[3] It is derived from Hügel, a low hill or hillock and appears frequently as a proper name for this type of terrain.
When the gently rolling hills of a Hügelland are suitable for agriculture, their small-scale nature is further reinforced, which may result in a colourful succession of mixed forest and open areas with pastures, meadows, arable crops and orchards, divided by hedgerows along the tracks, lanes and embankments.
An example of Hügelland outside Europe is Rwanda in Africa, whose character is expressed by its French name of Pays de Mille Collines ("Land of a Thousand Hills").
[7][8] In Sweden the term undulating hilly land (Swedish: bergkullterräng) is used since Sten Rudberg coined the concept in 1960.
[9] In the Swedish context this means hilly areas made up of crystalline rocks of the Baltic Shield that are often contrasted with joint valley landscapes, the Sub-Cambrian peneplain and plains with residual hills.