The Jura Mountains are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border.
The east of the range separates the Rhine and Rhône basins. The west solely relates to the Rhône, however on the north side drains via the river Doubs which is a sub-tributary of the Rhône, flowing about 100 kilometres east and later requiring the valley of the Saône, south to the French city of Lyon where both parts of the river system unite.
The name "Jura" is derived from juria, a Latinized form of a Celtic stem jor- "forest".
The mountain range gives its name to the French department of Jura, the Swiss Canton of Jura, the Jurassic period of the geologic timescale, and the Montes Jura of the Moon.