Podole Upland

an upland in the southwestern Ukrainian SSR, on the left bank of the Dnestr River. The Podol’e Upland extends from northwest to southeast and is composed mainly of limestones, marls, sandstones, and shales. The eastern section consists of granites and gneisses, covered with loess and loesslike loams. The combination of extensive flat interfluves and deep canyon-like valleys is typical of the relief. Elevations decrease from northwest to southeast, from 380–320 m to 220–130 m. The highest point is 471 m at Mount Kamula. The northern edge of the upland is hilly as a result of intense erosional action (Gologory, Voroniaki, and Kremenets Hills, with elevations of 400 m and greater). The section bordering on the Dnestr is a terrace-like plain formed by the extensive terraces of the river. In the western section, the Toltry (Medobory) extend from northwest to southeast.

Much of the Podol’e Upland is under cultivation. There are oak forests, with a mixture of hornbeam and linden, and meadow steppes. The northern regions have small beech forests; the southern part consists of grassy steppes of sheep’s fescue and feathergrass.