The Massif des Maures (, "plateau of the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

") is a small mountain range in southeastern France. It is located in the department of

Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...

, near

Fraxinet Fraxinetum or Fraxinet ( ar, فرخشنيط, translit=Farakhshanīt or , from Latin ''fraxinus'': " ash tree", ''fraxinetum'': "ash forest") was the site of a Muslim fortress in Provence between about 887 and 972. It is identified with moder ...

and between

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The old town lies from the sea clustered around t ...

and

Fréjus Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458. It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north of ...

. Its highest point, at ''Signal de la Sauvette'', is high.

Geography

The Massif des Maures is a low mountain range about long and wide. Its highest point is high. It lies between the

River Argens The Argens (; oc, Argens) is a 116 km long river of the French Riviera. Its drainage basin is fully included in the Var (department), Var department.River Réal Martin to the north and the Mediterranean coast to the south, the River Durance to the west and the foothills of the Alps to the east, between Hyères and Fréjus. The winters are mild and the amounts of precipitation are low, especially in the summer when many of the streams run dry. The sides of the hills are steep, the soil is thin and there are few settlements; cultivated crops include

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

mulberries ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

and

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

s. The detailed geography of the massif is complex; it is arranged along three main ridge lines, oriented west/southwest to east/northeast, the maximum altitudes of which decrease from north to south. The most northerly ridge carries at its western end the highest points of the massif: the Signal de la Sauvette and Notre-Dame-des-Anges peaks. Further south, an intermediate ridge culminates at not far from the Chartreuse de la Verne. Finally, the coastal link reaches only above Cavalaire-sur-Mer.

Flora and fauna

The massif is densely vegetated with an evergreen forest dominated by

cork oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the cores ...

, holm oak, holly sweet chestnut and strawberry trees. On the highest ridges

Aleppo pine ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Description ''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a trunk diameter up to , exce ...

and stone pine flourish. Since the early 21st century, there have been more frequent destructive wildfires, but the cork oak is particularly resistant to these; the thick bark protects the trunk and new shoots grow from the blackened branches. Shrubs present on the forest floor include myrtle, juniper, boxwood,

broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

, heather, rosemary and Spanish lavender. This is one of the last places in Europe where

Hermann's tortoise Hermann's tortoise (''Testudo hermanni'') is a species of tortoise. Two subspecies are known: the western Hermann's tortoise (''T. h. hermanni'' ) and the eastern Hermann's tortoise (''T. h. boettgeri'' ). Sometimes mentioned as a subspecies, ...

can be found. Other reptiles include the

European green lizard The European green lizard (''Lacerta viridis'') is a large lizard distributed across European midlatitudes from Slovenia and eastern Austria to as far east as the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Turkey. It is often seen sunning on rocks or lawns, ...

, the

ocellated lizard The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard (''Timon lepidus'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae (wall lizards). The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Common names Additional common names for ''T. lepidus'' include eyed liza ...

, the grass snake, the

European adder ''Vipera berus'', the common European adderMallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . or common European viper,Stidworthy J. (1974). ...

, and the

Aesculapian snake The Aesculapian snake (now ''Zamenis longissimus'', previously ''Elaphe longissima''), is a species of nonvenomous snake native to Europe, a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae. Growing up to in length, it is among the ...

. In thick parts of the forest, wild boars are attracted by the acorns and chestnuts, and deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels and the occasional hare roam among the trees. Birds of prey include the

short-toed snake eagle The short-toed snake eagle (''Circaetus gallicus''), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus na ...

, the

horned owl The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus ''Bubo'', at least as traditionally described. The genus name ''Bubo'' is Latin for the Eurasian eagle-owl. This genus contains 19 species that ar ...

, the

tawny owl The tawny owl (''Strix aluco''), also called the brown owl, is commonly found in woodlands across Europe to western Siberia, and has seven recognized subspecies. It is a stocky, medium-sized owl, whose underparts are pale with dark streaks, an ...

, and the

little owl The little owl (''Athene noctua''), also known as the owl of Athena or owl of Minerva, is a bird that inhabits much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, the Palearctic east to Korea, and North Africa. It was introduced into Britain at ...

.Mammifères visés à l'Annexe II de la directive 92/43/CEE du Conseil

References

{{Coord, 43.2800, N, 6.3847, E, source:wikidata, display=title Landforms of Var (department) Mountain ranges of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Geography

Flora and fauna

See also

References