Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Overview
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
situated in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
of Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
province, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Spain. There has been a National Park in the Ordesa Valley
Ordesa Valley
The Ordesa Valley is a glacial valley in Aragon, in the Spanish Pyrenees which forms part of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park.The valley's east–west orientation, unusual in the Pyrenees, opens it to influence from the Atlantic Ocean and gives it a moderate climate...
since 1918. Its protected area was enlarged in 1982 to cover the whole region amounting to 156.08 km².
It has been included since 1997 by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in the Biosphere Reserve of Ordesa-Viñamala. In the same year it was included in the cross-border Pyrénées - Mont Perdu World Heritage Site
Pyrénées - Mont Perdu World Heritage Site
The Pyrénées – Mont Perdu World Heritage Site is a world heritage site straddling the border between Spain and France in the Pyrenees mountain chain. The summit of Mont Perdu is on the Spanish side of the border...
.
The park's territory includes the municipalities of Torla
Torla
Torla is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 315 inhabitants....
, Broto
Broto
Broto is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 516 inhabitants.-Villages:The Valle de Broto includes the following villages:...
, Fanlo
Fanlo
Fanlo is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 172 inhabitants....
, Tella-Sin
Tella-Sin
Tella-Sin is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 267 inhabitants....
, Puértolas, and Bielsa
Bielsa
Bielsa is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 463 inhabitants....
.
At elevations up to 1,500-1,700 meters, there are extensive forests of beeches (Fagus sylvatica), Abies alba, pines (Pinus sylvestris), oaks (Quercus subpyrenaica), and a lesser extent of birches (Betula pendula), ashes (Fraxinus excelsior), willows (Salix angustifolia).
