Swabian Jura

(also Swabian Alps), a cuesta in the southern part of the Federal Republic of Germany, extending southwest from the Franconian Jura. The Swabian Jura is approximately 200 km long and rises to an elevation of 1,015 m at Mount Lemberg. It is composed primarily of Jurassic limestones. At its higher elevations, the Swabian Jura forms a karst plateau; the northwestern slope is steep, and the southeastern slope is gentle. The Swabian Jura is dissected by tributaries of the Neckar and Danube rivers. In addition to coniferous, beech, and oak forests, there are meadows, shrubs, and wasteland.