Pyrenees Mountains in the Languedoc Early humans lived here, as evidenced by the prehistoric cave paintings at Altamira and Aurignac. The Pyrenees are rich in timber and in pastures, and the streams are harnessed by hydroelectric power stations. Bauxite, talc, and zinc are mined there. A number of roads cross the Pyrenees. Apart from those along the low coastal strips, three of the main ones use tunnels while four thread through high passes, becoming snowbound in winter and spring. Brume su les Pyrenees Art Print Moudens,... Most mountain passes are high and difficult, but that never stopped them being crossed by invading armies and by medieval pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Some of these passes, notably The Col de Perthus (used by the Romans) and Roncesvalles (featuring in the Roland legend), are famous. The chief rail lines connecting Spain and France skirt the Pyrenees along both coasts, though two others cross the Pyrenees. The Catalan Pyrenees rise to the peaks of Canigou (2785m) and Carlit (2921m).

From Canigou, you will get a panoramic view over the mountains and Mediterranean Sea . Spectacular rivers, streams and waterfalls plunge from high peaks. This region is home to brown bears, wolves, long horned sheep, izards and ibex. The mountain range appeals to climbers, skiers, walkers and anyone who enjoys nature. The lower landscape is dotted with picturesque villages, clinging to the sides of gorges beside cascading streams. Pyrenees Mountains Near the Border of France and Spain, France Photographic Print Daffey, Mark Houses generally cluster around Romanesque churches. In winter, 12 mountain resorts offer downhill and cross-country skiing, ski-boarding or monoskiing. You can go snowshoeing or sledging with dogs in the mountain forests. Fast-flowing mountain waters are suitable for kayaking and white water rafting, and there are the natural hot springs, where you can soak in outdoor thermal baths at temperatures near 35 degrees Centigrade.

Formation of Pyrenees The Pyrenean mountain range was formed between 80 and 20 million years ago as a result of the Iberian landmass (what is now Spain and Portugal) colliding with the much larger Eurasian landmass in the region of what is now southwestern France. This collision occurred as a result of plate tectonic movements - relative movements of the interlocking sections, or plates, of which Earth's outer layer is composed. Previously, around 150 million ago, the Iberian landmass was a mini-continent on its own, situated roughly to the west of France (rather than to the southwest as it is now) and surrounded by sea. Over the next 50 million years or so, new tectonic plate boundaries formed all around Iberia effectively turning it into a small tectonic plate, which means it could move relative to other plates, such as the Eurasian plate.

The new plate boundaries that formed to the west, north and north-east of the Iberian mini-continent were of a type known as seafloor spreading ridges - regions where molten material welling up from Earth's interior is turned into oceanic crust and added to the edges of plates, forcing them apart (the formation of new oceanic crust at these ridges is the driving force for all plate movements). The seafloor spreading ridge that formed to the west of Iberia was (and still is) part of an extended system of ridges that, for the past 140 million years, has had the effect of gradually widening the North Atlantic, pushing America away from Eurasia. The activity of the spreading ridge that formed to the northeast of Iberia, combined with the activity of the ridges to the north and west, forced Iberia into an anticlockwise rotational motion, with an overall movement to the southeast. At the same time, this motion opened up the Bay of Biscay, while a region of seafloor crust that had previously been situated to the east of Iberia was forced under the Eurasian plate.

Village of Lescun Near Route De Somport with Mountain Peaks in Distance, Midi-Pyrenees, France Photographic Print Saks, Stephen Around 75 million years ago, in its slow anticlockwise rotation, the southern extremity of Iberia collided with the African landmass to its south, stopping it moving any further in a southeasterly direction. Instead it was now forced in a northeasterly direction, colliding with the Eurasian landmass. As the two landmasses crumpled up against each other, the Pyrenees were formed. By around 20 million years ago, this process has completed, Iberia had become welded to and become part of the Eurasian plate, and the spreading ridge in the Bay of Biscay had ceased its activity. The present-day appearance of the Pyrenees is the result of erosion of the original mountain chain. Find an hotel in the Pyrenees How the Pyrenees got their name Bebryx the king of Bébrices lived in the rolling wooded hills and valleys of the area we now call the Ariége; in the most beautiful palace ever built.

