Editing Alpes-Maritimes (section)

=== Overview ===
The Alpes-Maritimes department is surrounded by the departments of [[Var (department)|Var]] in the southwest, [[Alpes-de-Haute-Provence]] in the northwest; [[Italy]] to the north and east; and the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the south. It surrounds the [[Monaco|Principality of Monaco]] on the west, north and east.

[[File:Alpes-Maritimes-06w.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Geography of Alpes-Maritimes]]
Its topography is very mixed. As its name suggests, most of the department is a constituent part of the overall topographic Alps – including the [[Maritime Alps]] – but it also has the distinction of being a coastal district with its Mediterranean coast. The coastal area, urbanized and densely populated (shaded in red on the map), includes all the cities in an almost continuous conurbation from [[Cannes]] to [[Menton]], while the larger but sparsely populated mountainous area (light green) is fully rural with the exception of the three large resorts of [[Valberg (ski resort)|Valberg]] (created in 1936), [[Auron (ski resort)|Auron]] (created in 1937) and [[Isola 2000]] (created in 1971).

==== Summits and passes ====
The highest point of the department is the [[Cime du Gélas]] ({{convert|3143|m|disp=comma}}) on the Franco-Italian border which dominates the [[Vallée des Merveilles]] further east. The summit of [[Monte Argentera]] is higher at {{convert|3297|m}} above sea level, but it is located in Italy. There is also [[Mount Mounier]] ({{convert|2817|m|disp=comma}}), which dominates the south of the vast [[Dôme de Barrot]], formed of a mass more than {{convert|900|m}} thick of red mudstones deeply indented by the gorges of [[Daluis]] and [[Cians]]. Except in winter, four passes allow passage to the north of the [[Massif du Mercantour-Argentera|Mercantour-Argentera massif]] whose imposing {{convert|62|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} barrier is covered in winter snow which is visible from the coast. From the west, the [[Route des Grandes Alpes]] enters the [[Cayolle Pass]] ({{convert|2326|m|disp=comma}}) first on the way to the Alps and the sources of the [[Var (river)|Var]] in the commune of [[Entraunes]]. Then the route follows the [[Col de la Bonette]] – the highest pass in Europe at {{convert|2715|m}} – to connect to the valley of the [[Tinée]] then the Ubaye. Further east, the [[Col de la Lombarde]] ({{convert|2350|m|disp=comma}}) above [[Isola 2000]] allows access to the shrine of Saint-Anne de [[Vinadio]] in Italy. Finally, at its eastern end, the [[Col de Tende]] ({{convert|1871|m|disp=comma}}) links with [[Cuneo]] in Italy.

==== Landscape and forest vegetation ====
The only region of the Alps close to Nice has an afforestation rate of 60.9%, slightly higher than the average of the department and well above the average of 39.4% for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://inventaire-forestier.ign.fr/IMG/pdf/PubDep/06-alpes-maritimes/ifn_06_3_alpes_maritimes_2002.pdf |title=Inventaire forestier départemental Alpes-Maritimes: IIIe inventaire 2002 |trans-title=Forest Inventory for the department of Alpes-Maritimes: Third Inventory 2002 |language=fr |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture (France)|Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Rural Affairs]] of France |date=2004}}</ref>

The rivers in alphabetical order are:
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
* [[Aigue Blanche]]
* [[Barlatte]]
* [[Bassera]]
* [[Bendola]]
* [[Bévéra]]
* [[Borrigo]]
* [[Bourdous]]
* Bouyon
* [[Brague]]
* Braisse
* Braus
* [[Cagne]]
* Caramagne
* [[Carei (river)|Carei]]
* Castérine
* [[Chalvagne]]
* [[Cians]]
* [[Cianavelle]]
* Clans
* Coulomb
* [[Estéron]]
* Faye
* [[Fontanalba]]
* Gorbio
* [[Gordolasque]]
* [[Guercha]]
* [[Lévensa]] or Levenza
* [[Loup (river)|Loup]]
* [[Lubiane]]
* [[Maglia (river)|Maglia]]
* [[Magnan (river)|Magnan]]
* [[Malvan (river)|Malvan]]
* [[Mayola]]
* [[Minière]]
* Nieya
* Oglione
* [[Paillon]] (les Paillons)
* [[Raton (river)|Raton]]
* [[Réfréi]]
* Riou
* [[Rioulan]]
* [[Roudoule]]
* [[Roya (river)|Roya]]
* [[Siagne]]
* [[Tinée]]
* Tuébi
* [[Valmasque]]
* [[Var (river)|Var]]
* [[Vésubie]]
* [[Vionène]]
{{div col end}}