Identifier: europeoftoday00unst (find matches)
Title: Europe of to-day
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Unstead, J. F. (John Frederick), 1876-1965
Subjects: Physical geography
Publisher: New York, Moffat, Yard and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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t manufacturingindustries. The Paris Basin.—This, the largest of the naturaldivisions of France, is well named the Paris Basin, forit is lowland with Paris as its central point almost sur-rounded by higher country. Even the region betweenParis and the English Channel is rather higher than thatjust around the city, and the Seine cuts through it by asteep-sided valley. The ring of higher country is leastmarked in the south-west where the Gate of Poitou(marked A on the map in Fig. 7) leads into the GaronneBasin. Most of the northern part of the Paris-Basin is drainedby the Seine, but the tributaries of this river are nearlyall on its right side, and much of the region on its left sidedrains to the Loire ; hence the south-western part of theParis Basin is connected with the Loire rather than with WESTERN EUROPE 139 the Seine, and its outlet would seem to be to the AtlanticOcean rather than to the English Channel. NeverthelessParis^is the centre of the life of nearly all the Paris Basin,
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Emery V7alker Utd. sc. Restored region of Alsace-Lorraine is clottedCHSEE9 Coalfields • .- „ Boundaries of Natural Regionsm .,,,,, „,„o- Scarp slopes of chalk and limestone within the Paris Basin Political boundary of France Fig. 7.—Divisions and Coalfields of France. for roads and railroads radiate from it to all parts ; evenwater communication centres upon Paris, for the Seineis connected by canal with the Loire at Orleans, whilethe Loire itself is not much used for navigation. This is 140 EUROPE OF TO-DAY because the amount of water varies very greatly ; some-times it has not enough water to carry boats, and at othersit is flooded by rain-water which pours rapidly downfrom the high Central Plateau in which its chieftributaries rise. The flatter country of the Seine basingives a steadier flow to that river, and the structure ofthe rocks also causes a difference in the * run-off ofrain-water to the two streams. The Central Plateau is largely of hard rock into whichwater can

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