Hill country

Rolling hilly landscape in the Mols Bjerge National Park in Denmark

A form of landscape is called a hill country , the surface structure of which lies between that of the flat country (plains, low terraces) and that of the low mountain range . The decisive factor is not the (absolute) height above sea level, but the relative height to the surroundings. The term “hilly landscape (landscape)” is not clearly defined.

In connection with the altitude levels of a mountain range , the hill country level corresponds to the classic colline altitude level of ecology , biogeography and geobotany . Often the differences between the vegetation forms and the flat surrounding area are so small that one speaks of collin-planar or planar-collin elevation levels . Against this background, hilly areas of the lowlands are not differentiated from the planar elevation level .

Structure: small-scale and random

A hills has structural- geomorphologically a significant amount of random components:

• topographically, it is not as clearly structured as mountain ranges or even mountain landscapes,
• which is due to the erosion, which is usually more irregular (the exposure of the slopes spreads over all directions) and
• hardly any parallel watercourses as produced in the mountains.
• The settlements can be in the lowlands or on the hills ( sunny position in winter, away from the wind ( leeward side ), earlier also better defense);
• The areas of arable land can be just as different - depending on the type of soil , local climate and groundwater.
• The formation of hills often has different geological causes than mountains:

Mountains are formed by folding along tectonic lines of weakness or fault , which the rivers then follow. This results in a parallel basic pattern that can become even more regular through erosion. A hill country hardly has these characteristics.

If a "gentle hilly landscape" is suitable for agriculture, its small-scale character is further reinforced: a colorful sequence of mixed forest and open areas can arise ( meadows , arable land, fruit growing ), which is divided by hedges along the paths and embankments . Mixed forests, hedges, bodies of water, scattered settlements etc. emerge, which from the air resemble a mosaic.

Different creation processes

The formation of hills and the type of landscape they shape , on the other hand, has more diverse causes - including:

• through erosion of smaller mountains
• from unstable slopes through landslides and sags
• by wind - e.g. B. in the ice age (see loess )
• due to the deposition of sand or dust caused by vegetation
• due to fluvial gravel and erosion of river terraces
• through glaciers - from moraines or in the foreland as a lake plateau
• by volcanism and earthquakes
• through asteroids of ancient times
• through human activity - e.g. B. spoil heaps, landfills, settlement mounds
• as a leisure landscape - e.g. B. Golf course

Some landscapes with hilly regions (Central Europe)

• Germany:
  • Aachen hill country , in Münsterland : Baumberge and Beckumer Berge
  • Lower Saxony: Lüneburg Heath , Harburg Mountains , East Brunswick hill country
  • Schleswig-Holstein hill country : Holstein Switzerland , Hüttener Berge , Angelner hill country (see also Baltic ridge )
  • Mecklenburg Switzerland , Feldberger Seenlandschaft
  • Rheinhessen , Alzeyer hill country
  • North Saxony , central Saxon hill country , Fläming , Niederlausitz
  • Upper Swabia , Kraichgau , Jagst - Ries
  • Bavaria : Lower Bavarian hill country , Middle Franconia , Haßlacherbergkette in northern Upper Franconia , Spalter hill country
  • Thuringia : Northern Thuringian hill country
• Poland:
  • Pomeranian Lake District , Prussian , Baltic Ridge
  • Lower Silesia , Lodz region
• Austria:
  • Upper Austria: Innviertel , Hausruckviertel
  • Lower Austria: Bucklige Welt , partly Mostviertel ; Weinviertel , Wienerwaldsee
  • East Styrian hill country , southern Burgenland , SE- Carinthia
• Switzerland: Freiburg hill country , partly Jura
  • Swiss Mittelland , Napf
• Northern Italy:
  • The Langhe in Piedmont, between Turin and the Ligurian Alps
• Hungary, Romania, Serbia
  • Göcsej , Raabtal , Balaton - South; Buda Mountains , Zemplín
  • Slavonia , Batschka , Banat , Transylvania , Dobruja

An example of a hilly landscape outside Europe is Rwanda in Africa, whose character is literally expressed in its French nickname “Pays de Mille Collines ” (German: “Land of a Thousand Hills”).