The Geography of Piedmont is that of a territory predominantly mountainous, 43.3%, but with extensive areas of
hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...
s which represent 30.3% of the territory, and of
plain
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...
s (26.4%).
To the north and to the west
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
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is surrounded by 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, Swi ...
, to the south by the
Apennines, and to the east by the
Po 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 ...
.
To the west Piedmont borders with
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, to the north with
Valle d'Aosta
, Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman)
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 = Italian French
, ...
and
Switzerland, to the east with
Lombardy and
Emilia Romagna
Emilia-Romagna (, , both also ; ; egl, Emégglia-Rumâgna or ''Emîlia-Rumâgna''; rgn, Emélia-Rumâgna) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions ...
, and to the south with
Liguria
it, Ligure
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.
Piedmont is the second largest of the 20 administrative
regions of Italy
The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. ...
, after
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, demographics1_footnotes =
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. It is broadly contiguous with the upper part of the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of the
Po which rises from the slopes of
Monviso
Monte Viso or Monviso (; oc, Vísol; Piedmontese: ''Brich Monviso'' or ''Viso'') is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps. It is located in Italy close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape and, because it i ...
in the west of the region and is Italy’s largest river. The Po collects all the waters provided within the semicircle of mountains (Alps and Apennines) which surround the region on three sides.
From the highest peaks the land slopes down to hilly areas (not always, though, sometimes there is a brusque transition from the mountains to the plains), and then to the upper, and then the lower
Pianura Padana
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 ...
. The boundary between the first and the second is characterised by ''risorgive'', springs typical of the pianura padana which supply fresh water both to the rivers and to a dense network of irrigation canals.
Lago Maggiore
Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest la ...
and the line of the rivers
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
and
Sesia
The Sesia (Latin ''Sesites'' or ''Sessites'') is a river in Piedmont, north-western Italy, tributary to the Po.
Geography
Its sources are the glaciers of Monte Rosa at the border with Switzerland. It flows through the Alpine valley Valsesia a ...
separate Piedmont from
Lombardy.
The countryside, then, is very varied: one passes from the rugged peaks of the
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
s of
Monte Rosa
:
, other_name = Monte Rosa massif
, translation = Mount Rose
, photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg
, photo_caption = Central Mon ...
and of
Gran Paradiso
, photo = Gran_Paradiso.jpg
, photo_caption = The Gran Paradiso
, elevation_m = 4061
, elevation_ref =Geoportale IGM owww.pcn.minambiente.it/ref>
, prominence_m = 1879
, prominence_ref =
, range = Graian Alps
, parent_peak =
, listing ...
(national park), to the damp
rice paddies
A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Au ...
of the
Vercellese and
Novarese Novarese is an English and Italian adjective meaning ‘pertaining to Novara’, a city in Piedmont in north-west Italy, or ‘pertaining to the Province of Novara’. As a noun the primary meaning is ‘a person (etc.) from Novara’; it is also an ...
; from the gentle hillsides of the
Langhe
The Langhe (; ''Langa'' is from old dialect Mons Langa et Bassa Langa) is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo and in the province of Asti in Piedmont, northern Italy.
It is famous for its wines, chee ...
and of
Monferrato to the plains, often polluted and studded with a mixture of farms and industrial concerns.
Orography
Mountains
Principal mountains:
*
Monte Rosa
:
, other_name = Monte Rosa massif
, translation = Mount Rose
, photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg
, photo_caption = Central Mon ...
4634 m
*
Gran Paradiso
, photo = Gran_Paradiso.jpg
, photo_caption = The Gran Paradiso
, elevation_m = 4061
, elevation_ref =Geoportale IGM owww.pcn.minambiente.it/ref>
, prominence_m = 1879
, prominence_ref =
, range = Graian Alps
, parent_peak =
, listing ...
4061 m
*
Monviso
Monte Viso or Monviso (; oc, Vísol; Piedmontese: ''Brich Monviso'' or ''Viso'') is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps. It is located in Italy close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape and, because it i ...
