Which mountains separate France and Spain? Science and Technology Which mountains separate France and Spain? The Pyrenees stretch for about 300 miles (500 km) from the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. This mountain range forms a natural boundary between France and Spain. The highest point is Pico d'Aneto at 3,404 metres. The Pyrenees mountain range | France zone at abelard.org le Tour de France 4: in the Pyrenées The Pyrénées mountain range separates two nations: France and Spain. You can go around the mountains at either end - from Bilbao and San Sebastien to Hendaye and Biarritz on the west, and from Barcelona to Perpignan on the east - and there are also passes, cols in French, to cross over the top of this spectacular range of ancient stone. The Pyrenees were formed by the land masses of France and Spain being pushed together and buckling over and under. [4] This range of mountains stretches for 267 miles, or 430 kilometres to make a natural border.

The mountains are etched by rivers, tumbling down the slopes, making deep valleys that partition the high ‘ribs’ extending from the massive ‘spine’ of this mountain range. Several of these valleys are labelled in the second map below that shows the Pyrenees National Park. These are Vallée d’Aspe - Aspe Valley, Vallée d’Ossau - Ossau Valley, Vallée d’Arrens - the Arrens Valley, Vallée de Cauterets - Cauterets Valley, Vallée de Luz - Luz Valley, Vallée d’Aure - Aure Valley. Until recent times, there were variations in culture between the valleys, because of little communications occuring over the mountain ‘ribs and ‘spine’. This is a common effect of mountains, where micro-environments tend to increase species variation, and forms barriers between nations and tribes. This page, and further supplementary pages under preparation, will look at the Pyrenees not yet discussed in other documents about the Pyrenean region . In general, abelard.org is starting from the west and progressing eastwards.

Pyrenees national park - parc national des Pyrénées Much of the Pyrenean heights of Hautes-Pyrénées [ Département 65] is a National Park, protected from construction and touristic over-use, with a peripheral area extending into the foothills. Here, even though you are unlikely to see the animals themselves, there are many signs of both supporters and opposers of the local larger fauna - bears and wolves. Unfortunately, just a few years ago, the last genetically indigeous Pyrenean female bear was shot by a local farmer. The male cub survived at the time. Now, brown bears from Slovenia are gradually being introduced. These have bred so there are now about 15 Slovenian brown bears in the central part of the Pyrenees, with four native bears in the Aspe valley. Wolves are said to kill sheep put out to summer pastures. However, our understanding is the shepherds no longer wtach daily, or nightly, over their flocks so there might be some sympathy for the wild, rather than the domesticated, animals.

There are also two national parks in the Spanish Pyrenees: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. The Pyrenees National Park is shared with many holiday resorts specialising in snow sports, particularly skiing and, now, snowboarding. The towns, like Cauterets, Gedre or Gavarnie, may be at the edge of the national park but the ski slopes are high in the National Park, accessed by cable cars, or buckets on a wire, as they are sometimes described! Gavarnie Gavarnie is a base for walking in high mountains, admiring the spectacular scenery, the jewel- like flowers, the soaring eagles. You might even see a marmoset guarding its burrow. The Cirque de Garvarnie is a two-hour walk from the village, or you can ride up on a mule. For more experienced walkers, the High Pyrenean Walking Route follows the heights, with refuges for overnight stops. Cirque de Gavarnie is a famous example of a cirque in the central Pyrenees, in the Pyrenees National Park.

The cirque is 800m wide (on the deepest point) and about 3000m wide at the top. It incorporates seventeen peaks that are over 3,000 metres, with the highest waterfall in Europe at 423 metres - the Gavarnie Falls. A major feature of the cirque is La Brèche de Roland (Roland’s Breach, also called the Roncevaux Pass), supposedly created by Roland, a nephew of Charlemagne. According to legend, Roland owned a sword reputed to be indestructable, that had previously belonged to Hector of Troy. To prevent the sword falling into the hands of the Sarasens, Roland attempted to destroy it by hacking at the rocks. He managed to cut a gap 40 metres wide and 100 metres high. Cauterets Like Gavarnie, Cauterets is walking territory during the warmer months, but during the colder parts of the year, Cauterets is a major skiing resort, for both cross-country and downhill skiing, with cable-cars up to the pistes running all through the day, and visible from town centre hotels.

