Apples, Vaud - Geography

Geography

Apples is located at 630 m (2,070 ft) above mean sea level (ASML), 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of the city of Morges. The scattered villages of Apples span a knoll on the edge of a plateau, located at the foot of the Jura Mountains. This is in Swiss Plateau, an area full of impressive views looking out over the Morges River valley.

The municipality contains a section in its eastern edge of the French Plateau. The eastern part of the municipality is located in the drainage basin of the Morges Creek and the Le Curbit creek. In the western section of the municipality, which is larger by far, there is a glacial landscape of molasse hills with extensive woods and moor-like depressions. Several forests are a part of this western section: Les Bougeries (up to 704 m (2,310 ft) AMSL in the southwest), Bois de Saint-Pierre (up to 684 m (2,244 ft) AMSL in the north), and Bois de Savoye and Bois de Fermens in the northwest. The highest point in Apples is in the forest La Chaux-Derrière at a height of 708 m (2,323 ft) AMSL. On its western border, the municipality reaches the edge of a former river valley, Grand Marais, which once served as a channel for glacial melt waters from the Rhône Glacier. This valley is drained by the Veyron River to the northeast.

Two new isolated developments, En Lèvremont (600 m (2,000 ft) AMSL) and La Motte (615 m (2,018 ft) AMSL), are also a part of Apples. They are located on the gentle slopes of the Morges Valley. The municipalities that border Apples are Ballens, Mollens, Pampigny, Sévery, Colombier, Clarmont, Reverolle, Bussy-Chardonney und Yens.

Apples has an area, as of 2009, of 12.93 square kilometers (4.99 sq mi). Of this area, 5.97 km2 (2.31 sq mi) or 46.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6.18 km2 (2.39 sq mi) or 47.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.82 km2 (0.32 sq mi) or 6.3% is settled (buildings or roads).

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 43.5% is used for growing crops and 2.3% is pastures.

The municipality was part of the Aubonne District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Apples became part of the new district of Morges.