3841 m
*
Uia di Ciamarella 3676 m
*
Monte Leone
Monte Leone is the highest mountain of the Lepontine Alps and is located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The mountain stands on the extreme west of the Lepontine Alps, a few kilometres east of Simplon Pass.
Etymology
''Leone'' i ...
3552 m
*
Rocciamelone
Rocciamelone ( pms, Ròcia-mlon, french: Rochemelon or ''Roche Melon'') is a 3,538 m high mountain in Piedmont, Italy, near the border between Italy and France.
Geography
Rocciamelone is located between Val di Susa and Maurienne, 50&nbs ...
3538 m
*
Pierre Menue 3505 m
*
Corno Bianco
Corno Bianco (''Weisshorn'' in German) is a mountain of the Pennine Alps. It's a popular climbing destination of Valsesia.
Etymology
The literal English translation of ''Corno Bianco'' is ''White Horn''.
Geography
The mountain is located ...
3320 m
*
Punta Ramiere
The Punta Ramiere (in Italian) or Bric Froid (in French) is a mountain in the Cottian Alps belonging to the department of Hautes-Alpes ( FR) and the province of Turin ( IT). It's the highest peak of the long stretch of the Po/ Rhone water di ...
3303 m
*
Bric Bouchet
BRIC is a grouping acronym referring to the developing countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which are identified as rising Economic power, economic powers. It is typically rendered as "the BRIC," "the BRIC countries," "the BRIC econ ...
3216 m
*
Monte Matto 3097 m
*
Monte Albergian
Monte Albergian is a 3,041 m a.s.l. mountain of the Cottian Alps, located in Italy.
A battalion of 3rd Alpini Regiment, which during World War I earned a Silver Medal of Military Valor, was named after ''Monte Albergian''.
Etymology
The name ...
3041 m
*
Rocca la Meia 2831 m
*
Monte Giavino 2766 m
*
Punta Marguareis 2651 m
*
Monte Bram 2357 m
*
Monte Barone 2044 m
*
Monte Antola
Monte Antola (in Ligurian ''munte Antua'') is a mountain in Liguria, northern Italy, part of the Ligurian Apennines.
Geography
The mountain is located between the provinces of Genoa and Alessandria. It lies at an altitude of 1597 metres.' ...
1597 m
*
Mottarone
Mottarone is a mountain in the Western Alps of Piedmont, north-western Italy, with an elevation of 1,492 m. It is located between the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and that of Novara.
Geography
The peak is in the communal territory o ...
1492 m
*
Monte Musinè
Monte Musinè or simply Musinè (in Piedmontese language, Piedmontese mont Musinè) is a mountain in the Graian Alps in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, north Italy. Musinè is well known for the high cross on its peak, as well as for ...
1150 m
Valleys
As Piedmont is bounded to the north and to the west by the Alps, and to the south by the Apennines it is rich in valleys of very varied dimensions. There follows a list of some of the valleys of the region starting at the north of the boundary with
Lombardy and proceeding anti-clockwise:
*
Val d'Ossola
**
Valle Anzasca
The Anza is a Alpine torrent of the Ossola in northern Italy. It flows from the glaciers of Monte Rosa
:
, other_name = Monte Rosa massif
, translation = Mount Rose
, photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Ro ...
**
Valle Antrona
**
Val Bognanco
Val may refer to: Val-a
Film
* ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo
Military equipment
* Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies
* AS Val, a Sov ...
**
Val Divedro
The Simplon Valley or Divedro Valley ( German: ''Simplontal'', Italian: ''Val Divedro'') is a valley of the Alps, situated between the Pennine and the Lepontine ranges. The valley is drained by the Diveria or ''Chrummbach'', a tributary of the T ...
**
Valle Antigorio
**
Val Formazza
**
Val Vigezzo
Valle Vigezzo (Vigezzo Valley) is a valley in the Lepontine Alps in northwestern Italy on the border with Canton Ticino of Switzerland. It forms the eastern branch of the Ossola valley. It is also called the Valle dei Pittori (Valley of the Pai ...
