in the Vltava valley The territory of the district forms a half-moon surrounding Prague from the west. The elongated shape of the territory thus extends into different types of landscapes, in the north rather flat, in the south more rugged and hilly. It extends into five geomorphological mesoregions:
Prague Plateau (north and east),
Křivoklát Highlands (a small part in the west),
Hořovice Uplands (an elongated part around the Berounka River),
Brdy Highlands (elongated part south of the Berounka) and
Benešov Uplands (south). The highest point of the district is the hill Lípový vrch in
Libeř with an elevation of , the lowest point is the river bed of the Vltava in
Libčice nad Vltavou at . From the total district area of ,
agricultural land occupies , forests occupy , and water area occupies . Forests cover 27.5% of the district's area. The most important rivers are the
Vltava and
Berounka, both flowing through the southern part of the district and heading to their confluence on the territory of Prague. The Vltava also briefly forms the district border in the north, after it leaves Prague. In the eastern part of the district, the
Sázava flows into the Vltava. The territory is rather poor in bodies of water, but there are three large reservoirs on the Vltava:
Slapy (partly),
Štěchovice and
Vrané.
Bohemian Karst is the only
protected landscape area that extends into the district, in its central part. ==Demographics==