Editing Lombardy (section)

===Soils===
[[File:Passo Manina e Coca.JPG|thumbnail|[[Pizzo Coca]] is the highest peak in the [[Bergamasque Alps|Orobic Alps]] ({{cvt|3050|m|ft}}).]]

The surface area of Lombardy is divided almost equally between the plains (which represent approximately 47% of the territory) and the mountainous areas (which represent 41%). The remaining 12% of the region is hilly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalgeografia.com/italia/lombardia.htm|title=Globalgeografia|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref>

The [[orography]] of Lombardy is characterised by three distinct belts; a northern mountainous belt constituted by the Alpine relief, a central piedmont area of mostly alluvial pebbly soils, and the Lombard section of the [[Padan Plain]] in the south of the region. The main valleys are [[Val Camonica]], [[Val Trompia]], [[Valle Sabbia]], [[Valtellina]], [[Val Seriana]], [[Val Brembana]], [[Valsassina]], and [[Valassina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/DettaglioRedazionale/scopri-la-lombardia/territorio-e-popolazione/territorio+e+popolazione|title=Territorio e popolazione|access-date=4 November 2020|language=it}}</ref>

The most important mountainous area is the [[Alps|Alpine]] zone, which includes the [[Lepontine Alps|Lepontine]] and [[Rhaetian Alps]] ({{cvt|4020|m|ft}}), which derive their name, respectively, from the [[Rhaetian people|Raeti]], a population of [[Etruscans|Etruscan]] origin who took refuge in the Central Alps during the Celtic invasion of the Italian peninsula, and from the [[Ligures|Ligurian]] population of the [[Lepontii]], who were settled in this area and then subjugated by the Roman emperor [[Augustus]],<ref name=".montagnadilombardia">{{cite web|url=http://www.montagnadilombardia.com/alpi.html|title=Origine del nome delle Alpi lombarde|access-date=30 March 2013|language=it}}</ref> the [[Bergamasque Alps|Orobic Alps]] ({{cvt|3050|m|ft}}) which derive their name from the [[Orobii]], population of Ligurian or perhaps Celtic origin,<ref name=".montagnadilombardia"/> the [[Ortler Alps]] and the [[Adamello]] massif. It is followed by the Alpine foothills zone [[Prealps]], which are followed by hills that smooth the transition from the mountain to the [[Po Valley]], the main peaks of which are the [[Grigna]] Group ({{cvt|2410|m|ft}}), [[Resegone]] {{cvt|1875|m|ft}}, and [[Presolana]] ({{cvt|2521|m|ft}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lombardy Mountains |url=https://peakvisor.com/adm/lombardy.html |access-date=19 June 2022|website=PeakVisor}}</ref>

The plains of Lombardy, which are formed by alluvial deposits, can be divided into the ''Alta''—an upper, permeable ground zone in the north—and the ''Bassa'', a lower zone dotted by the line of ''fontanili'', where spring waters rise from impermeable ground. Inconsistent with the three distinctions above is the small sub-region of [[Oltrepò Pavese]], which is formed by the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennine]] foothills beyond the [[Po (river)|Po]], <ref name="oltresentieri">{{Cite web |title=Oltrepò Pavese, Geologia |url=http://www.oltresentieri.com/Cultura/DaVedere/OltrepoPaveseGeologia.html |access-date=31 January 2024|language=it}}</ref> and [[Lomellina]], an area particularly renowned for its [[rice paddies]].