As well as being a ski resort, Cauterest is also a spa town. The thermal springs contain sulphur and sodium silicate, being used to treat respiratory and skin diseases, as well as rheumatism and other complaints. A local speciality are the flavoured boiled sweets, berlingots [the name refers to the shape of the sweet]. These are made in several sweet shops in the town, and you can watch the stages in making striped boiled sweets - a quite extraordinary process. As well as being able to buy bags and boxes of mixtures that you’ve chosen, from at least one shop it is possible to order and have sweets sent to your home. Back to skiing - some ski slopes are monitored by webcams, so visitors can check the weather conditions before setting out to ski. disclaimer snow and other webcams There are a number of cameras filming both resort towns and the skiing pistes at several places in the Pyrénées. For example, there are five cameras showing the pistes above Cauterets and one of the town .

[You need to have Java installed in your web browser.] The cams repeat a half-minute recording, with the recording being updated roughly every half hour to hour during daylight hours (the camera for Cauterets town continues to operate after dark). the Pic du Midi de Bigorre In 1873, a weather station was set up on the Col de Sencours, below the Pic de Midi. The foundation stone for the Observatory was laid five years later. This Observatory, now listed natural site, has been opened to the public since 2000. Thus, it is visitable, providing you do not mind riding in “a bucket on a string” [a cable car]. The trip starts at 1 800 metres. Fifteen minutes later, you reach the Observatory at an altitude of 2,877 metres for a two-hour visit. Here are the most spectacular views across the snow-topped Pyrenees to the plains southern France and north to the Massif Central foothills. There is a museum and discovery area where you can understand the astronmical research being done with the three telescopes, including a solar telescope. There is also a restaurant, a snack bar and a gift shop.

Visitors should take both warm clothing and sun glasses, and take account of being almost 1.8 miles higher than sea level. See also Pic du Midi - observing space clearly for much more detail and many illustrations. in the foothills Lourdes The most prominent feature used to be the fortified castle which rises up from the centre of the town on a rocky escarpment. However, with the burgeoning Christian fervour and attraction of this town, there are now many religous edifices to compete for attention. Lourdes has the second greatest number of hotels in France after Paris with about 270 establishments. After alleged apparitions of “Our Lady of Lourdes” to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, Lourdes has developed into a major place of Christian pilgrimage. This year, 2008, is the 150th anniversary of her ‘visions’. Pau Pau is birthplace of Henry IV of France.

His mother was Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre, whose family titles included Navarre and Béarn as well as the countdom of Foix, and whose vast teritories included much of Les Landes and extended around Agen , to Périgord and to the viscomtdom of Limoges. Jeanne converted to Huguenot Protestantism in 1560, seven years after the birth of Henry. Henry of Navarre became the first Protestant to become king of France, after converting to Catholicism, supposedly with the comment, “Paris vaut bien une messe” - “Paris is well worth a mass”. English travellers came to Pau from the late 18th century, to enjoy its climate and healthy air, encouraged by Wellington, who had left a garrison at Pau on his way into Spain during the Peninsular War against Napoleon I. Holidaying British, who came even before the railroad was built, made their mark with the scenic Boulevard des Pyrenées, the first full 18-hole golf course in Europe (laid out in between 1856 to 1860, and still existing), and a real tennis court .

Napoleon III refurbished the château, and there are streets of Belle Époque architecture, built before Biarritz become the fashionable resort. Pau is a major winter sports centre, and equestrian events such as a famous steeplechase are held there. Pau’s prosperity is now based on helicopter manufacturer Turbomeca, as well as tourism and agriculture. The French fossil fuel company, Elf Aquitaine, is based at Pau. Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, known as the cathedral of the Pyrenees, is a glorious and beautiful little city with nigh on ten centuries of history. Buried in the Pyrenees mountain range, the city and the cathedral have a long history. The town is remarkably well-preserved, but now has shrunk to a population of about two hundred from the teeming thirty thousand of the early first millennium. on the plains Carcassonne The medieval walled city of Carcasonne In the departement of Aude is a complete, restored, fortified town that is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Later made notorious by being used a set in the Hollywood film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves , the fortified cité of Carcassonne fell into such disrepair that the French government decided that it should be demolished. A decree to that effect that was made official in 1849 caused an uproar. The antiquary and mayor of Carcassonne, Jean-Pierre Cros-Mayrevieille, and the writer Prosper Mérimée, the first inspector of ancient monuments, led a campaign to preserve the fortress as a historical monument. The architect Eugène Viollet Le-Duc was commissioned to renovate the place. However, his restoration was not of very authentic, using slates for the roof (as in northern France), with roof designs more suitable for snow, rater than the hot southern climate. Restoration started in 1853. The fortress was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. Andorra View over one of the wild west shopping towns in Andorra. Surrounded by both Spain and France is the independent country of Andorra (or Andorre), straddling part of the Pyrenees mountians.