Protected from intruders by a vast lake it had floors made of the finest polished pink marble, windows made of crystal and endless corridors that led to rooms with huge fire places and sumptuous wall hangings. From the entrance gate, a gigantic staircase lead to a hall lit by burning torches, so big it appeared to have no walls. It was here that Bebryx the Celtic warrior lord sat on a golden throne between two columns of pure white alabaster and ruled over his kingdom. Bebryx and lived in a time when ancient gods walked amongst the Bébricess, shaping the lives of men and women for their own amusement or revenge. One spring morning a traveler climbed the staircase to the throne room. He was a tall and handsome man dressed as a warrior, man who well knew the consequences of displeasing the Gods. He was the Greek hero Herakles or as we usually call him, Hercules. The goddess Hera, determined to make trouble for Hercules, had made him lose his mind. In a confused and angry state, he had killed his wife and children. When he recovered from his temporary madness he was shocked by what he had done.

He prayed to Apollo for guidance, and the god's oracle told him he would have to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, for twelve years as punishment for the murders. As part of his sentence, Hercules had to perform twelve Labours - feats so difficult that they seemed impossible. Hercules had come to ask Bebrex for permission to travel through his kingdom en route to Erythia, an island between the modern countries of Spain and Libya, however at the time of Bebryx, it was considered to be the end of the world. In Erythia Hercules was to accomplish his tenth labor, capturing the cattle of the monster Geryon and taking them back to Eurystheus. Bebrex invited him to rest and recuperate before continuing his quest. Hercules accepted the King's offer and was entertained as an honored guest. Bebrex had a beautiful daughter called Pyrene. She was courted by all the kings and lords of the surrounding lands. But she had no regard for her suitors and refused to marry any of them, to the rage of her father. Pyrene regarded Hercules with interest from behind her father’s throne.

She was drawn to him because of his extraordinary strength and physical beauty. They walked together through the flower filled meadows, and became lovers. After Hercules had left for Erythia, Pyrene discovered that she was pregnant. Consumed by shame and unable to tell her father, she left the palace and ran into the woods where she was attacked by a wild bear. Hercules heard her screams echoing across the distance between them, and rushed to her aid, but he was too late to save her and she died in his arms. A distraught Hercules carried her broken body back to her father's palace. The heartbroken Bebryx buried her body in front of his throne in a tomb made of molten rock. The grieving Hercules gathered all the rocks from the plain of Toulouse and piled them up to create a lasting monument to his beloved Pyrene so that the people of the region would never forget her name. That monument is the snow-capped mountain range that we know as the Pyrenees.

Cilindro de Marboré (3,328 m) Pic de la Maladeta (3,308 m) Vignemale (Pique Longue) (3,298 m) Clot de la Hount (3,289 m) Soum de Ramond (3,263 m) Pic du Marboré (3,248 m) Pic de Cerbillona (3,247 m) Pic de Perdiguère (3,222 m) Pic de Montferrat (3,220 m) Pic Long (3,192 m) Pic Schrader (Grand Batchimale) (3,177 m) Pic de Campbieil (3,173 m) Pic de la cascade orientale (3,161 m) Pic Badet (3,160 m) Pic du Balaïtous (3,144 m) Pic du Taillon (3,144 m) Pica d'Estats (3,143 m) Punta del Sabre (3,136 m) Pic de la Munia (3,1

34 m) Pointe de Literole (3,132 m) Pic des Gourgs Blancs (3,129 m) Pic de Royo (3,121 m) Pic des Crabioules (3,116 m) Pic de Maupas (3,109 m) Pic Lézat (3,107 m) Pic de la cascade occidental (3,095 m) Pic de Néouvielle (3,091 m) Pic de Troumouse (3,085 m) Pics d'Enfer (3,082 m) Pic de Montcalm (3,077 m) Grand pic d' Astazou (3,077 m) Épaule du Marboré (3,073 m) Pic du port de Sullo (3,072 m) Pic des Spijeoles (3,066 m) Pic de Quayrat (3,060 m) Pic des Trois Conseillers (3,039 m) Turon de Néouvielle (3,035 m) Pic de Batou

a (3,034 m) Petit Vignemale (3,032 m) Pic de Besiberri Sud (3,017 m) Pic Ramougn (3,011 m) Tour du Marboré (3,009 m) Casque du Marboré (3,006 m) Grande Fache (3,005 m) France ; geography ; mountains, rivers, ....

