The Alpes-Maritimes department is a synthesis of the landscapes of the ending alpine arc and the more or less steep shores of the Mediterranean. A land of contrasts, it has both beaches and numerous peaks that exceed 3,280 ft (1,000 m) in altitude and allows visitors to gaze in one look at both the summits of the Mercantour and the Riviera. Hikers can walk its capes or head out into the hinterland to the ledges and limestone bastions on which the villages of the ancient County of Nice sit.