As well as being a beautiful place to visit, with its high hills and valleys, Andorra is well-known for its low tax regimes, including not charging value added tax, unlike mebers of the European Community. The towns, particularly those near the frontiers, are populated by many, many duty free shops selling food, clothes and above all, electronic and photographic goods. Although there is little or no tax in Andorra, visitors might want to take account that there could well be import taxes when crossing the border to Spain or France. There, custom officers are very visible, keeping an eye on things, but it is not entirely clear what might be their reason for stopping a vehicle. Perhaps for, say, the French customs it might be a foreign (to France) car entering their country from Andorra. The customs nosies are looking for those they suspecting evading V.A.T. (valued added tax - TVA in France, TPI in Spain). end notes Département the above is the French way of spelling the word that Anglo-Saxons spell as department. Here at abelard.org, we use both spellings when describing the French administrative department, which is fairly equivalent to an American state or British county.

What is the name of the mountain range that separates France and Spain? - France - Europe Map Quiz | The Competition World What is the name of the mountain range that separates France and Spain? - France - Europe Map Quiz Que. What is the name of the mountain range that separates France and Spain? A. Pyrenees Mountain Range C. Jura Mountain Range D. Vosges Mountain Range Hint: It's a 21,380 sq mi (55,374 sq km) long mountain chain of SW Europe. It's a formidable barrier between the Iberian Peninsula and the European mainland. Here is the Answer ▼ A. Pyrenees Mountain Range Pyrenees Mountain Range is a 21,380 sq mi (55,374 sq km) long mountain chain of SW Europe. It's a formidable barrier between the Iberian Peninsula and the European mainland. Geography of Spain, Landforms - World Atlas Print this map Occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula's land area (approximately 85%), Spain is the third largest country in Europe and 45% is covered by the Meseta Plateau.

That plateau is rarely flat, and is in reality a mostly hilly highland area divided by the Cordillera Central (mountains), and then ringed by additional mountain ranges, north, east and south. In the west the Meseta slopes gently down into neighboring Portugal. Significant mountains in Spain include the limestone Cordillera Cantabrica and rugged Sistema Iberico (north); massive Pyrenees (northeast) where many peaks exceed 3,000 meters; the deeply eroded and rocky Sierra de Cuenca (east), and the lower Montes de Toledo and Serrania de Cuenca (south-central). In the far south the mountains of the Cordillera Betica and Sierra Nevada dominate the landscape. Mainland Spain's highest point (Mulhacen at 3,481 meters) stands in the Sierra Nevada. Significant lowlands include the fertile Andalusian Plain in the southwest, and the Ebro River Basin in the northeast. In addition, much of Spain is fronted by a low and narrow coastal plain, one that separates the mountains from the sea. Those deeply indented coastal areas include countless bays and coves, and most have sandy beaches.

In the far northwest, along the Bay of Biscay, rugged cliffs front the coastline. In the far south, the Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain and Europe from Morocco (Africa), and here, the two continents are only 13 km (8 miles) apart. The country is drained by an estimated 1,500 rivers (mostly small). The longest and most significant rivers include the Douro (Duero), Ebro, Jucar, Tagus (Tejo), Guadiana and Guadalquivir. Pyrenees | mountain range, Europe | Britannica.com mountain range, Europe Alternative Titles: Pireneus, Pirineos, Pyrénées Related Topics list of cities and towns in France Pyrenees, Spanish Pirineos, French Pyrénées, Catalan Pireneus, mountain chain of southwestern Europe that consists of flat-topped massifs and folded linear ranges. It stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The Pyrenees form a high wall between France and Spain that has played a significant role in the history of both countries and of Europe as a whole.

The range is some 270 miles (430 kilometres) long; it is barely six miles wide at its eastern end, but at its centre it reaches some 80 miles in width. At its western end it blends imperceptibly into the Cantabrian Mountains along the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Except in a few places, where Spanish territory juts northward or French southward, the crest of the chain marks the boundary between the two countries, though the tiny autonomous principality of Andorra lies among its peaks. The highest point is Aneto Peak , at 11,169 feet (3,404 metres), in the Maladeta (Spanish: “Accursed”) massif of the Central Pyrenees. Aneto Peak in the Pyrenees. Avh The Pyrenees long have been a formidable land barrier between Spain and Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe; as a consequence, these two countries traditionally have developed stronger associations with Africa than with the rest of Europe, and they have become tied to the sea.

