (reference mark. 5 ) to form
Muddy the (reference mark. 3 ).

All these rivers have a flow which can vary during enormous proportions with the liking of the snow melt and strong rains and time of dryness. The risings of Tasty and Rosemontoise encouraged the department to build stoppings of regulation, for the moment except service.
For these Vosgean torrents it is necessary to add Allaine (reference mark. 10 ) and its affluents Coevatte and the Vendline, all three descendant of Switzerland and Suarcine (reference mark. 9 ). After having collected the Muddy one, Allaine changes name to be called Allan. Further in its race, it receives the Tasty one and is thrown in Doubs towards Voujeaucourt.
Soft the, (reference mark. 7 on the chart) presents a rare character in the north of the Franche-Comté since it disappears partly in the calcareous ground from Bavilliers (in the Hole-the-lady ) to reappear a few hundred meters further.

Ponds

The impermeable character of the ground in several parts of the department supports the formation of the wetlands. These last are consisted of the 1200 hectares of pond S to which the Marais are added and Tourbière S. They shelter a particular fauna and a flora related to the situation of the Territory of Belfort, broad depression between two mountainous solid masses. More than two hundred species of birds were observed in only the Sundgau belfortain, in the south-east of the department of which the many migrating ones making étape.
The largest ponds are those of Malsaucy (66 ha) and Véronne as well as the pond of Forging mills (40 ha), very close to Belfort. They were arranged at the beginning to be used as reserves of energy for industry. The Territory, in several sectors, is constellated with small ponds, gathered in two zones:

In the south, around Boron, Vellescot, Suarce… (reference mark. H )
In north, in the under-Vosgean country (reference mark. G ) where the ground consists of likings Permian red.

They are often used for pisciculture, fishing of leisure and like ground of weekend. To dig a pond is a way of developing an unproductive ground in the field of agriculture or sylviculture.

Geology

See too

Climate of the Territory of Belfort

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