Basic facts French kids know - or should know - about their country The 5 mountain ranges : the Alps, on the border with Italy with the hightest mountain in Europe (Mont-Blanc 4,810 meters i .e. 15,781 ft.), the Pyrénées, on the border with Spain with several summits above 10,000 ft., the Massif Central a spectacular chain of extinct volcanoes (see an unexpected picture ), in the very center of the country, the Jura along the Swiss border and the Vosges not far from the German border The 5 main rivers : the Loire (the longest : 1,012 kilometers i.e. 629 mi.), the Rhine (the Franco-German border), the Rhône (coming from Switzerland through the Lake of Geneva), the Seine (crossing Paris) and the Garonne in the South-West The four seas : the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Manche (British Channel) and the Atlantic Ocean. Being both continental and open to the ocean explains the historical hesitatio n of the French policy between a purely European and a global policy.

The climate is mild (monthly averages between 3°C i.e. 38°F and 19°C i.e. 66°F), often changing with clouds and rain coming from the Atlantic Ocean, except in the Center and the East where it can be relatively cold (but temperatures as cold as ­10°C i.e. 10°F or +40°C i.e. 104°F are considered unusually cold or hot) Population 66 million including 2 million in overseas territories; France is among the 4 most populated European countries (with Germany in the 80s, UK and Italy in the 60s) ; with its 550,000 square kilometers (i.e. 212,000 sq. mi.), it is one of the least dense countries in Europe. The 8 neighbors (clockwise from SW to North) : Spain (including small Franco-Spanish Andorra), tiny Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium (+ the neighbors in overseas territories : Brazil, Surinam and Netherlands : guess where!) DID YOU KNOW THAT..... In 2011, a cable-stayed bridge was built between France and Brazil.

You think I'm bragging and you don't believe me? You should : it is not across the Atlantic but across the Oyapock river, between Brazil and French Guyana ! The Chateau de la Bretesche (Brittany) The main cities are Paris (10,5 million), Lyon (1,6 m), Marseille (1,4 m), Lille (1,1 m), Toulouse and Bordeaux (0,9 m), Nantes and Strasbourg (0,7 m), Nice and Grenoble (0,6 m) Administratively, the country is divided into 22 regions (13 after the 2015 reform) composed of 95 " Départements " (including more than 36,000 " Communes ", local authorities) + (overseas) 4 regions and 6 territories. More about French administrative organization . Thanks to its overseas territories , France has the second largest maritime economic area in the world. More to come DID YOU KNOW THAT.....

You may be surprised to observe that the French "départements" (the equivalent of a large US county) have mysterious names, which are the names of (sometimes) unknown rivers for most of them (like "Dordogne") and mountains for a few. Why don't they bear the names of well-known regions which have been around since the Middle Ages (like "Perigord", almost the same area as Dordogne)? The reason is that in 1790, the revolutionary law-makers wanted to destroy everything that could revive the former regime (names of regions, languages, specific laws, ...) to build a new an united country. A perfect illustration of "Jacobinisme". To related pages :more about provinces (#1), the French society , etc... Cantabrian Mountains | mountains, Spain | Britannica.com Cantabrian Mountains list of Spanish monarchs Cantabrian Mountains, Spanish Cordillera Cantábrica, mountain chain generally extending along the northern coast of Spain for approximately 180 miles (300 km). Scenic and well forested (with beeches and maritime pines), the mountains are of geologically similar origin to the Pyrenees , though classified as a separate formation.

They comprise a series of high ridges rising inland from Torrelavega, in Cantabria and Palencia provinces, and crossing (east-west) Asturias and northern León toward Galicia . Fractures have sharply demarcated the range from the Castilian plateau (part of the Meseta Central) in the south and the Cantabrian coastlands in the north, but the eastern and western limits are indistinct. The eastern foothills south of Cantabria rise abruptly into the gigantic limestone mountains of the Europa Peaks , which include Torrecerredo (8,688 feet [2,648 metres]) and the Labra Peak (6,620 feet [2,018 metres]). The main ridge continues westward, usually less than 60 miles (100 km) wide but with elevations of 5,000 to 7,000 feet (1,500 to 2,000 metres).

