Dniester Hills ( ro, Dealurile Nistrului), also known as Northern Moldavian Plateau ( ro, Podişul Moldovei de Nord) is a geographic area that comprises most of the northern
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
, and parts of the
Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast ( uk, Черніве́цька о́бласть, Chernivetska oblast), also referred to as Chernivechchyna ( uk, Чернівеччина) is an oblast (province) in Western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the regio ...
of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Dniester Hills are the N and NE component of the
Moldavian Plateau
The Moldavian Plateau ( ro, Podișul Moldovei) is a geographic area of the historical region of Moldavia, spanning nowadays east and northeast of Romania, most of Moldova (except the south), and most of the Chernivtsi Oblast of Ukraine (where it ...
.
Dniester Hills run and ridge along the
Dniester River, from the
Colachin river, an affluent of the
Prut river, and the
Plonini Forest to the point where Dniester receives its tributary
Răut
Răut, also referred to as Reut (, Ukrainian and (Reut), (Revet)) is a river in Moldova, a right tributary of Dniester. Răut, generally navigable until the 18th-19th century, is navigable today only by small recreational boats.
The towns Băl ...
. The river Dniester in turn bounds Dniester Hills to the N and E, and separates them from the
Podolian Plateau. Dniester Hills are separated from the rest of the Moldavian Plateau (
Suceava Plateau,
Jijia Plain,
Bălți steppe,
Central Moldavian Plateau) by the passages formed in the valley of the
Răut River and its tributaries, and partly by those of the
Prut River and its tributaries.
Dniester Hills have elevations of cca. 300 m. They are composed of:
*
Hotin Plateau ( ro, Podişul Hotin) in the NW edge/alongation, containing the
Plonini Forest, the
Hotin Forest, as well as the
Şipeniţ Valley ( ro, Valea Şipeniţului)
*
Dniester Ridge, or Dniester Hillock ( ro, Colinele Nistrului), also called Dniester-Răut Ridge or "the Ridge between the Dniester and the Răut", ( ro, Colinele dintre Nistru si Răut), 2,480 km
2, in the SE edge/alongation
*
Northern Moldavian Hills, or Northern Bessarabian Plateau ( ro, Podişul Moldovei de nord, ''Platoul Basarabiei de Nord''), the central part of the Dniester Hills, 4,630 km
2.
Due to the phenomenon of ridges along the right side bank of the river Dniester, the waters falling directly in the Dniester are only several small creeks. The NW part of the Dniester Hills, is characterized by numerous creeks sourcing only one or two hills away from the Dniester but falling into the river Prut, a tributary of Danube. The SE part of the Dniester Hills is characterized by creeks falling into the river Răut, which itself afterwards falls into the Dniester.
{{coord missing, Moldova
Plateaus of Moldova
Plateaus of Ukraine
Geography of Chernivtsi Oblast