geographic region of France, constituting the lowland area around Paris. Geologically it is the centre of a structural depression that extends between the ancient Armoricain Massif (west), the Massif Central (south), and the Vosges, Ardennes, and Rhineland (east). The area, which forms the heartland of France, is drained largely by the Seine River and its major tributaries converging on Paris. The natural vegetation of the basin has been almost entirely lost to civilization, except for a few relict forests.