In the south German language (of the
Alemannic-speaking area, or in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
), a ''gäu'' landscape (''gäulandschaft'') refers to an area of open, level countryside. These regions typically have fertile soils resulting from depositions of
loess
A loess (, ; from ) is a clastic rock, clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loesses or similar deposition (geology), deposits.
A loess ...
(an exception is the ''Arme Gäue''
Poor Gäus"of the Baden-Württemberg
Gäu In the south German language (of the Alemannic-speaking area, or in Switzerland), a ''gäu'' landscape (''gäulandschaft'') refers to an area of open, level countryside. These regions typically have fertile soils resulting from depositions of loess ...
).
The intensive use of the ''Gäu'' regions for
crop
A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel.
When plants of the same spe ...
s has displaced the originally wooded countryside (→''
climax vegetation
In scientific ecology, climax community or climatic climax community is a historic term for a community of plants, animals, and fungi which, through the process of ecological succession in the development of vegetation in an area over time, hav ...
'' – in contrast with the steppe heath theory and disputed megaherbivore hypothesis). The North German equivalent of such landscapes is ''
börde
A ''börde'' (; plural: ''börden'') is a region of highly fertile lowland in North Germany, a "fertile plain". These landscapes often cover great areas and are particularly important for arable farming on account of their rich soils.
These reg ...
.''
See also
*
Gau (territory)
''Gau'' ( German: ; ; or ) is a Germanic term for a region within a country, often a former or current province. It was used in the Middle Ages, when it can be seen as roughly corresponding to an English shire. The administrative use of th ...
– also gives the etymology and language history of ''Gäu''
* Gäu – regions with the name
*
Natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
s referred to as ''Gäu plateaus'':
**
Neckar and Tauber Gäu Plateaus
The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwe ...
**
Gäu Plateaus in the Main Triangle
**
Werra Gäu Plateaus
The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the tow ...
*
Gäuboden
The Gäuboden (; also referred to in German as the Dungau) is a region in Lower Bavaria in southern Germany without any clear geographic or cultural boundaries, that covers an area about 15 kilometres wide south of the River Danube and the Bavar ...
*
Altsiedelland ,
Altsiedel landscape
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gau
Soil science
Toponymy
Ecosystems
Rural geography
Human habitats
Agriculture in Germany
Agriculture in Switzerland