From Carlit Peak (9,584 feet) near the eastern limit of the Pyrenees to the peaks of Orhy and Anie , a succession of mountains rise nearly 9,800 feet; at only a few places, all well to the west, can the chain be crossed through passes lower than 6,500 feet. In both the lower eastern and northwestern sectors, rivers dissect the landscape into numerous small basins. The range is flanked on both sides by broad depressions—the Aquitaine and Languedoc to the north and the Ebro to the south—both receiving waters from the major rivers flowing out of the mountains, the Garonne of France and the major tributaries of the Ebro of Spain. Physical features World War II Forms of life in the Pyrenees have some remarkable characteristics that cannot be explained merely by the influences of climate and soil. The historical vicissitudes of the chain and its isolation at the southwestern limit of the main European peninsula, far from the centres of dispersion and variation of the various species (including humans), have influenced the structure and character of its population.

In the northwest–southeast direction, the vegetation shows a marked and gradually decreasing oceanic influence; the contrary is the case with the Mediterranean influence from southeast to northwest. The exposure of the mountain surfaces and the conditions of local climate caused by mountain relief create special localized enclaves of all kinds. The most characteristic feature of the oceanic influence is the predominance of broad-leaved deciduous trees in the forests of the lower levels and the medium-height mountains, while the Mediterranean influence, represented by evergreen broad-leaved trees, not only is dominant in hot surroundings but also bears drought conditions better. The variety of altitudinal vegetation shows itself in levels. From the medium-height mountain upward, the broad-leaved woods at about 5,200 feet are replaced by needled conifers that require less water. The subalpine level, sometimes as low as 6,500 feet but usually above 7,800 feet, gives way to the more sparsely covered pastures of the alpine level. This altitudinal scheme pertains in the vegetation east of the Orhy and Anie peaks. The oceanic influence, however, with its greater rainfall gives the west of the chain a different pattern.

Broad-leaved deciduous beeches may be found as high as 5,850 feet, with some mix of the subalpine conifers, and there the high pastures are more resistant to damp and permanent snow. Overall the landscape is more like that of the high mountains of western Europe. The Mediterranean influence expands through the entire valley of the Ebro, but it acquires marked signs of a more variable continental climate in the Central Pyrenees. There, great quantities of mountain pines , which are more drought-resistant, take the place of deciduous trees in the higher, colder, and drier parts of the medium and higher levels of the southern slopes. Some groups among the fauna, such as the cave-dwelling animals and frogs and toads , represent a migratory wave that came from ancient Tyrrhenia—associated with Corsica and Sardinia—and displaced certain native European species, relegating them to the Cantabrian Mountains. The Pyrenean fauna is rich today in larger herbivores as well as in the variety and abundance of predators.

Some species, such as the wolf , lynx , and brown bear , have disappeared or had their numbers severely reduced in the northern Pyrenees, although the marmot has been successfully reintroduced. The southern Pyrenees, however, represent one of the last important reserves for wild European fauna driven out of sectors more heavily populated by humans. The present distribution and differentiation of large, warm-blooded animals is undoubtedly connected with the climate and the landscape, but the central-European origin of Pyrenean fauna is clear; for example, of the two species of desman (a semiaquatic member of the mole family), one inhabits the Pyrenees and the other southwestern Russia . Similar comments may be made as to the origin of all cold-blooded animals as well as of the vegetation. Basic differentiations exist among the latter. Pyrenean flora of tropical origin differentiated without any ancient European competition as the new chain replaced the old Hercynian; flora of Arctic origin, brought southward during relatively recent ice ages, are represented by two different branches of orophiles, or plants adapted to mountain life, from central Europe and from Siberia.

Other orophiles have long been differentiated, but they are of Mediterranean origin and are dominant in the drier, sunnier parts of the southern slopes. An Atlantic group of flora predominates in the Western Pyrenees. People and economy The Pyrenees are the home of a variety of peoples, including the Andorrans, Catalans , Béarnais, and Basques . Each speaks its own dialect or language , and each desires to maintain and even augment its own autonomy while at the same time acknowledging a general unity among Pyrenean peoples. Of these groups, only the Andorrans have anything approaching a sovereign state, and even then Andorra is an autonomous principality with close ties to both Spain and France. The Basques, perhaps the best-known Pyrenean people, speak a language that is non-Indo-European and have a long tradition of fiercely defending their autonomy. The people of the Pyrenees traditionally have depended on agriculture and livestock raising for their livelihood. The factors that influenced the development of Pyrenean flora also influenced traditional land usage, the kind of crops raised, and the farming system of each district.

Typical Mediterranean products such as wines, vegetables, and fruits predominate in the Eastern Pyrenees and at the foot of the chain’s southern slope, while in the Western and Central Pyrenees, with their abundant rainfall, potatoes, sweet corn, and forage crops are grown. Livestock breeding, the other essential element of the traditional economy, consists of a seasonal process of moving flocks of sheep and cows up and down the mountains and also using as well as possible the meadows of the valley bottoms and the pastures of the higher altitudes, depending on the snow cover. Frequently in winter, the livestock herds travel far from the Pyrenees, moving to the plains of the Ebro, near the Mediterranean Sea in Languedoc, or to the moors of Aquitaine. This traditional organization—in which the common exploitation of forest areas for timber also played a large part—has been disappearing slowly. Few young people have been willing to settle into the old ways. Gradually, the less fertile plots have been deserted, and the landscape has become dotted by patches of brooms and brackens and plantings of resinous trees.

