Central Lithuanian Plain

Central Lithuanian Plain (Lithuanian: Vidurio Lietuvos žemuma) is a plain which runs through the central part of Lithuania, from the Latvian border to the north to the Russian (Kaliningrad Oblast) border to the south west. It separates Samogitian Upland in the west from Baltic Uplands in the south and east.

The plain is maximum 100 km width, its absolute altitude is 80-90 m in the central part, 50-60 in the northern part and 35-40 m in the southwestern part.

Central Lithuanian Plain consist from the following smaller geological regions - Mūša-Nemunėlis Plain, Semigallian Plain, Nevėžis Plain, Karšuva Plain and Užnemunė Plain. Also, Linkuva Ridge and Vilkija Ridge intersects the plain.

Relief is mostly plain, sometimes undulated. The soil is mostly limnoglacial clay with some bottom moraine loam.

Most of the plain falls to the Neman basin (with the Nevėžis, Šešupė, Mituva rivers), northern part falls to the Lielupe basin (the Mūša, Nemunėlis rivers).

Central Lithuanian Plain is mostly cultivated, although there are some larger forests (Kazlų Rūda forest, Pašiliai forest, Taujėnai forest, Žalioji wood, Karšuva wood, Lančiūnava-Šventybrastis forest). Birch, pine, spruce, ash, oak, black alder trees dominate in these forests. The main protected areas in Central Lithuanian Plain are Krekenava regional park, Biržai regional park, Panemuniai regional park.^[1]

Lithuanian cites Kaunas, Panevėžys, Marijampolė, Kėdainiai, Jonava, Joniškis, Šakiai are located in Central Lithuanian Plain.

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