| content |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007) |
|
The North European Plain (German: Norddeutsches Tiefland, Polish: Niż Środkowoeuropejski) is a geomorphological region in Europe. It consists of the low plains between the Central European Highlands to the south and the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north. The North European Plain is connected to East European Plain, together they form the European Plain.
Geography
Elevation is between 0 and 200 m (about 0 and 650 ft). While mostly used as farmland, the region also contains bogs, heath, and lakes.
On the North Sea coast, one finds the Wadden Sea, a large tidal area.
On the Baltic Sea coast, one finds the Szczecin Lagoon, the Vistula Lagoon and the Curonian Lagoon, a number of large freshwater lagoons.
Location
North European Plain is shared among Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Poland.
Rivers
Major river drainage basins are, from west to east: Rhine, Ems, Weser, Elbe, Oder, and Vistula.
Belgium & Netherlands
Historically, especially in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, the western section has been known as the Low Countries.
Germany
The modern German part of the Northern European Lowlands is also known as the North German Plain. Much of the North German Plain lies less than 100 meters above sea level. On the North Sea coast, the plain is very flat and composed mostly of marshes and mudflats. The offshore East Frisian Islands and North Frisian Islands are considered an extension of the North German Plain that was separated from the mainland after floods during the Middle Ages.
Along the Baltic coast, the plain meets the sea as jagged chalk cliffs that formed during periods of glaciation. The plain is sandy by the shoreline, and inland it is marked by bogs and heathlands. Off the coast near Stralsund lies Rügen, which is Germany's largest island.
The states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin, much of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, and parts of Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia are located in this region.
Poland
The part in modern day Poland is called the "Polish Plain" (Polish: Niż Polski or Nizina Polska) and stretches from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathians in the south.
External Links
References