Most of the higher peaks—including Vieja, Prieta, Llambrión, Naranjo de Bulnes, and Espigüete—exceed 8,000 feet (2,500 metres) and are along the main ridge. West of the Narcea River valley, the ranges change their east-west trend and the Sierra de Rañadoiro runs almost north-south. The main ridge divides into the Sierra de Ancares and the Sierra del Caurel, to the northwest, and the Sierra de Gistreo and the León Mountains, to enclose the basin of El Bierzo, which is drained by the upper Sil River. Sotres village in the Europa Peaks, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. Mick Stephenson These chains are a more impressive barrier than the Pyrenees. The Oviedo-León railway crosses the Pajares Pass at 4,524 feet (1,379 metres) and is one of the most difficult railway passes in Europe . Heavy river currents run northward from the mountains, forging deep valleys, while to the south the mountain’s longer rivers are used for irrigation.

The region is economically important because of its iron and coal deposits and as a source of hydroelectric power for the coastal region. Cattle raising is still the dominant economic activity, however. Tourism in the area has increased in importance. Pyrenees Cycling Tours | Discover France Tour de France Classic Climbs Starry evenings at the Pic du Midi(only a few dates throughout the year) GEOGRAPHY The Midi-Pyrenees region is made of 8 departments: Ariège, Aveyron, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Lot, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne. Located in the southwest of France, the Pyrenees are a great skiing spot during winter and cover a large number of thermal resorts and their mountains form a natural border between Spain and France. They are also well known as having legendary climbs of the Tour de France like Col d'Aubisque, Tourmalet and Col d'Aspin. TOUR DE FRANCE FAMOUS CLIMBS Col d'Aubisque :This climb is a great spot for Winter sports, and is known to be a crossing point for cyclists in Summer.

It is considered an "hors categorie"climb during the Tour de France, which means that it is a tough climb ! Col de Tourmalet :This is one of the most famous climbs of the Tour de France since the Pyrenees' introduction to the Tour in 1910, it has been crossed by the Tour 82 times ! Col d'Aspin :This climb is supposed to be easier than the Tourmalet, it is part of the Tour de France mainly because it is located in the middle of a chain of three road climbs and therefore plays the role of link between them. Col de Peyresourde :The Tour de France came accross this climb twice in 2012, this 1569m Col has become a legendary climb on the tour in the Pyrenees.

WHAT GOOD 'STUFF' CAN YOU EAT Bayonne Ham (dry ham) Magret de Canard and Gesiers-Duck Breast and Gizzards Roquefort and Rocamadour Cheeses Croustade aux Pommes (apple tart flambeed with the Normandy Calvados or filled with apples and Armagnac-soaked prunes) Piperade Basque (spicy sauce) PYRENEES FESTIVAL AND EVENT INFO Sacred music festival in Lourdes-Early April Fourcès Flower Market- End of April Alors... Chantes!-Montauban-Early May Circa Circus Festival, in Auch-End of October, Beginning of November 5 MAIN REASONS TO DISCOVER THE PYRENEES Classic Climbs of the Tour de France-The Pyrenees has the most legendary climbs of the Tour de France, introduced to the tour in 1910, Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourdre but also Aubisque are famous climbs that you will be able to challenge on our cycling tour.

The beautiful view from the Pic du Midi-The view from the Pic du Midi is breathtaking, with a height of 2876 meters, it is the highest observatory in Europe. Starry Evenings are planned at the Pic du Midi only a few dates throughout the year, astonomy activities are programmed during these special nights. Pyrenees Natural Park and Natural Thermal Spa-Discover the beauty of the French Pyrenees by visiting the Pyrenees Natural Park with its amazing landscapes, preserved fauna and flora spread on 100km. There are six valleys, each of them having their own personality: Aspe Valley surrounded by forests Ossau Valley well-known to be an important site of pastoralism The Val d'Azun or Arrens Valley with its impressive Pic du Balaïtous Cauterets Valley with its gorgeous waterfalls Luz-Gavarnie Valley spectacular cirque walls Aure Valley and Néouvielle Nature Reserve which possess the highest pines in Europe. Natural Thermal Spa- In Pyrenees, there are many natural thermal spas allowing relaxing activities in a unique environment.

