page_title: Aralar Range
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Aralar Range / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: View to the SW from Ganbo Txiki in Aralar, with Aratz and the whole Aizkorri mountain range in the background
context_page_description: The Aralar Range is a mountain range in the Basque Mountains of Southern Basque Country. The part of the range lying in Gipuzkoa was established as a conservation area called Aralar Natural Park in 1994. In addition to its natural features, scenic beauty, recreational use and habitation, the range is home to a rich corpus of Basque mythology milestones and legends.
context_section_description: The range is mountainous with large limestone massifs (formations resulting from movement of the earth's crust into faults and flexures). This is typical of the Basque region. The range has a karstic lithological appearance, i.e. parts of the calcareous (calcium carbonate, limestone) rock outcrops have been dissolved away in water. Left behind are limestone pavements—areas where the limestone has formed etched, pitted or fluted rock pinnacles and ridges between which are deep grooves, sinkholes or dolinas, caves, underground rivers, and gullies. An example, now open to the public, is the cavern of Mendukillo in the village of Astitz. This cracked, permeable geologic milieu has provided the perfect grounds for a wide range of mythological accounts and characters.
caption: Alotza meadows and Aizkorri in the background
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