The Nice Prealps (French: Préalpes de Nice, Italian: Prealpi di Nizza) are a massif in the southern part of the French Prealps located mainly in the south-east of the French department of Alpes-Maritimes and, for a very small part, in the Italian region of Liguria between the Roya river and the Franco-Italian border.

Nice Prealps
The massif is at the southeastern corner of France, besides the Ligurian Alps
Highest point
Elevation2,080 m (6,820 ft)
Parent peakPointe des Trois Communes
Coordinates44°10′27″N 7°41′02″E / 44.1742°N 7.6838°E / 44.1742; 7.6838
Naming
Native namePréalpes de Nice (French)
Geography
Countries
Region(s)Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Liguria
Parent rangeMaritime Alps

Geography

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Location

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The massif extends to the Mediterranean Sea between the Castellane Prealps (west of the Var), the Mercantour-Argentera massif (south of the Planquette and Cayros rivers) and the Ligurian Alps (west of Roya).

Between Nice and Ventimiglia, it mostly overlooks the eastern part of the Côte d'Azur via escarpments linked to a collapse fault.

Main summits

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  • Pointe des Trois Communes (2,080 m)
  • Mille Fourches (2,042 m)
  • Authion (1,889 m)
  • Mont Ventabren (1,976 m)
  • Mangiabo (1,821 m)
  • Cime de la Calmette (1,786 m)
  • Cime de Peïra-Cava (1,581 m)
  • Cime des Vallières (1,580 m)
  • Arbouin (1,572 m)
  • Cime de Suorcas (1,516 m)
  • Cime de Rocca Sièra (1,501 m)
  • Cime du Simon, (1,490 m)
  • Pierre Plate (1,481 m)
  • Cime de Colle Basse (1,417 m)
  • Mont Férion (1,412 m)
  • Monte Grammondo (1,378 m)
  • Cime du Grand Braus (1,332 m)
  • Cime de Baudon (1,266 m)
  • Mont Agel (1,151 m)
  • Roc d’Orméa (1,132 m)

Geology

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These prealps are made up of clayey limestone (molasse).[1]

References

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  1. ^ Guebhard, Adrien (1906). Les Préalpes Maritimes (in French). Société géologique de France. p. 769.