The west of Westphalia covers the flat to slightly hilly plains of the "Westphalian Basin" between the Teutoburg Forest and the Dutch border. The centre is the Münsterland, the former Prince-Bishopric of Münster. It is characterised by an attractive, park-like landscape where farmland, meadows and pastures are bordered by Knicks (hedgerows) and interspersed with small areas of woodland. The farmsteads consist of large Low German hall houses and several outbuildings. They are located on their own or in Drubbeln (sparsely grouped Settlements) near a brook below the arable land. This land is called Esch and was mainly planted with rye. The inner Münsterland has medium good-quality clay soil (it is also called Kleimünsterland, clay Münsterland), whilst in the West Münsterland prevail sandy soils of poorer quality. To the south, the Münsterland is bordered by the highly fertile Hellweg region in the north-east Ruhr district.