SWABIAN ALP

German Swbische Alb, continuation of the Jura Mountains in Baden-Wrttemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. The upland plateau extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) to the Wrnitz River at an average elevation of about 2,300 feet (700 m). The plateau rises in a steep northwestern scarp some 1,300 feet (400 m) above the valleys of the Neckar, Rems, and Fils rivers to its highest peak, the Lemberg (3,330 feet ), but slopes gradually toward the Danube River valley in the southeast. Composed of limestones, the range is characterized by karstic features such as sinkholes, caves, dry valleys, and underground watercourses. The region has a raw climate and poor upland soils and consequently is sparsely populated.