Iberian System | |
---|---|
Sistema Ibérico (Spanish) Sistema Iberico (Aragonese) Sistema Ibèric (Valencian) | |
Highest point | |
Peak | Moncayo |
Elevation | 2,313 m (7,589 ft) |
Coordinates | 41°44′45″N01°46′53″W / 41.74583°N 1.78139°W |
Geography | |
Country | Spain |
Communities | Aragon, Castile and León, La Rioja, Valencian Community, Catalonia and Castile-La Mancha |
Geology | |
Orogeny | Alpine |
Rock age | Tertiary |
Rock type(s) | Nummulite limestone, marble and sandstone |
The Iberian System [a] is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Valencian Community in the east.
The system is hydrographically important, as it separates the watersheds of most of the major rivers in Spain and Portugal, including the Ebro basin to the east from the basins of the Douro, Tagus, Guadiana (Záncara-Gigüela), Júcar and Turia to the west and south.
There are important mining areas in some of the ranges such as Sierra Menera, Sierra de Arcos and Sierra de San Just, making the system one of the chief mining regions in Spain since ancient times. [1] [2] One of the comarcas of Aragon located in the Iberian System was given the name of Cuencas Mineras, lit. 'Mining Basins', since mining is the main activity in the comarca. [3]
The Sistema Ibérico mountain range borders the Meseta Central on its eastern end and separates the Meseta Central from the Ebro valley and from the Mediterranean coast.
This system runs northwest-southeast between the Ebro plain and the Meseta Central for over 500 km, from the La Bureba corridor in Burgos Province close to the Cordillera Cantábrica to the Mediterranean sea close to Valencia in the south and close to Tortosa and the Ebro Delta in the east. The bulk of the Sistema Ibérico is located in the southern half of Aragon. The Prebaetic System rises south of the southernmost end of the Iberian System.
The geology of the Iberian System is complex, for it can hardly be defined as a homogeneous system. It is composed of a haphazard and motley series of mountain ranges, massifs, plateaus and depressions without a definite common petrologic composition and overall structure. Nummulite limestone, marble and sandstone are common throughout the area. Some of the parts of the system stand geologically isolated, interrupting the continuity of the whole, linked to the other parts through high plateaus of varying altitudes. [4]
Large zones of the mountainous Iberian System have undergone heavy depopulation since the early 20th century. There are many ghost towns and abandoned villages scattered across different parts of the Iberian System, especially in Teruel Province. [5] Currently a great number of surviving towns have only a residual population. In some cases, many of the inhabitants are not natives anymore but immigrants from Romania or the Maghreb working as contract laborers in agricultural activities. [6]
The exodus from the rural mountainous areas in Spain rose after General Franco's Stabilization Plan in 1959. The population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of the large cities and the coastal towns where the tourism industry was growing. Other causes of high emigration have been the abandonment by the local youth of traditional agricultural practices that were the mainstay of the village economy, such as sheep and goat rearing, as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century. [7]
The heavy depopulation has favored wildlife so that one of the last colonies of griffon vultures in Europe is in the Iberian System. Wolves and eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos , Hieraaetus fasciatus , Hieraaetus pennatus , Circaetus gallicus ) are also relatively common in the lonely heights. Among the mammals, the Spanish ibex, roe deer, wild boar, European badgers, common genets, among others, have their habitat in many of these desolate mountain ranges. [8]
The most common reptiles in the Iberian System are Lacerta lepida , Psammodromus algirus , Psammodromus hispanicus , Podarcis muralis and Podarcis hispanicus . Chalcides chalcides , Chalcides bedriagai and Anguis fragilis , are relatively rarer. The snakes present in these mountains are Natrix maura , Natrix natrix , Malpolon monspessulanus , Elaphe scalaris , Coronella girondica , Coronella austriaca and Vipera latastei .
Some amphibians are abundant in or near ponds and rivulets throughout the whole system, such as Rana perezi , Bufo bufo , Bufo calamita , Alytes obstetricans , Triturus marmoratus and Lissotriton helveticus , the latter also at high altitude, whether in intermittent or permanent bodies of water. Hyla arborea and Salamandra salamandra are somewhat rarer, but still having a wide distribution, especially in humid forested zones. The Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), however, is rarely found in the mountainous areas. Aquatic invertebrates, including the Austropotamobius pallipes crayfish, and certain fishes, such as Salaria fluviatilis and Cobitis paludica are common in the upper course of the Sistema Ibérico rivers. [9] Some mountain streams have been stocked with trout. [10]
Traditional cattle rearing activities, formerly so important in central Iberia, still survive on dry grasslands in certain villages around the system. There are also many hunters visiting some of the ranges, mainly those that are relatively closer to the urban areas and especially on weekends. [11]
Some ranges have forested patches, consisting mainly of Pinus pinaster , Pinus sylvestris and Pinus uncinata pines and Quercus rotundifolia , Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus faginea oaks, even Fagus sylvatica beeches and Betula pendula birches grow in some humid slopes, where Pteridium aquilinum , Polypodium vulgare ferns may also be found.
