The range's topography is skewed from north to south: the northern slopes drop very abruptly down to the Volga River, while to the south the hills descend much more gently, forming a wide plateau dissected by a labyrinth of narrow valleys and gullies. The western part of Zhiguli is separated from the main plateau by the broad inlet of the Usa river. The central, highest part of the Zhiguli is an almost flat plateau, which also forms the highest point in the entire central zone of European Russia.