Even local breeds of sheep or cows have been superseded by imported breeds, which perhaps are more profitable but are less adapted to the climate and the relief. Except for such areas as the Basque Country of Spain and the Roussillon region of France, the agriculture of the Pyrenees is in serious decline. The growing weakness of the Pyrenean agriculture has not been matched by growth in industry. Although the Pyrenees offer considerable hydroelectric potential, the mining of some resources, and an appreciable and diverse supply of wood , most of the mills ( steel and paper ) and factories ( textiles , chemicals, and shoes) established in the 19th and 20th centuries have faced the threat of closing. Except in the two extremities of the chain, most of the industries are far from any major transportation routes. Scarcely any railroads and no major highways traverse the region, although an express highway is slowly being built between Toulouse, Fr., and Barcelona, Spain. Financed by foreign capital and dependent on the aid of the Spanish and French governments, the remaining factories face an uncertain future.

Policies formulated in the 20th century by the two Pyrenean countries helped to both develop and protect the mountains, which have been transformed by a tremendous increase in tourism. Although a boon to the local economy, the crowds of people seeking winter sports, summer sojourns, hunting and fishing, and visits to the national parks of the Central Pyrenees have also contributed to the abandonment of traditional ways of life. Study and exploration For centuries a general lack of knowledge about the Pyrenees permitted repetition of the errors and misconceptions about the mountains that had been propounded by such authors of antiquity as Diodorus Siculus of Sicily and the Greek geographer-historian Strabo (both 1st century bc). In 1582 the first explorations were made, followed by botanical works from the academies at Montpellier-de-Médillan, Fr., and by other studies, including those of the 18th-century Swiss physicist, geologist, and explorer Horace Bénédict de Saussure . The earliest military map of the region dates from 1719, while early topographical studies were the bases of frontier treaties.

In the 19th century the first topographical and geologic maps were made of the mountains, the latter beginning a series of geologic interpretations and controversies among French and Spanish scientists. German studies added to the interpretive geology , but only in 1933 was the first study made that was based on modern research methods. Since World War II , scientists and scholars from universities, technical institutes, and national councils for research in France and Spain have thoroughly explored the Pyrenees and have produced a wealth of knowledge about the massif. Spain - External Boundaries and Landform Regions External Boundaries and Landform Regions Spain Table of Contents Most of Spain's boundary is water: the Mediterranean Sea on the south and east from Gibraltar to the French border; and the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and southwest--in the south as the Golfo de Cadiz and in the north as the Bay of Biscay. Spain also shares land boundaries with France and Andorra along the Pyrenees in the northeast, with Portugal on the west, and with the small British possession of Gibraltar at the southern tip.

Although the affiliation of Gibraltar continued to be a contentious issue between Spain and Britain in the late 1980s, there were no other disputes over land boundaries, and no other country claimed the insular provinces of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The majority of Spain's peninsular landmass consists of the Meseta Central, a highland plateau rimmed and dissected by mountain ranges. Other landforms include narrow coastal plains and some lowland river valleys, the most prominent of which is the Andalusian Plain in the southwest. The country can be divided into ten natural regions or subregions: the dominant Meseta Central, the Cordillera Cantabrica and the northwest region, the Iberico region, the Pyrenees, the Penibetico region in the southeast, the Andalusian Plain, the Ebro Basin, the coastal plains, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands. These are commonly grouped into four types: the Meseta Central and associated mountains, other mountainous regions, lowland regions, and islands.

The Meseta Central and Associated Mountains The Meseta Central, a vast plateau in the heart of peninsular Spain, has elevations that range from 610 to 760 meters. Rimmed by mountains, the Meseta Central slopes gently to the west and to the series of rivers that form some of the border with Portugal. The Sistema Central, described as the "dorsal spine" of the Meseta Central, divides the Meseta into northern and southern subregions, the former higher in elevation and smaller in area than the latter. The Sistema Central rims the capital city of Madrid with peaks that rise to 2,400 meters north of the city and to lower elevations south of it. West of Madrid, the Sistema Central shows its highest peak of almost 2,600 meters. The mountains of the Sistema Central, which continue westward into Portugal, display some glacial features; the highest of the peaks are snow-capped for most of the year. Despite their height, however, the mountain system does not create a major barrier between the northern and the southern portions of the Meseta Central because several passes permit road and railroad transportation to the northwest and the northeast.