For example, Aquensis in Bagneres-de-Bigorre offers a 'Donkey's milk' bath as Cleopatra used to like, where you can experience the benefits of donkey's milk in a private spa bath. Lourdes -Lourdes has become a symbolic place and a major place of pilgrimage and is said to make miracles as spectacular healings. The Virgin Mary is supposed to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous numerous times in Lourdes in 1858 which created the belief of a sacred place. Every season, many tourists and pilgrims come to Lourdes, they can be as many as 5,000,000 this is why Lourdes is the second city with the biggest number of hotels, right behind Paris. Toulouse -Toulouse is a city located in southern France and is called "la ville rose"(the pink city) due to the color of its buildings. It has two UNESCO World Heritage sites which are the Canal Du Midi and the Basilica of St. Sernin because of its link to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.

Toulouse offers a great diversity of activities, as in museums like the Contemporary Art Museum which delivers works by many reknown artists , or monuments dating from the Golden Age of the pastel trade.Be sure not to miss the Capitole with its rich history and culture during your visit. × Europe - body, water, Earth, form, system, plant, waves, change, surface Europe Europe Photo by: Arid Ocean Europe is the world's sixth largest continent. Together with its adjacent islands, it occupies an area of about 4,000,000 square miles (10,360,000 square kilometers), roughly 8 percent of the world's land area. Geographically, Europe can be seen as a peninsula of the single great continent called Eurasia (Europe and Asia combined). However, because Europe has such a distinctive history and culture, it is considered a separate continent. The boundaries of the European continent are recognized as the Ural Mountains and the Ural River in the east; the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains in the southeast; and the Black Sea and the Bosporus and Dardenelle Straits in the south.

The Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar separate Europe from the African continent, while the Atlantic Ocean borders it in the west and the Arctic Ocean borders it in the north. Numerous islands around the continental landmass are considered to be a part of Europe. More than 40 independent counties lie within the boundaries of the European continent. The highest point on the continent is Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains, which rises 18,481 feet (5,633 meters) above sea level. The lowest point occurs at the surface of the Caspian Sea, 92 feet (28 meters) below sea level. Chief rivers and lakes Europe's longest river is the Volga, which runs for almost 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) in central and western Russia before emptying into the Caspian Sea. It drains an area of about 533,000 square miles (1,380,470 square kilometers). Europe's second longest river, the Danube, runs through the heart of the continent.

About 1,770 miles (2,850 kilometers) long, it drains an area of roughly 320,000 square miles (828,800 square kilometers). A third prominent river is the Rhine, which winds through west-central Europe for 820 miles (1,320 kilometers) before emptying into the North Sea. Other chief European rivers include the Elbe in central Europe; the Dnieper and Don in Russia; the Garonne, Loire, and Rhône in France; the Tagus in Spain; and the Oder and Vistula in Poland. The Caspian Sea, with an area of 143,550 square miles (371,795 square kilometers), is the largest inland body of water in the world. The largest lake within the boundaries of Europe proper is Russia's Lake Ladoga, which covers approximately 7,000 square miles (18,100 square kilometers).

Other large European lakes include Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland; Constance on the border of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria; Balaton in Hungary; Como, Garda, and Maggiore in Italy; and Vättern and Vänern in Sweden. Major physical regions Europe may be divided geographically into four physical regions: the Northwestern Uplands, the Central Plain, the Central Uplands, and the Alpine mountain chain. Words to Know Bedrock: Solid rock lying beneath the soil on the surface of Earth. Bog: Area of wet, spongy ground consisting of decayed plant matter. Fjord: Long, narrow, steep-sided inlet of the sea. Glacier: Large mass of ice slowly moving over a mountain or through a valley. Moor: Broad stretch of open land, often with boggy areas. Moraine: Mass of boulders, stones, and other rock debris carried along and deposited by a glacier. Northwestern Uplands. Uplands—high plateaus, rugged mountains, and deep valleys—stretch along Europe's northwest coast from western France through the United Kingdom to the Scandinavian peninsula. Farming in this area is often difficult because of the rocky soil, and the climate is often rainy.

