9. Physical Geographical of the West Hungarian Border Region

It is difficult to sum up the main characteristics of the West Hungarian Border Region, as it constitutes of meso-regions with quite different characters and origin: Palaeozoic mountain ridges of the Alps stretch into the basin and pebble sheets connected to them. The meso-scale description of the region gives detailed analyses on this variegated region. The foothills of the Alps, the pebble and gravel sheets of the Alpine streams, and the alluvial fan of the Rába River (Kemeneshát region) are well-distinguishable units with special characters. The affiliation of the Zala Hills located SW of the region is the topic of debates, as the main characteristics represent a shift between two macro-regions (i.e. West Hungarian Border Region and Transdanubian Hills). From the point of view of natural resources, the Zala Hills are the most important because of its natural oil fields. Nowadays, in the macro-region, the ecological values and the conflicts in connection with them are the most important: for example the water quality of the rivers and streams, or the factories producing hazardous waste are located on environmentally sensitive areas.