Lower Rhine Plain
Encyclopedia
The Lower Rhine Plain is one of the natural regions of Germany
Natural regions of Germany
This division of Germany into major natural regions takes account primarily of geomorphological, geological, hydrological and pedological criteria in order to divide the country into large, physical units with a common geographical basis...

 and lies on either side of the River Rhine north of the city of Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

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Geography

The Lower Rhine Plain is bordered in the south by the Cologne Lowland, in the southeast by the Bergisches Land
Bergisches Land
The Bergisches Land is a low mountain range region within the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, east of Rhine river, south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by woods, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over 20 artificial lakes...

, to the east and northeast by the Westphalian Basin and in the west by the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

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The Lower Rhine Plain is an extensively terraced landscape. The otherwise level terraces are interrupted by various features like the V-shaped valleys, flood plains, old river courses or the terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....

 ridges of the Lower Rhine Heights. The height of the terrain is under 100m above NN almost everywhere.

Geology

The Lower Rhine Plain is the northern half of the geological structure known as the Lower Rhine Basin (Niederrheinische Bucht). Its geology was probably a result of deposition in the last 30 million years, which has given rise to sediments and layers of sedimentary rock in this plain up to 1,300 m thick.

Climate

Annual precipitation in the area is between 700 and 750mm and the average annual temperature is 9°C. The area benefits from a 'North Atlantic' climate with mild winters and a long growing season
Growing season
In botany, horticulture, and agriculture the growing season is the period of each year when native plants and ornamental plants grow; and when crops can be grown....

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