The southern portion of the Meseta is further divided by twin mountain ranges, the Montes de Toledo running to the east and the Sierra de Guadalupe, to the west. Their peaks do not rise much higher than 1,500 meters. With many easy passes, including those that connect the Meseta with the Andalusian Plain, the Montes de Toledo and the Sierra de Guadalupe do not present an obstacle to transportation and communication. The two mountain ranges are separated from the Sistema Central to the north by the Tagus River. The mountain regions that rim the Meseta Central and are associated with it are the Sierra Morena, the Cordillera Cantabrica, and the Sistema Iberico. Forming the southern edge of the Meseta Central, the Sierra Morena merges in the east with the southern extension of the Sistema Iberico and reaches westward along the northern edge of the Rio Guadalquivir valley to join the mountains in southern Portugal. The massif of the Sierra Morena extends northward to the Rio Guadiana, which separates it from the Sistema Central. Despite their relatively low elevations, seldom surpassing 1,300 meters, the mountains of the Sierra Morena are rugged.

The Cordillera Cantabrica, a limestone formation, runs parallel to, and close to, the northern coast near the Bay of Biscay. Its highest points are the Picos de Europa, surpassing 2,500 meters. The Cordillera Cantabrica extends 182 kilometers and abruptly drops 1,500 meters some 30 kilometers from the coast. To the west lie the hills of the northwest region. The Sistema Iberico extends from the Cordillera Cantabrica southeastward and, close to the Mediterranean, spreads out from the Rio Ebro to the Rio Jucar. The barren, rugged slopes of this mountain range cover an area of close to 21,000 square kilometers. The mountains exceed 2,000 meters in their northern region and reach a maximum height of over 2,300 meters east of the headwaters of the Rio Duero. The extremely steep mountain slopes in this range are often cut by deep, narrow gorges. Other Mountainous Regions External to the Meseta Central lie the Pyrenees in the northeast and the Sistema Penibetico in the southeast.

The Pyrenees, extending from the eastern edge of the Cordillera Cantabrica to the Mediterranean Sea, form a solid barrier and a natural border between Spain and both France and Andorra that, throughout history, has effectively isolated the countries from each other. Passage is easy in the relatively low terrain at the eastern and western extremes of the mountain range; it is here that international railroads and roadways cross the border. In the central section of the Pyrenees, however, passage is difficult. In several places, peaks rise above 3,000 meters; the highest, Pico de Aneto, surpasses 3,400 meters. The Sistema Penibetico extends northeast from the southern tip of Spain, running parallel to the coast until it merges with the southern extension of the Sistema Iberico near the Rio Jucar and with the eastern extension of the Sierra Morena. The Sierra Nevada, part of the Sistema Penibetico south of Granada, includes the highest mountain on the peninsula, Mulhacen, which rises to 3,430 meters. Other peaks in the range also surpass 3,000 meters.

Lowland Regions The major lowland regions are the Andalusian Plain in the southwest, the Ebro Basin in the northeast, and the coastal plains. The Andalusian Plain is essentially a wide river valley through which the Rio Guadalquivir flows. The river broadens out along its course, reaching its widest point at the Golfo de Cadiz. The Andalusian Plain is bounded on the north by the Sierra Morena and on the south by the Sistema Penibetico; it narrows to an apex in the east where these two mountain chains meet. The Ebro Basin is formed by the Rio Ebro valley, contained by mountains on three sides--the Sistema Iberico to the south and west, the Pyrenees to the north and east, and their coastal extensions paralleling the shore to the east. Minor low-lying river valleys close to the Portuguese border are located on the Tagus and the Rio Guadiana. The coastal plains regions are narrow strips between the coastal mountains and the seas. They are broadest along the Golfo de Cadiz, where the coastal plain adjoins the Andalusian Plain, and along the southern and central eastern coasts.

The narrowest coastal plain runs along the Bay of Biscay, where the Cordillera Cantabrica ends close to shore. The Islands The remaining regions of Spain are the Balearic and the Canary Islands, the former located in the Mediterranean Sea and the latter in the Atlantic Ocean. The Balearic Islands, encompassing a total area of 5,000 square kilometers, lie 80 kilometers off Spain's central eastern coast. The mountains that rise up above the Mediterranean Sea to form these islands are an extension of the Sistema Penibetico. The archipelago's highest points, which reach 1,400 meters, are in northwestern Majorca, close to the coast. The central portion of Majorca is a plain, bounded on the east and the southeast by broken hills. The Canary Islands, ninety kilometers off the west coast of Africa, are of volcanic origin. The large central islands, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, have the highest peaks; on Gran Canaria they rise to 1,950 meters and on Tenerife, to 3,700 meters.

