Catalan Coastal Range
Encyclopedia
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
coast in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System
Catalan Mediterranean System
The Catalan Mediterranean System, also known as Mediterranean System, Transversal Ibero-Pyrenaean System and Catalanid Systemis a wide coastal geographical region in Catalonia...
. Its main axis runs between the Foix River
Foix River
The Foix is a river in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea at Vilanova i la Geltrú.- See also :* List of rivers of Spain...
and the Roses Gulf
Roses Gulf
The Gulf of Roses is the most north eastern bay on the Catalan coast.The Bay is 16 km wide and is formed by the valley of the Fluvià river but also contains the esturies of the Manol and la Muga rivers. These rivers drain the southern flanks of the eastern end of the Pyrenees and Alberes...
and the average altitude is around 500 m. The highest point is 763 m at the Montnegre.
Mountain ranges
From North to South:- Montgrí
- Gavarres
- Massís de l'Ardenya
- Serra de Marina
- Montnegre Massif
- Serra del Corredor
- Serra de Sant Mateu
- Serra de la Conreria
- Serra de CollserolaSerra de CollserolaThe Serra de Collserola , or simply Collserola, is a mountain range between the rivers Besòs and Llobregat. It is part of the Catalan Coastal Range....
- Massís del Garraf
Further south there are certain coastal mountain ranges like los Dedalts, Moles del Taix and Serra de la Mar in the Tivissa-Vandellòs Mountains and the Serra del Montsià
Serra del Montsià
Serra del Montsià is a 14.5 km long mountain range in Catalonia. It gives its name to the Montsià, the southernmost comarca of Catalonia. Its highest point is 764 m high La Torreta....
that are included in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range
Catalan Pre-Coastal Range
The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range is a system of mountain ranges running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea coast in Catalonia. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System. Its main axis runs between the Catalan Transversal Range and the Serra de l'Espina, which connects with the Ports de...
owing to the geological continuity with that range despite their seaside location.
Ecology
There are a few protected areas in the Catalan Coastal Range, like Parc Natural del Montnegre i el Corredor, Parc de Collserola and Parc Natural del Garraf.At the same time though there are several areas subject to severe land degradation
Land degradation
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land....
, owing maily to stone quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing, rubbish dumps and urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
.