Geography of Piedmont

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The Geography of Piedmont is that of a territory predominantly mountainous, 43.3%, but with extensive areas of hills which represent 30.3% of the territory, and of plains (26.4%).

To the north and to the west Piedmont is surrounded by the Alps, to the south by the Apennines, and to the east by the Po plain.

To the west Piedmont borders with France, to the north with Valle d'Aosta and Switzerland, to the east with Lombardy and Emilia Romagna, and to the south with Liguria.

Piedmont is the second largest of the 20 administative regions of Italy, after Sicily. It is broadly contiguous with the upper part of the drainage basin of the river Po which rises from the slopes of Monviso in the west of the region and is Italy’s largest river. The Po collects all the waters provided within the semi-circle 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 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 and the line of the rivers Ticino and Sesia separate Piemont from Lombardy.

The countryside, then, is very varied: one passes from the rugged peaks of the massifs of Monte Rosa and of Gran Paradiso (national park), to the damp rice paddies of the Vercellese and Novarese; from the gentle hillsides of the Langhe and of Monferrato to the plains, often polluted and studded with a mixture of farms and industrial concerns.

Contents

[edit] Orography

[edit] Mountains

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See also: :Category:Mountains of Piedmont

Principal mountains:

  • Monte Rosa 4634 m
  • Gran Paradiso 4061 m
  • Monviso 3841 m
  • Uia di Ciamarella 3676 m
  • Leone 3552 m
  • Rocciamelone 3538 m
  • Corno Bianco 3320 m
  • Ramiere 3303 m
  • Bric Bouchet 3216 m
  • Matto 3097 m
  • Albergian 3043 m
  • Rocca la Meia 2831 m
  • Monte Giavino 2766 m
  • Punta Marguareis 2651 m
  • Bram 2357 m
  • Monte Barone 2044 m
  • Antola 1597 m

[edit] Valleys

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See also: :Category:Valleys of Piedmont

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
    • Valle Antrona
    • Val Bognanco
    • Val Divedro
    • Valle Antigorio
    • Val Formazza
    • Val Vigezzo
  • Valsesia
    • Val Mastallone
    • Val d'Otro
    • Val Vogna
  • Val Sessera
  • Valle Cervo
  • Valchiusella
  • Valle dell'Orco
  • Valli di Lanzo
    • Val grande di Lanzo
    • Val d'Ala
    • Valle di Viù
  • Val di Susa
  • Val Sangone
  • Val Chisone
  • Val Pellice
  • Valle Po
  • Valle Maira
  • Val Varaita
  • Valle Stura di Demonte
  • Valle Gesso
  • Val Bormida
  • Val Curone
  • Valle Scrivia
  • Val Borbera

[edit] Hydrography

[edit] Rivers

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See also: :Category:Rivers of Piedmont

The largest river in Piedmont is the Po. Other important rivers, in order of their mean rate of discharge, include:

Name Length Mean discharge
Ticino 280 km 350 m³/s
Tanaro 276 km 123 m³/s
Dora Baltea 160 km 110 m³/s
Sesia 138 km 70 m³/s
Stura di Demonte 111 km 47 m³/s
Bormida 154 km 40 m³/s
Orco 100 km 28 m³/s
Dora Riparia 125 km 25 m³/s
Agogna 140 km 16 m³/s
Malone 40 km 8.8 m³/s
Bormida di Spigno 80 km 9 m³/s
Belbo 86 km 6m³/s
Sangone 47 km 3.9m³/s
Soana 24 km  ?? m³/s

[edit] Lakes

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See also: :Category:Lakes of Piedmont

The principal lakes of Piedmont are:

[edit] References


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