Custom Search The Pyrenees Mountains Map and Details THE PYRENEES The Pyrenees Mountain Range – Map and Details The Pyrenees Mountains form the natural border between France and Spain, and it completely engulfs the nation of Andorra. The mountains extend for about 270 miles from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea. The highest point is Pico de Aneto at 11,168 ft. (3,404m) Additional mountain ranges found on the Iberian Peninsula include the Cantabrian, Sierra De Gata and Sierra Guadarrama in the north and central, and the Sierra Morena and Sierra Nevada in the south of Spain.

About the Pyrenees | Pyrenean Odysseys Barèges Bearded Vulture bears Breche de Roland Cauteret Cauterets cheap flights to Pyrenees climate change Col de Ripeyre Eco holidays Encantats Gavarnie Hautacam Lac de Gaube Lammergeier Le Lienz marmots Midi Pyrenees Grand Site Mont de Gez paragliding Pyrenees Pont d'Espagne Poueyaspe Pyrenean Animal Park Pyrenean Odysseys Pyrenees Pyrenees Fauna Pyrenees holidays Pyrenees snowshoeing Pyrenees walking responsible travel Salles school groups Ski-touring snow Pyrenees snowshoeing Pyrenees St Savin sustainable holidays The Independent Pyrenees trekking Pyrenees trek Pyrenees Val d'Azun Valleys of the Lavedan walking Pyrenees winter walking winter walking Pyrenees Where: The Pyrenees Forming a natural border between France and Spain the Pyrenees stretch for 490kms between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. A mountain range of huge diversity, the Pyrenees have always been a ‘frontier’ region, and this feeling persists today.

MAP Click on the map to see exactly where we are, and where Luz St Sauveur is in the Pyrenees. We are 1/2 hour by car (55 mins by bus) from Lourdes, 1 1/2 hours from Pau and about 2 1/2-3 hours by car or train from Toulouse and the same from Biarritz.

A more detailed map of the Vallée des Gaves, between Lourdes and Gavarnie can be viewed here ( Vallées des Gaves Map) .map of the Pyrenees TOURISM From Charles Packe’s 1862 guide to the Pyrenees, quoted in Simon Calder and Mick Webb’s Backpacks, Boots and Baguettes – Walking in the Pyrenees: “How it comes to pass that so many Englishmen and Englishwomen cross the Channel every summer for the sake of a holiday tour of a month or six weeks among the Alps of Switzerland, while so very few in proportion think it worth their while to pay a visit to the Pyrenees, that magnificent mountain barrier that separates France and Spain, has always been to me a matter of astonishment; and I can only account for it on the principal that my countrymen like a flock of sheep, love to go ‘non qua eundum est, sed qua est iter’ (not where they ought to go but where the road goes).” It is surprising that in 150 years not much has changed really, other than perhaps swapping the Swiss Alps for the French Alps.

As they say in the preface to Backpacks, Boots and Baguettes : “The wall of mountains that divides France from Spain is more than just a majestic range rich in flora, fauna and history – it is also wonderfully accessible, with something to suit most walkers… (it) contains terrain as gentle or as challenging as you could wish. You can climb every mountain, or none at all… Most sensible travellers will want to take time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, the wildlife and the complex mix of cultures that thrive in the Pyrenees.” Hopefully a tour around our website will introduce you to some of the wonders of the Pyrenees – you’ll have to come and discover the rest yourself. GEOLOGY Who would think, when looking at the summits around Luz, that they were under the ocean 300 million years ago? In the mountains we are confronted with the enormity of the effort required to understand a world where the fossil of a shell fish is found at the top of a mountain. What on earth could possibly have led to such an occurrence?

The mystery of tectonic plate movement remained well hidden until 50-100 years ago but we now know that the forces of super-continental collisions are what cause mountains to rise from the sea. The first Pyrenean mountain chain rose to over 6000m. Erosion over the years broke these summits down to almost nothing and allowed a 2nd sea to flood in. Then 50 million years ago our present Pyrenees were formed by the « Pyreneo-Alpin » folding when the Iberian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate. The nature of the rock we will see as we traverse is therefore most often of the first formation if it is granite or volcanic rock (which has been pushed up through the ” new” limestone rock) and most often from the latest folding where it is limestone, formed by sedimentary layers building up under the sea for millions of years before the tectonic plates caused the folding.

