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The Alpine foothills, or Prealps (german: Voralpen; french: Préalpes; it, Prealpi; ), may refer generally to any
foothills
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...
at the base of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
in Europe. They are the transition zone between the
High Alps
The High Alps are the parts of the Alps unsuitable for habitation or seasonal transhumance. This includes all regions higher than 3,000 m above sea level, as well as most regions between 2,500 m and 3,000 m (Juf at 2,126 m is the highest permanent ...
and the
Swiss Plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau (german: Schweizer Mittelland; french: plateau suisse; it, altopiano svizzero) is one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland, lying between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of ...
and the
Bavarian Alpine Foreland
The Alpine Foreland, less commonly called the Bavarian Foreland,Dickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, pp. 585-586. . Bavarian Plateau or Bavarian Alpine Foreland (german: Bayerisches ...
in the north, as well as to the
Pannonian Basin
The Pannonian Basin, or Carpathian Basin, is a large Sedimentary basin, basin situated in south-east Central Europe. The Geomorphology, geomorphological term Pannonian Plain is more widely used for roughly the same region though with a somewh ...
(
Alpokalja
Alpokalja (English "feet of the Alps") is a geographic region in western Hungary. Its highest point is Írott-kő at 882 metres above sea level. Although there are several lower mountains, the majority of the territory is hilly. Fir forests are c ...
) in the east, the
Padan Plain
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...
in the south and the
Rhone Valley in the west.
Classification
The Alpine foothills comprise:
*The
French Prealps
The French Prealps (french: Préalpes) are a group of subalpine mountain ranges of medium elevation located immediately west of the French Alps. They roughly stretch from Lake Geneva southwest to the rivers Isère and Drôme; east to a line runn ...
**
Savoy Prealps
The Savoy Prealps (''Préalpes de Savoie'' in French) are a mountain range in the north-western part of the Alps. They are located in Rhône-Alpes (south-eastern France) and, marginally, in Valais (western Switzerland). Savoy Prealps encompass no ...
**
Dauphiné Prealps
The Dauphiné Prealps (''Préalpes du Dauphiné'' in French) are a mountain range in the south-western part of the Alps. They are located in Rhône-Alpes and, marginally, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (south-eastern France). Dauphiné Prealps ar ...
**
Provence Prealps
The Provence Alps and Prealps (''Alpes et Préalpes de Provence'' in French) are a mountain range in the south-western part of the Alps, located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (France). Provence Alps and Prealps encompass the south-western area o ...
*The
Swiss Prealps
The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swis ...
*The Northern Prealps, part of the
Northern Limestone Alps
The Northern Limestone Alps (german: Nördliche Kalkalpen), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. ...
:
**
Bavarian Prealps
The Bavarian Prealps (german: Bayerische Voralpen) are a mountain range within the Northern Limestone Alps in south Germany. They include the Bavarian Prealp region between the river Loisach to the west and the river Inn to the east; the range is a ...
in southeastern
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
**
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
Prealps, part of the
Salzkammergut Mountains
The Salzkammergut Mountains (german: Salzkammergut-Berge) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, located in the Austrian states of Salzburg and Upper Austria. They are named after the Salzkammergut historic region, part of the Halls ...
in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
**
Upper Austrian Prealps
The Upper Austrian Prealps (german: Oberösterreichische Voralpen) is a mountain range in Austria which, according to the Categorisation of the Eastern Alps, covers the region between the valley of the Traun (Gmunden) in the west and the Enns val ...
**
Lower Austrian Prealps, leading to the
Vienna Woods
The Vienna Woods (german: Wienerwald) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area w ...
*The Southeastern Prealps, borderline of the Alps to the Pannonian Basin in Austria and Slovenia:
**
Prealps East of the Mur
The Prealps East of the Mur (german: Randgebirge östlich der Mur) are the easternmost mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. They comprise the eastern foothills of the Alpine crest beyond the Mur river and the adjacent southeastern Alpine F ...
**
Lavanttal Alps
The Lavanttal Alps (german: Lavanttaler Alpen, sl, Labotniške Alpe) are part of the Central Eastern Alps in Austria and Slovenia, between the river Mur in the north and the Drava in the south.
The mountains are named after the central valley of ...
**
Styrian Prealps
The Styrian Prealps (in German ''Steirisches Randgebirge'', in Slovenian ''Štajersko Robno hribovje'', in Hungarian ''Stájer Elő-Alpok'') is the proposed name for a subdivision of mountains in a new, and as yet unadopted, classification of the ...
**
Slovenian Prealps
The Slovene Prealps or the Slovenian Prealps ( sl, Slovenske Predalpe, , ) are a group of mountain ranges in the eastern part of the Alps. They are located in Slovenia and, for a small part of their northernmost area, in Austria.
Geography
SO ...
,
Pohorje
Pohorje (), also known as the Pohorje Massif or the Pohorje Mountains (german: Bachergebirge, ''Bacherngebirge'' or often simply ''Bachern''), is a mostly wooded, medium-high mountain range south of the Drava River in northeastern Slovenia. Acco ...
*The Southern or Italian Prealps, usually divided into:
**
Julian Prealps
**
Venetian Prealps
The Venetian Prealps (''Prealpi Venete'' in Italian) are a mountain range in the south-eastern part of the Alps. They are located in Triveneto, in the north-eastern part of Italy.
Geography
Administratively the range is divided between the Ita ...
**
Bergamasque Prealps
The Bergamasque Prealps () are a mountain range within the Alps. The range is located in Lombardy, in the north of Italy.
Geography
Administratively the range belongs to the Italian province of Bergamo and, to a lesser extent, to the provinces of ...
**
Lugano Prealps
The Lugano Prealps (''Prealpi Luganesi'' or ''Prealpi Lombarde Occidentali'' in Italian) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Canton Ticino (southern Switzerland) and in Lombardy (northern Italy).
Geography
A ...
**
Brescia and Garda Prealps
The Brescia and Garda Prealps (''Prealpi Bresciane e Gardesane'' in Italian) are a mountain range in the southern part of the Alps. They are located mainly in Lombardy but also in Trentino Alto Adige and in Veneto, in the northern part of Italy.
...
[From the geological point of view, the ]Alpi Cusiane
The Alpi Cusiane (or ''Prealpi Cusiane'') are a sub-range of the Pennine Alps located in Piemonte (Italy).
Etymology
''Alpi Cusiane'' literally means ''Alps of Cusio''; ''Cusio'' is the geographical and historical area surrounding Lake of Orta ...
and a small part of the Biellese Alps
The Biellese Alps (''Alpi Biellesi'' or ''Prealpi Biellesi'' in Italian language, Italian) are a sub-range of the Pennine Alps located between Piemonte and Aosta Valley (Italy).
Etymology
''Alpi Biellesi'' literally means ''Alps of Biellese''; ...
ranges of the Pennine Alps
The Pennine Alps (german: Walliser Alpen, french: Alpes valaisannes, it, Alpi Pennine, la, Alpes Poeninae), also known as the Valais Alps, are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland (Valais) and Italy ( ...
are also considered to be in the Prealps.
See also
*
Operation Zone of the Alpine Foothills – a territory in Italy occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II
Notes
{{Authority control
Foothills
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...