Moors and bogs (areas of wet spongy ground) dominate in the northern sections. Europe. (Reproduced by permission of The Gale Group .) During the last Ice Age, which ended about 11,000 years ago, glacial ice covered much of the far northern areas. When the ice retreated, it left deep valleys along the shores into which ocean water flowed. These narrow arms of the sea—called fjords—reach far inland and are bordered by steep mountains. Central Plain. The most densely settled part of Europe, with its largest cities and manufacturing sites, is the Central Plain. Starting at the Atlantic coast of France, it spreads out in a V-shape, growing wider as it extends west. At the Ural Mountains, it stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. Except for being perfectly flat in the Netherlands, the plain features occasional hills and isolated ridges. Much of the plain holds fertile agricultural soil. Around the Baltic Sea, Ice Age glaciers left mounds of boulders, stones, and other rock debris they had carried along. These remaining hills, called terminal moraines, mark the leading edge of these glaciers.

Glaciers subject earth materials beneath them to the most intense kind of scraping and scouring. An alpine glacier has the power to tear bedrock (solid rock beneath soil) apart and move the shattered pieces miles away. These are the forces that shaped the sharp mountain peaks and U-shaped mountain valleys of modern Europe. Many European mountain ranges bear obvious scars from alpine glaciation, and the flat areas of the continent show the features of a formerly glaciated plain. Central Uplands. Between the Central Plain and the Alpine mountains lies a band of uplands. It stretches from Spain's Atlantic coast through France and Germany to Poland. Important mountainous and wooded plateaus in this band include the Meseta (in Spain), the Massif Central (in France), the Ardennes (across Belgium, Luxembourg, and France), the Black Forest (in Germany), and the Bohemian Forest (along the northern Czech-German border). Alpine mountain chain. Southern Europe from Spain to the southern part of western Russia is dominated by the Alpine mountain chain. Beginning at the western edge, the mountains forming this chain are the Sierra Nevada range in Spain, the Pyrenees between Spain and France, the Alps in south-central Europe, and the Apennines in Italy.

The Sierra Nevada range in southern Spain runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea for about 60 miles (100 kilometers). The highest peak in the range is Mulhacén, which rises to a height of 11,411 feet (3,478 meters). The Pyrenees form an effective barrier between the Iberian Peninsula (on which Portugal and Spain lie) and the rest of Europe. They extend 270 miles (435 kilometers) in an almost straight line from the Bay of Biscay on the west to the Gulf of Lions on the east. The highest peak in the Pyrenees is Pico de Aneto, 11,168 feet (3,404 meters) above sea level. The Alps are Europe's great mountain system. They stretch in an arc for almost 660 miles (1,060 kilometers) from the Mediterranean coast between France and Italy into Switzerland and along the northern boundary of Italy, through southwest Austria, before ending in Slovenia.

The Alps, composed of more than 15 principal mountain ranges (all of which have offshoot ranges), cover an estimated 80,000 square miles (207,200 square kilometers). They form a barrier between southern Europe and western and central Europe. The highest peak in the Alps is Mont Blanc, 15,771 feet (4,807 meters) in height. Many peaks in the Alps rise above the snowline, 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,440 to 3,050 meters), and thus are permanently snowcapped. The Apennines run the entire length of the Italian peninsula. They extend about 840 miles (1,350 kilometers) from the Ligurian Alps (which they resemble geologically) in northwest Italy south to the Strait of Messina. The highest peak in the Apennines is Monte Corno, which stands 9,560 feet (2,914 meters) above sea level. Most rivers in Italy find their source in the Apennines.

The central and southern portions of the The Matterhorn in Switzerland, at 14,690 feet (4,480 meters), was carved by alpine glaciers. (Reproduced by permission of JLM Visuals .) mountain system are marked by crater lakes and volcanoes. Two of those volcanoes—Vesuvius and Etna—are still active. It was Vesuvius that erupted on August 24, A.D. 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 Pyrenees: Criss-crossing the Spanish-French border - Telegraph Catalonia Pyrenees: Criss-crossing the Spanish-French border Deep in the Pyrenees, Lesley Downer criss-crosses the Spanish-French border to sound out a divided people who for centuries were bullied by two nations 12:00AM BST 09 May 1998 WE were in a tiny inn deep in a Pyrenean valley where France abuts Spanish Catalonia. Jean-Pierre Cramparet, the innkeeper, put it another way. We were "au bout du monde" - at the end of the world. Here, in a region where the hardship of life breeds tough, independent communities, the inhabitants really do feel that's true. For centuries, these people have been pawns in the struggle between Paris and Madrid. In 1659 the once-proud kingdom of Catalonia was partitioned. France took a small but strategically vital strip, Spain took the rest. Ever since, the Catalans in Spain have fought for self-determination and the use of their own language. But with many of these aims accomplished, I wondered what it meant to be Catalan today.