The glacial period (the Pleistocene) that formed the U shaped valleys of the Pyrenees as they appear to us today began only 2.5 million years ago, firstly with glacial cycles lasting 40 K years and, since 700 K years ago, lasting 100 K yrs. There have been around 80 glacial cycles in this time, sufficient for the ice to grind the Pyrenees into the shape we know them today. FLORA & FAUNA Home to numerous endemic species of both flora and fauna, the Pyrenees are visited from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the rare “ramondia” or spectacular soaring lamergeiere (bearded vulture). If you choose the right time of the year (June, July, early August), you will see a huge variety of vegetation here in the Pyrenees. From orchids to iris, rhododendron and lilies, a pallet of coloured beauty surrounds us at each step. There is a multitude of fauna roaming the mountains be it birdlife flying overhead, fish, amphibian swimming the icy streams and lakes, mammals grazing the hillside or reptiles sunning on a rockslab!

Although wildlife is not always easy to site, as they are…..wild(!), we are often lucky enough to observe the griffon and bearded vulture as well as various other raptor, isard grazing or racing across surprisingly steep slopes, marmot whistling and playing as they feed, possibly the agile ermine, the brightly-coloured salamander. We are unlikely to see the rare and unique desman (a small amphibian with an extremely long snout), the graceful and playful otter, the controversial brown bear….though these, and many others, do exist in our mountains. Flora and fauna have to adapt to the rigours of high mountain climate where there are huge differences in temperatures, higher winds, snow, strong sun…..in order to survive. They do this in fascinating ways and it is again a reminder of the force of nature which surrounds us to observe these adaptations. Plants, for example are often ” dwarf” with smaller or duvet leaves which reduce evaporation and the chance of being blown down by high winds. Plants often have a lot more underground root system than what we see above the ground.

Flowers, the beautiful spring gentiane, for example are very often of vivid colours, and very often bright blue at altitude as these colours attract most insects for fertilisation. The “euprocte”, a small endemic amphibian is a surprising example of an animal who adapts his life-span to the altitude at which he lives; at 1000m he becomes an adult at 4 years but at 2500m, only becomes adult at 6 years! THE PYRENEES NATIONAL PARK The National Park “ Parc National des Pyrenees ” was created in 1967 to become one of the 6 national parks in France. The main objectives of the Park are to protect the flora, fauna and environment, to educate people as to the importance of the mountains and nature and to rejuvinate and revive rural mountain life. All of the territory of the Park is uninhabited on a permanent basis and is situated above 1100m.

We are in the Park for all of the “ HRP1 ” trek and go between this park and the “Parc National d’Ordesa” on the Spanish side for the “ HRP2 ” and the “ Tour of Mont Perdu “. MONT PERDU & ORDESA CANYON NATIONAL PARK The Ordesa Canyon has been a part of the “Parc National du Mont Perdu et du Canyon d’Ordesa” since 1918. You will certainly understand why when you are in the heart of this spectacular natural phenomenon, often compared to the Grand Canyon. Years of erosion have caused the porous limestone rock to erode in fascinating ways forming an extremely deep canyon, caves, ledges and karstic formations which we will discover as we walk. The Mont Perdu at 3335m is the highest limestone summit in Europe and its waters lead down to the “Rio Arazas” in the Ordesa Canyon where, at 2080m, it disappears mysteriously in the deep gorge of Saoso to reappear further down.

THERMALISM Thermalism has been an important part of the economy of the Pyrenean mountain valleys since the early 1800’s when the French and English aristocracy came to “take the waters”. Many studies have been done which support the beneficial effects of these waters (particularly for middle ear infections, childhood asthma, sinisitus and chronic bronchitis). Even if the waters had been used since Roman times for health and leisure purposes, it wasn’t until the 19th C that this practice developed more formally and proper thermal resorts were constructed. The geology of the Pyrenees means that these thermal resorts are now also winter ski resorts, something which cannot exist in the French Alps because the thermal resorts are much lower. Barèges, at 1250m, is the highest thermal resort in France and at the foot of the largest ski domain ( Domain du Tourmalet ) in the French Pyrenees. HYDRO-ELECTRICITY Hydro-electricity is another very important part of the economy of these mountain valleys.

The largest hydro power plant in the Pyrenees is between Luz and Gavarnie at Pragnère, which is fed by the huge Cap Long reservoir, part of the Neovielle Reserve. The dams and pipelines were all built in the 1950s when it was necessary to re-build the economy after the war. Hydro-electricity supplies 11% of the electricity in France, quite an impressive number, with nuclear supplying the remaining 89%. All Luz’s electricity, and therefore that of Hotel Les Templiers, is produced by its own hydro power plant on the Lys river at Villenave. (c) Original artwork by Mandy Latchford.

Question: What mountain range separates France and Spain?
Answer: Pyrenees