West from Bayonne to Sedan, France is relatively lowland, with altitudes mostly below 200 meters. The plains and plateaux of the Paris basin and the Aquitaine basin cover most of this area. Though there are no high mountains the landscapes are outstandingly varied, because they have been formed in different ways. Some coastal plains, such as those in Flanders raised
from the sea and rivers left sediments. The low plains of Beauce, Brie and Picardy were created by sedimentation mentation. There are also lush alluvial plains like those of the Seine and Loire rivers. The land rises around the rim of the Paris basin. To the north the Ardennes, an ancient Hercynian massif worn down; to the north-east is the Lorraine versant of Vosges; to the south the Mass Central; and to the west the massif Armoricain. The pattern is repeated around the Aquitaine basin. which is bordered by the Massif Central to the east and the Pyrenees to the south