page_title: Serra da Estrela Natural Park
section_title: Human occupation
hierarchical_section_title: Serra da Estrela Natural Park / Human occupation
caption_attribution_description: English: The highest point in continental Portugal: the Torre (tower) in Serra da Estrela ('Estrela Mountains')
context_page_description: Serra da Estrela Natural Park is situated in the largest mountain range in Portugal - the Serra da Estrela, and is the source of the rivers Mondego, Zêzere, and Alva. The park is the largest natural conservation area in Portugal and occupies about 1,000 km². More than half of its area is located above an altitude of 700 m. At 1,993 m it contains the highest peak in Continental Portugal and a ski resort.
  During the Quaternary period, the entre region was subjected to the action of ice and once this disappeared visible marks were left on the landscape. Valleys in the shape of horseshoes, ravines, polished rocks and lakes of glacial origin are just some of the formations that demonstrate the importance of the ice and snow in modelling the mountains.
context_section_description: The villages in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park area are mainly at the bottom of the mountains and date back to medieval times. However, before this other cultures left their mark on this area. One of the most notable examples of the Roman presence are the remains at Famalicão and Folgosinho, of the road that connected Mérida to Braga. The route by which it crosses the mountain would certainly have caused difficulties in construction. The Arab influence is seen in the irrigation system and the fruit orchards while the Visigothic culture organized all rural space by applying the Visigoth Code.
caption: Torre, the highest place of this park
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