II.

Physical Geography

Bavaria is the largest state in Germany. It is drained by the River Main in the north-west and by the Danube, which transects the state from west to east, as well as by two of its tributaries, the Inn and the Iser, in the southern and central regions. To the north of the Danube the region is characterized by rolling upland. To the north-west the Spessart Hills rise above the Lower Main valley, to form, together with the Rhön Highlands to the north-east, a natural border with the neighbouring state of Hesse. To the east, along the border with the Czech Republic, are the Bavarian Low Mountains and the Bavarian Forest National Park, which was opened in 1970, enlarged in 1997, and covers an area of 24,250 hectares (59,922 acres). To the south of the Danube, stretching as far as the Bavarian Alps, are the Alps fore-mountains, bordering on Lake Constance to the west and to the east on the confluence of the rivers Salzbach and Inn. The Upper Bavarian Lake Plateau includes the Stirmberger Lake (57 sq km/22 sq mi), Chiemsee Lake (78 sq km/30 sq mi), and Ammersee Lake (47 sq km/18 sq mi). Further south are the Bavarian Alps. The Zugspitze, at 2,962 m (9,718 ft), is the highest mountain peak in Germany. To the west are the Allgäuer Alps, to the east the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Berchtesgaden National Park, founded in 1978 and covering some 20,808 hectares (51,417 acres).

Apart from the Bavarian Forest National Park and the Berchtesgaden National Park, there are two biosphere reserves also located in the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden. In addition, there are 15 nature parks located in Bavaria.