*
Valsesia
Valsesia ( pms, Valsesia; Walser German: ''Tseschrutol''; it, Valle della Sesia) is a group of valleys in the north-east of Piedmont in the Province of Vercelli, Italy; the principal valley is that of the river Sesia.
The major towns located h ...
**
Val Mastallone
**
Val d'Otro
**
Val Vogna
*
Val Sessera
*
Valle Strona di Mosso
*
Valle Cervo
Cervo Valley (in Italian ''Valle Cervo'' or ''Valle di Andorno'', in Piedmontese ''Val d'Andorn'' or ''Bürsch'') is a valley in north-east of Piedmont in the Province of Biella, Italy.
Etymology
The valley takes its name from Cervo, a right- ...
*
Valchiusella
*
Valle dell'Orco
*
Valli di Lanzo
The Lanzo Valleys (in Italian ''Valli di Lanzo'', in Piedmontese ''Valade ëd Lans'') is a group of valleys in the north-west of Piedmont in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy.
Etymology
The valleys take their name from the city of Lanzo, whi ...
**
Val grande di Lanzo
**
Val d'Ala
**
Valle di Viù
*
Val Ceronda
*
Val di Susa
The Susa Valley ( it, Val di Susa; pms, Valsusa; french: Val de Suse; oc, Val d'Ors) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the sou ...
*
Val Sangone
*
Val Chisone
The Val Chisone is one of the Occitan valleys of western Piedmont, situated in the Cottian Alps in the Metropolitan City of Turin in north-west Italy.
Geography
Traditionally, the valley's entrances are considered the towns of Pinerolo and Ses ...
**
Val Germanasca
*
Val Pellice
The Pellice (in Piedmontese ''Pélis'') is a Italian torrent, which runs through the Metropolitan City of Turin. The stream is a tributary of the Po River, into which it flows near Villafranca Piemonte.
Geography
The stream is formed at the wes ...
*
Valle Po
The Valle Po (literally "Po valley") is a valley of the Cottian Alps in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy.
Geography
The valley gives rise to the longest river in Italy, the Po, before it enters the Pianura Padana (or Plain of ...
*
Valle Maira
Maira Valley (in Italian ''Val Maira'' or ''Valle Macra'') is a valley in south-west of Piedmont in the Province of Cuneo, Italy.
Etymology
The valley takes its name from the river Maira, a right-hand tributary of the Po which flows through the ...
*
Val Varaita
*
Valle Stura di Demonte
The Stura di Demonte Valley (in Italian ''Valle Stura di Demonte'') is a valley in south-west of Piedmont in the Province of Cuneo, Italy.
Etymology
The valley takes its name from the river Stura di Demonte, a left-hand tributary of the Tanaro wh ...
*
Valle Gesso
*
Val Bormida
Val may refer to: Val-a
Film
* ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo
Military equipment
* Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies
* AS Val, a Sov ...
*
Val Curone
*
Valle Scrivia
Valle may refer to:
* Valle (surname)
Geography
*"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina
* University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colomb ...
*
Val Borbera
The Val Borbera ( lij, Val Borbëa or ''Borbéia''; pms, Val Borbaja) is a valley formed by the River Borbera, a tributary of the Scrivia, located in the province of Alessandria. It was historically linked to the Republic of Genoa, the Ligurian ...
Hydrography
Rivers
The largest river in Piedmont is the
Po.
Other important rivers, in order of their mean rate of discharge, include:
Lakes
The principal lakes of Piedmont are:
*
Lago Maggiore
Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest la ...
212 km²
*
Lago d'Orta 18.2 km²
*
Lago di Viverone 5.8 km²
*
Lago di Mergozzo 1.85 km²
*
Lago di Candia 1.52 km²
*The five lakes of the
Serra di Ivreabr>
**
Lago Sirio 1.4 km²
**Lago San Michele
**Lago Nero
**Lago Pistono
**Lago di Campagna (or Lago di Cascinette)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of Piedmont