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Sierra Nevada (Spain)

 
Sierra Nevada (Spain)

 
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Sierra Nevada (Spain)
 
 
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The Sierra Nevada, meaning "snowy range" in Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
, is a mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in the region of Andalusia
Andalusia

Andalusia is a country in the Spanish State. It is the most populous and the second largest, in terms of land area, of the seventeen autonomous communities of the Spain....
 in Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén
Mulhacén

Mulhac?n is the highest mountain in continental Spain and in the Iberian Peninsula. It is part of the Sierra Nevada range in the Cordillera Penib?tica....
 at .

It is a popular tourist
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
 destination, as its high peaks make skiing
Skiing

Snow skiing is a group of sports using skis as primary equipment. Skis are used in conjunction with ski boots that connect to the ski with use of a ski bindings....
 possible in Europe's most southern ski resort
Ski resort

A ski area is a developed recreational facility, usually on a mountain or large hill, containing skiing trails and vital supporting services....
, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
 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 communities of Spain of Andalusia, Spain....
 and, a little farther, Málaga
Málaga

M?laga is a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. At the 2007 census the population is 576,725....
 and Almería
Almería

Almer?a is the capital of the Almer?a , Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea....
.

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 the Granada and Almer?a provinces . It stretches from Alpujarra to the Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley....
.






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The Sierra Nevada, meaning "snowy range" in Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
, is a mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in the region of Andalusia
Andalusia

Andalusia is a country in the Spanish State. It is the most populous and the second largest, in terms of land area, of the seventeen autonomous communities of the Spain....
 in Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén
Mulhacén

Mulhac?n is the highest mountain in continental Spain and in the Iberian Peninsula. It is part of the Sierra Nevada range in the Cordillera Penib?tica....
 at .

It is a popular tourist
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
 destination, as its high peaks make skiing
Skiing

Snow skiing is a group of sports using skis as primary equipment. Skis are used in conjunction with ski boots that connect to the ski with use of a ski bindings....
 possible in Europe's most southern ski resort
Ski resort

A ski area is a developed recreational facility, usually on a mountain or large hill, containing skiing trails and vital supporting services....
, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
 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 communities of Spain of Andalusia, Spain....
 and, a little farther, Málaga
Málaga

M?laga is a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. At the 2007 census the population is 576,725....
 and Almería
Almería

Almer?a is the capital of the Almer?a , Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea....
.

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 the Granada and Almer?a provinces . It stretches from Alpujarra to the Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley....
. The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve

A biosphere reserve is an international conservation designation given by UNESCO under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere . The World Network of Biosphere Reserves is the collection of all 531 biosphere Nature reserve in 105 countries ....
. 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 1847....
 is located on the northern slopes at 2800 m.

Formation

The Sierra Nevada were formed during the Alpine Orogeny
Alpine orogeny

The Alpine orogeny is an orogeny phase in the Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt. These mountains include the Atlas Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Pindus, the Carpathians, the Balkan Mountains, the Taurus Mountains, the Caucasus Mountains, the Alborz, the Zagros Mountains, the Hindu Kush, t...
, a mountain-building event that also formed the European Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for 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 are a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2,400 km through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Jbel Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco....
 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 watershed stays consistently above 3000m in altitude.

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

  • Mulhacén
    Mulhacén

    Mulhac?n is the highest mountain in continental Spain and in the Iberian Peninsula. It is part of the Sierra Nevada range in the Cordillera Penib?tica....
  • Veleta
    Veleta (Sierra Nevada)

    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 ....
  • Alcazaba


Sport

  • Sierra Nevada Ski Resort

See also

  • Alpujarras
    Alpujarras

    La Alpujarra is a mountainous district in Southern Spain, which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada in the autonomous communities of Spain region of Andalusia....
  • Geography of Spain
    Geography of Spain

    Spain is located in sothwestern Europe and comprises about 84 percent of the Iberian Peninsula. Its total area is of which is land and is water....


External links



Bibliography

  • Francisco Pérez Raya, Joaquín Molero Mesa, Francisco Valle Tendero, 1992: "Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada. Paisaje, fauna, flora, itinerarios". Ed. Rueda. Madrid. ISBN 84-7207-067-0 (Spanish)
  • "Flora de la Tundra de Sierra Nevada". Pablo Prieto Fernández, Ed. Universidad de Granada. ISBN ISBN 84-600-1810-5 (Spanish)
  • "Sierra Nevada: Guía de Montaña". Aurelio del Castillo y Antonio del Castillo. Ed. Penibética, 2003. ISBN 84-932022-3-1 (Spanish)