Other ranges are rocky and quite bare with heath ( Erica arborea , Erica vagans , Calluna vulgaris ), broom as well as thyme and Festuca and Nardus stricta grasslands. Thin forest or shrubland may include Juniperus communis , Juniperus thurifera , Cytisus purgans , Erinacea anthyllis and Calluna vulgaris shrub. Often the southern slopes are drier than the northern ones and may be subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought, especially in the summer.
Bogs are not common in the Iberian Peninsula, but high altitude bogs form in the few areas of the Sistema Ibérico where the water remains stagnant, such as near Orihuela del Tremedal, Bronchales and in the place known as Fuente del Hierro, at an altitude between 1.400 and 1.550 m. The plants growing in these bogs are mainly Polytrichum mosses, Potentilla erecta , Pinguicula vulgaris , Vaccinium myrtillus , Calluna vulgaris , and also Drosera rotundifolia , a carnivorous plant that does not grow further south in Western Europe.
Centaurea pinnata is an endangered species of plant present in the Sierra de Vicort and Sierra de Santa Cruz mountain ranges. [12]
The Sistema Ibérico comprises several mountain ranges and massifs:
The main peaks of the system are: Moncayo (2,313 m), Monte San Lorenzo (2,262 m), Pico de Urbión (2,228 m), Pico San Millán (2,131 m), Peña Cebollera (2,129 m), Javalambre (2,020 m) and Peñarroya (2,019 m). Other locally important summits are Cerro Calderón (1,837 m), Mont Caro (1,441 m), Tossal d'Orenga (1,144 m) and Montegordo (837 m),
The Sistema Ibérico is not as high as other mountain systems in Spain. It is, however, very significant from the hydrographic point of view for important rivers of the Iberian Peninsula have their source in its mountains, which divide the Atlantic from the Mediterranean watershed. The following rivers rise in the Sistema Ibérico:
Spain is a country located in southwestern Europe occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula. It also includes a small exclave inside France called Llívia, as well as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean 108 km (67 mi) off northwest Africa, and five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of North Africa: Ceuta, Melilla, Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera.
Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Its capital is the city of Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in the province include La Almunia de Doña Godina, Borja, Calatayud, Caspe, Ejea de los Caballeros, Tarazona, and Utebo.
Teruel is a province of Aragon, in the northeast of Spain. The capital is Teruel.
The Baetic System or Betic System is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. Located in the southern and eastern Iberian Peninsula, it is also known as the Cordilleras Béticas or Baetic Mountains. The name of the mountain system derives from the ancient Roman region of Baetica, one of the Imperial Roman provinces of ancient Hispania.
Peña, meaning "rocky outcrop" or "rocky summit" in the Spanish language, may refer to:
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif in Galicia, along the coast of the Cantabrian Sea. Their easternmost end meets the Sistema Ibérico.
The Central System, Spanish and Portuguese: Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit.
The Meseta Central is one of the basic geographical units of the Iberian Peninsula. It consists of a plateau covering a large part of the latter's interior.
Cucalón is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census the municipality has a population of 102 inhabitants. This town gives its name to the Sierra de Cucalón system of mountain ranges.
Sierra de la Demanda is a mountain sub-range situated in the northern Iberian Peninsula.
The Maestrazgo or Maestrat is a natural and historical mountainous region, located at the eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range, in Spain. It encompasses the north of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in Castellón province, and parts of the east of the Aragonese province of Teruel. The area is mountainous and sparsely populated with a rich mixture of flora and fauna.
Moncayo is a 15 km long and about 7 km wide mountain chain giving name to the Tarazona y el Moncayo comarca, Aragon, Spain. The Moncayo's highest summit, San Miguel, is the highest point in the 500 km long Sistema Ibérico.
Picos de Urbión, or "Urbion Peaks" is a mountain range in the Sistema Ibérico, Spain, limited by the Sierra de Neila and Sierra Cebollera of the same range. The ridge's highest summit, Pico Urbión, is 2,228 m) is one of the highest points in the 500 km long Sistema Ibérico.
Jiloca Comarca is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. It is located in Teruel Province, in the mountainous Iberian System area.
Sierra de Albarracín Comarca is a comarca in the Province of Teruel, Aragon region, northeastern Spain. It is located in mountain ranges of the Sistema Ibérico.
Montes Universales is a 32 km (20 mi) long mountain range in the southeastern end of the Iberian System. Its highest point is the 1,935 m high summit known as Caimodorro. The 1,830 m high Muela de San Juan is another important peak.
Sierra Menera is a 31 km (19 mi) long mountain range in the southwestern end of the Iberian System.
Sierra de Vicort, also known as Sierra de Vicor, is a 20 km (12 mi) long mountain range in the Comunidad de Calatayud and Campo de Daroca comarcas of Aragon, Spain.
The topographical relief of Spain is characterized by being quite high, with an average altitude of 660 meters above sea level, quite mountainous compared to other European countries and only surpassed by Switzerland, Austria, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the microstates of Andorra and Liechtenstein. In peninsular Spain, the terrain is articulated around a large Meseta Central that occupies most of the center of the Iberian Peninsula. Outside the plateau, there is the depression of the Guadalquivir river, located in the southwest of the peninsula, and the Ebro river depression, located in the northeast.