Sierra Nevada ( Spain ) - wikipedia Sierra Nevada ( Spain ) For other uses, see Sierra Nevada ( disambiguation ). Sierra Nevada View of the Sierra Nevada Highest point Peak Mulhacén Elevation 3,479 m ( 11,414 ft ) Coordinates 37 ° 03 ′ N 03 ° 18 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 37.050 ° N 3.300 ° W ﻿ / 37.050 ; - 3.300 Coordinates : 37 ° 03 ′ N 03 ° 18 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 37.050 ° N 3.300 ° W ﻿ / 37.050 ; - 3.300 Geography Sierra Nevada Location in Spain Location Provinces of Granada, Almería and Málaga Country Spain State / Province Andalucia Parent range Penibaetic System Geology Age of rock Tertiary Mountain type Alpine Sierra Nevada ( meaning `` mountain range covered in snow '' in Spanish ) is a mountain range in the region of Andalucia, in the province of Granada and, a little further, Málaga and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain the third highest in Europe, after the Caucasus Mountains and the Alps, Mulhacén at 3,479 metres ( 11,414 ft ) above sea level. It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in one of Europe 's most southerly ski resorts, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea predominantly known for its warm temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills is found the city of Granada and, a little further, Almería and Málaga. Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park. The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve. The Sierra Nevada Observatory and the IRAM radiotelescope are located on the northern slopes at an elevation of 2,800 metres ( 9,200 ft ). Contents 1 Formation 2 Geography 2.1 Highest peaks 2.2 Climate 3 Sport 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 7.1 Bibliography 7.2 Further reading 8 External links Formation The Sierra Nevada was formed during the Alpine Orogeny, a mountain - building event that also formed the European Alps to the east and the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Sierra as observed today formed during the Paleogene and Neogene Periods ( 66 to 1.8 million years ago ) from the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates. Geography Sierra Nevada from Alquería de Fargue near Granada Central to the mountain range is a ridge running broadly west - south - west - east - north - east. For a substantial distance, the watershed stays consistently above 3,000 metres ( 9,800 ft ). On the southern side of the range, several long, ( but ) narrow river valleys lead off towards the south - west, separated by a number of subsidiary ridges. On the steeper and craggier northern side, the valleys have less regular orientations. This side is dominated by the Rio Genil which starts near Mulhacén and into which many of the other rivers flow. Highest peaks Highest peaks of Sierra Nevada Peak ( > 3,000 m ) Height ( m ) Mulhacén 3,479 Veleta 3,398 Alcazaba 3,371 Cerro los Machos 3,324 Puntal de Siete Lagunas 3,248 Puntal de la Caldera 3,226 Pico de Elorrieta 3,206 Crestones Río Seco 3,198 Loma Pelada 3,187 Cerro Pelado 3,179 Tajos de la Virgen 3,160 Tosal del Cartujo 3,152 Pico de La Atalaya 3,148 Puntal de Vacares 3,143 Cerro Rasero 3,139 Tajos del Nevero 3,120 Raspones Río Seco 3,120 Tajos Altos 3,111 Picón de Jeres 3,090 Tajo de los Machos 3,088 Cerrillo Redondo 3,058 Juego de Bolos 3,018 Pico del Caballo 3,013 Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, Sierra Nevada has a mediterranean to subarctic climate ( Dsc ), due to the location 's high elevation and low summer precipitation. With June and September being around the threshold of 10 ° C ( 50 ° F ) in mean temperature to avoid the subarctic classification, the climate at a slightly lower elevation is continental highland climate. At an elevation slightly lower than that classification area ; where February means average above − 3 ° C ( 27 ° F ) ; it falls into the normal cool - summer mediterranean classification transitioning with the hot - summer variety in surrounding lowland areas. This renders Sierra Nevada 's climate a highland cooled - down variety of a typical mediterranean climate. Summer and winter daytime temperatures are some 12 ° C cooler than found in Granada, differences that are even greater in spring as Sierra Nevada takes longer to approach the short summers. In May daytime highs in Sierra Nevada are around 4 ° C ( 39 ° F ) with Granada having an average of 24 ° C ( 75 ° F ). The yearly temperature of 3.9 ° C ( 39.0 ° F ) is in stark contrast to Granada 's 15.7 ° C ( 60.3 ° F ) and coastal Málaga 's 18.5 ° C ( 65.3 ° F ). hide Climate data for Pradollano ( 1975 - 1989 ) ; 2,507 asl. Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high ° C ( ° F ) 0.3 ( 32.5 ) − 0.9 ( 30.4 ) 0.6 ( 33.1 ) 3.2 ( 37.8 ) 4.6 ( 40.3 ) 14.9 ( 58.8 ) 21.6 ( 70.9 ) 19.8 ( 67.6 ) 14.2 ( 57.6 ) 10.4 ( 50.7 ) 3.5 ( 38.3 ) 2.6 ( 36.7 ) 7.8 ( 46 ) Daily mean ° C ( ° F ) − 2.9 ( 26.8 ) − 4.4 ( 24.1 ) − 3.4 ( 25.9 ) − 0.6 ( 30.9 ) 0.9 ( 33.6 ) 9.9 ( 49.8 ) 16.6 ( 61.9 ) 15.2 ( 59.4 ) 9.9 ( 49.8 ) 6.3 ( 43.3 ) 0.1 ( 32.2 ) − 0.7 ( 30.7 ) 3.9 ( 39 ) Average low ° C ( ° F ) − 6.1 ( 21 ) − 7.9 ( 17.8 ) − 7.5 ( 18.5 ) − 4.3 ( 24.3 ) − 2.9 ( 26.8 ) 5.6 ( 42.1 ) 11.9 ( 53.4 ) 10.6 ( 51.1 ) 5.7 ( 42.3 ) 2.2 ( 36 ) − 3.3 ( 26.1 ) − 4.0 ( 24.8 ) 0.0 ( 32 ) Average precipitation mm ( inches ) 86.7 ( 3.413 ) 91.2 ( 3.591 ) 78.8 ( 3.102 ) 53.8 ( 2.118 ) 53.6 ( 2.11 ) 29.7 ( 1.169 ) 6.1 ( 0.24 ) 11.7 ( 0.461 ) 33.7 ( 1.327 ) 69.0 ( 2.717 ) 85.2 ( 3.354 ) 93.1 ( 3.665 ) 692.0 ( 27.244 ) Source : Phytosociological Research Center Sport Sierra Nevada Ski Station Gallery Sierra Nevada - view from Granada city Alcazaba mountain Landscape south of Pitres Stone bridge over Rio Poqueira, Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada Ski Station See also Alpujarras Baetic System Sierra Nevada National Park Notes Jump up ^ The Canary Islands and Greenland, which are politically attached to Europe, but which are geographically part of Africa and North America respectively, have higher peaks. References Jump up ^ `` Standard climate values for Granada ''. Aemet.es. Retrieved 5 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Standard climate values for Málaga ''. Aemet.es. Retrieved 5 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Datos climátológicos de Sierra Nevada '' ( in Spanish ). Phytosociological Research Center. Bibliography Francisco Pérez Raya, Joaquín Molero Mesa, Francisco Valle Tendero, 1992 : `` Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada. Paisaje, fauna, flora, itinerarios ''. Ed. Rueda. Madrid. ISBN 84 - 7207 - 067 - 0 ( Spanish ) `` Flora de la Tundra de Sierra Nevada ''. Pablo Prieto Fernández, Ed. Universidad de Granada. ISBN 84 - 600 - 1810 - 5 ( Spanish ) `` Sierra Nevada : Guía de Montaña ''. Aurelio del Castillo y Antonio del Castillo. Ed. Penibética, 2003. ISBN 84 - 932022 - 3 - 1 ( Spanish ) Further reading `` Sierra Nevada, Spain ''. NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved 2006 - 04 - 28. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sierra Nevada ( Spain ). Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Sierra Nevada ( Spain ). Google Maps - Satellite Photo ( in Spanish ) Sierra Nevada Ski Resort - official site Sierra Nevada ski resort - trail map Maps of the Sierra Nevada nevasport.com - XVII sport week - Old Pictures ( in Spanish ) Natural Park Sierra Nevada ( in Spanish ) Sulayr Ski resorts in Spain Alp 2500 ( La Molina and Masella ) Alto Campoo Astún Baqueira - Beret Boí Taüll Resort Candanchú Cerler Formigal Gran Pallars ( Espot Esquí, Port Ainé and Tavascán ) Fuentes de Invierno Javalambre La Covatilla La Pinilla Leitariegos Llanos del Hospital Lles Manzaneda Navacerrada Navafria Panticosa - Los Lagos Port del Comte Roncalia San Isidro Sierra Nevada Valdelinares Valdesquí Valdezcaray Valgrande - Pajares Vall de Núria Vallter 2000 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sierra_Nevada_(Spain)&oldid=847155375 '' Categories : Mountain ranges of Andalusia Sierra Nevada ( Spain ) Geography of the Province of Granada Geography of the Province of Almería Penibaetic System Biosphere reserves of Spain Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Coordinates on Wikidata Articles with Spanish - language external links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 34 more Edit links This page was last edited on 23 June 2018, at 08 : 51 ( UTC ). 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Question: how high are the sierra nevada mountains in spain
Answer: 3,479 metres (11,414 ft) above sea level