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Sierra Nevada (Spain)
Encyclopedia
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range
in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain
. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén
at 3478 m (11,411 ft.) above sea level.
It is a popular tourist
destination, as its high peaks make skiing
possible in one of Europe's most southerly ski resort
s, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea
predominantly known for its warm temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills is found the city of Granada
and, a little further, Almería
and Málaga
.
Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park
. The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve
. The Sierra Nevada Observatory
is located on the northern slopes at an elevation
of 2800 m (9186 ft.).
, a mountain-building event that also formed the European Alps
to the east and the Atlas Mountains
of northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Sierra as observed today formed during the Tertiary Period (65 to 1.8 million years ago) from the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates.
stays consistently above 3000 m (9842 ft.).
On the southern side of the range, several long but narrow river valleys lead off towards the south-west, separated by a number of subsidiary ridges.
On the steeper and craggier northern side, the valleys have less regular orientations. This side is dominated by the Rio Genil which starts near Mulhacén and into which many of the other rivers flow.
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén
Mulhacén
Mulhacén is the highest mountain in continental Spain and in the Iberian Peninsula. It is part of the Sierra Nevada range in the Cordillera Penibética...
at 3478 m (11,411 ft.) above sea level.
It is a popular tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination, as its high peaks make skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
possible in one of Europe's most southerly ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea
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...
predominantly known for its warm temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills is found the city of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
and, a little further, Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
and Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
.
Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park
Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain)
The Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada is located in Granada and Almería provinces in south-eastern Spain. It was declared a national park on 14 January 1999. It stretches from the Alpujarra to El Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley, covering a total area of 85,883 hectares, making it the largest national...
. The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
. The Sierra Nevada Observatory
Sierra Nevada Observatory
The Observatorio de Sierra Nevada is located at Loma de Dilar in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the province of Granada, established in 1981...
is located on the northern slopes at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 2800 m (9186 ft.).
Formation
The Sierra Nevada was formed during the Alpine OrogenyAlpine orogeny
The Alpine orogeny is an orogenic phase in the Late Mesozoic and Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt...
, a mountain-building event that also formed the European Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
to the east and the Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
of northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Sierra as observed today formed during the Tertiary Period (65 to 1.8 million years ago) from the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates.
Geography
Central to the mountain range is a ridge running broadly west-south-west - east-north-east. For a substantial distance, the watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
stays consistently above 3000 m (9842 ft.).
On the southern side of the range, several long but narrow river valleys lead off towards the south-west, separated by a number of subsidiary ridges.
On the steeper and craggier northern side, the valleys have less regular orientations. This side is dominated by the Rio Genil which starts near Mulhacén and into which many of the other rivers flow.
Highest peaks
| Peak (> 3,000m) | Altura (m) | |
| Mulhacén Mulhacén Mulhacén is the highest mountain in continental Spain and in the Iberian Peninsula. It is part of the Sierra Nevada range in the Cordillera Penibética... |
3.480 m. | |
| Veleta Veleta (Sierra Nevada) Veleta or Pico del Veleta is the third highest peak of the Iberian peninsula and the second highest in the Sierra Nevada. Its height is given variously as , and .... |
3.393 m. | |
| Alcazaba Alcazaba (Sierra Nevada) Alcazaba mountain is 3371 m high mountain in Spain.It is the third highest mountain of the Sierra Nevada range and the fifth in the Iberian Peninsula.The impressive north face can be seen from the townof Granada.... |
3.371 m. | |
| Cerro los Machos | 3.324 m. | |
| Puntal de Siete Lagunas | 3.248 m. | |
| Puntal de la Caldera | 3.226 m. | |
| Pico de Elorrieta | 3.206 m. | |
| Crestones Río Seco | 3.198 m. | |
| Loma Pelada | 3.187 m. | |
| Cerro Pelado | 3.179 m. | |
| Tajos de la Virgen | 3.160 m. | |
| Tosal del Cartujo | 3.152 m. | |
| Pico de La Atalaya | 3.148 m. | |
| Puntal de Vacares | 3.143 m. | |
| Cerro Rasero | 3.139 m. | |
| Tajos del Nevero | 3.120 m. | |
| Raspones Río Seco | 3.120 m. | |
| Tajos Altos | 3.111 m. | |
| Picón de Jeres | 3.090 m. | |
| Tajo de los Machos | 3.088 m. | |
| Cerrillo Redondo | 3.058 m. | |
| Juego de Bolos | 3.018 m. | |
| Pico del Caballo Pico del Caballo Pico del Caballo, Cerro del Caballo or simply Caballo is 3,011 m high mountain in the Sierra Nevada, Spain.It is the westernmost three thousander of the range.- Climbing :Caballo mountain can be accessed from the towns of Lanjaron,... |
3.013 m. | |
Climate
Sierra Nevada has alpine climateAlpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
.
| 1975-1989 | jan | feb | mar | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sep | oct | nov | dec | anual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. máx (°C) | 0,3 | ||||||||||||
| 0,6 | 3,2 | 4,6 | 14,2 | 21,6 | 19,8 | 14,2 | 10,4 | 3,5 | 2,6 | 7,8 | |||
| Temp. mín (°C) | |||||||||||||
| 5,6 | 11,9 | 10,6 | 5,7 | 2,2 | |||||||||
| 0,0 | |||||||||||||
| Temp. media (°C) | |||||||||||||
| 0,9 | 9,9 | 16,6 | 15,2 | 9,9 | 6,3 | 0,1 | |||||||
| 3,9 | |||||||||||||
| Precip. (mm) | 86,7 | 91,2 | 78,8 | 53,8 | 53,6 | 29,7 | 6,1 | 11,7 | 33,7 | 69,0 | 85,2 | 93,1 | 692 |
See also
- AlpujarrasAlpujarrasthumb|250px|A typical Alpujarran village, [[Busquístar]].La Alpujarra is a landlocked historical region in Southern Spain, which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The western part of the region lies in the province of Granada...
- Baetic System
- Sierra Nevada National ParkSierra Nevada National Park (Spain)The Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada is located in Granada and Almería provinces in south-eastern Spain. It was declared a national park on 14 January 1999. It stretches from the Alpujarra to El Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley, covering a total area of 85,883 hectares, making it the largest national...
External links
- Google Maps - Satellite Photo Sierra Nevada Ski Resort - official site
- Sierra Nevada ski resort - trail map
- Maps of the Sierra Nevada
- nevasport.com - XVII sport week - Old Pictures Natural Park Sierra Nevada
- Costa Tropical News.com - English language magazine for the region Sulayr