The Prague Plateau () is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the area of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

Geomorphology

The Prague Plateau is a mesoregion of the Brdy Macroregion within the Bohemian Massif. It is a

denudation Denudation is the geological process in which moving water, ice, wind, and waves erode the Earth's surface, leading to a reduction in elevation and in relief of landforms and landscapes. Although the terms erosion and denudation are used interchang ...

plateau with

neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

aligned surfaces.

Inselberg An inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an ...

s and structural ridges are a characteristic element of the relief. The plateau is further subdivided into the microregions of Říčany Plateau and Kladno Table. The area is rich in low peaks. The highest peaks are Na Rovinách at above sea level, Vinařická hora at and Hradinovský kopec at . Other notable hills are Teleček, which is at the highest point of Prague, or Slánská hora at , which is a significant landscape feature.

Geography

The territory roughly stretches from the northwest ( Slaný) to the southeast ( Říčany). The plateau has an area of and an average elevation of . The area is crossed by the

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

river valley, which forms the so-called Prague Valley. Other watercourses include mostly small tributaries of the Vltava, the longest of which are the streams Rokytka and Botič. Most of Prague, after which the mesoregion is named, lies in the territory of Prague Plateau. Other large settlements in the territory are

Kladno Kladno (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 70,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and has a rich industrial history. Administrative division Kladno consists of six municipal parts ...

, Slaný, Jesenice, Hostivice and Úvaly, and partly Kralupy nad Vltavou and Říčany.

Vegetation

The landscape is today heavily urbanized, with the more rural areas being sparsely forested and having a predominantly agricultural character. The only part more forested is the southeast, in the area of the Bohemian Karst Protected Landscape Area.

Gallery

Praha od Horoměřic.jpg, View of Prague from the northwest Prague Troja1.jpg, View towards the Prague Valley Vrané nad Vltavou.jpg, Vrané nad Vltavou in the Vltava valley Makotrasy CZ 01.JPG, Agricultural landscape near Makotřasy Knoviz CZ from S116.jpg, Knovíz

References

External links

* {{Authority control Bohemia Landforms of the Czech Republic Plateaus of Europe