Garonne Lowland

(Aquitaine Lowland), a low-lying plain in southwestern France on the middle and lower reaches of the Garonne River between the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, and the Bay of Biscay. It is located on the site of a tectonic sag in the foothills and is made up primarily of crumbled deposits of Cenozoic material. The lowland gradually rises from the Bay of Biscay eastward and from north to south (up to 200-300 m). It is characterized by wide river valleys (the Garonne with its tributaries and the tributaries of the Adour River) alternating with flat, interfluvial areas which are hilly in places. Along the Bay of Biscay there is a sandy, marshy lowland—Les Landes—with a large number of lakes. There are tracts of broad-leaved forests, planted pine forests, and shrubs. Tobacco and grain crops are raised, and there are fruit orchards and vineyards.