And how did Catalans feel about the French, the Spanish, and their countrymen on the other side of the border? I set off by car along the French Catalonian border, crossing into France at the pass of Le Perthus - where Hannibal and his elephants crossed the Pyrenees on his march from Spain to Italy. I swung off the main road, into the green and prosperous Tech valley. My first stop was the small town of Céret. France it might be, but the street signs were in both Catalan and French and I was surprised to see faded posters advertising bullfights and the July running of the bulls. Prats-de-Mollo, a medieval walled town perched on the hillside at the head of the valley, felt even less like the France I knew. There was a festival in full swing. The cheery music of a brass band echoed between the shuttered pink and cream houses and tourists sat along the cobbled streets eating ice cream. Dominating the town was a Romanesque church with a gold altar and vaulted ceiling, a relic from Catalonia's medieval golden age.

I crossed back into Spain at the top of the grey, desolate Pass of Ares, where nothing but a couple of ruined huts and some scrawled graffiti - "terra alliberata" and "Catalan" - marked the border. At Queralbs, however, I found a picture-book village of stone houses climbing steeply up the hillside - and met Frank, a retired banker from Barcelona. "The language is the main guarantee of our nationality as Catalan people," he told me. As far as he was concerned, the Catalans have practically won their battle. Catalan may have been banned for 30 years during Franco's regime, but it is now the province's official language. And that's not the only thing Catalans are happy about. Frank explained that they hold the balance of power in the Madrid parliament, that their province is the wealthiest part of Spain and has its own semi-autonomous government, the Comunitat Autonoma de Catalunya, which controls education, health and social security. Heading deep into mountain country, I wound ever higher, along a tortuous road, through a steep wooded Pyrenean range. Occasionally in the valley below I glimpsed tiny houses, dwarfed by soaring peaks behind.

After a good hour of arm-breakingly sharp hairpin bends, I stopped at the windswept Pass of Tosa to admire the harsh moorland scenery. "The French stole our country," declared a red-faced man with a bald pate and Friar Tuck fringe whom I met at my hotel in Puigcerdá; he had checked that I was not French before letting fly. The Catalans on the French side, he said, simply cannot be called Catalan any longer. They may be of Catalan origin but, he insisted, it is only Spanish Catalonians who are fully Catalan. "Our children speak Catalan at school. We grow up knowing that we are the cleverest, most generous, most prosperous people in Spain." Indeed, the language spoken in French Catalonia is no longer Catalan but the Gascon dialect. However, as Jean-Pierre, the jolly innkeeper in the next valley, had told me, "The Gascon we speak can be understood by people on the other side of the border." The food, too, was similar, he added, and he presented me with a plate of trout cooked mountain-style on a stone - charcuterie, trout, giblets, lamb.

Friar Tuck was the first person I met who was prepared to voice the free-floating ambiguity I couldn't help but feel. On the one hand, Catalonia is a wealthy, successful part of Spain; on the other, its people are divided. Puigcerdá has been a battleground for centuries because of its strategic position on the only part of the French-Spanish border where there is no mountain range to form a natural barrier. Razed most recently in the Spanish Civil War, it has little of historical interest left to see. Nevertheless it is a delightful city, where you dine under the stars on bacalla, salt cod, and crema Catala, a sort of crème brûlée. From Puigcerdá I drove into France, only to find myself back in Spain again. The little town of Llívia, an enclave of Spain inside France, is one of the anomalies thrown up by the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees. The French negotiators, determined to grab this strategically vital area, demanded that France should have all the villages between the high mountain ranges. But they failed to take into account that Llívia was a town not a village, founded by the Romans as the capital of the region.

So it stayed Spanish, though the only way to get there is to pass through France. It is a quiet town, with a steep main street lined with banks, bars and cake shops, and a Romanesque church on the hilltop. Back in bona fide France, I was struck by how much poorer than its Spanish counterpart it appeared. Suddenly, the flower-laden balconies of the Catalonian towns gave way to grim grey houses with closed shutters. This region is one of the most neglected parts of France. The villages looked miserable, I realised, because they were depopulated. The young people had left and half the houses were boarded up. The Spanish, conversely, have put money into their side of the Pyrenees. The farther inland I went, the more rugged and formidable the mountains became. I stopped to admire the ruins of the castle of Miglos, brooding on top of a crag, which guarded the valley until Cardinal Richelieu had it razed. It seemed a symbol of the destruction of Catalan culture under French rule.

Many miles of winding road farther on, having crossed a mountain range to reach the sleepy spa of Aulus-les-Bains and the cheerful market town of Seix, I found myself in the bucolically lovely Vallée de Bethmale. It was the first time I had been in real farming country. The land was dotted with clusters of slate-roofed houses built down the hillsides; the smell of hay filled the air and cowbells jangled at the valley bottom. I stopped to visit the man who makes the wooden clogs, with long, pointed, upturned toes, for which the area is famous. The first pairs, he said, were made to fend off the Moors; the pointed toes served as daggers. I asked if I could take his picture. "Le vieux paysan," he muttered resignedly as I clicked the shutter. Such old ways have survived because, as Jean-Pierre had pointed out, this area is the end of the world. But while it may be charming for visitors, it is tough for those who live here. Across the border, the majestic Vall d'Aran was, until recently, even more remote and impoverished.

But locals found a way to make use of their rugged landscape and snowy winters and get rich in the process: the area has been transformed into one of Spain's premier ski resorts. Baqueira-Beret, at the head of the pass, is where the Spanish royal family ski. In the museum in Vielha the exhibits are labelled in both Catalan and Aranés, a dialect of Occitan, the old Romance language of southern France. The elderly curator showed me a photograph demonstrating that geographically the Vall d'Aran is really part of France. Until 1948, when a tunnel was built connecting Vielha to the south, the valley was a natural fortress, encircled by mountains, with just one link to the outside world: the Garonne River, which flows north into France. "It was only a political decision," said the curator in barely comprehensible French, "that made the Vall d'Aran a part of Spain." Comparing the rural poverty of the French side with the sleek chalets of Aran, I felt that the Aranes had certainly got the better bargain.

From Vielha, the westernmost Pyrenean town in Catalonia, I drove east along a series of spine-tingling hairpin bends across the Puerto de la Bonaigua, the high pass that separates Aran from the rest of Spain. I stopped to look at the brooding peaks of the Enchanted Mountains, the Aig¸es Tortes National Park, a wilderness of streams, waterfalls, lakes and awe-inspiring sheer granite crags. I had nearly reached the town of Seo de Urgel when I noticed a sign for Castellbo and, on a whim, decided to follow a thread of history. Castellbo, miles from anywhere along a winding mountain road, still looks a bit like a medieval fortress. It is a hillock where tumbledown wattle-and-daub huts, a 13th-century church and the ruins of old bulwarks are squashed above or below newer houses.

Carme, whom I bumped into as I was clambering about the ruins, mustered enough French to tell me, "The Catalans' parliament is older than the English one." Back in France I stopped in Bourg-Madame, the undernourished town that shadows Puigcerdá on the other side of the border. While Puigcerdá is a noisy, crowded city with cars spilling out of its squares, Bourg-Madame has had all the life drained out of it. It is barely even a town, just a passage for traffic, a single street lined with shops, several closing down. In the little tourist office in nearby Font Romeu, I discovered a Catalan hymn, translated into French. "Som els hereus de la montanya," it began. "Som els pubills del Pirineu ..." - "We are the heirs of the mountains, we are the children of the Pyrenees. Sons of France or Spain, we are all brothers at Font Romeu. Here we have our cradle and our tomb, there is our native land." The end of the world it might be, but in France, too, the Catalans are still Catalans.

Question: Which mountain chain runs along the border between France and Spain?
Answer: Pyrenees