The Pyrenees Mountains are located in the northern region of the Iberian Peninsula . It is a mountain range that serves as a natural border between France and Spain and has the Aneto peak (3,404 meters) as its highest point.
It is important to mention that, beyond being a proper name that is written with a capital letter, Pyrenees is also used as an adjective to refer to that which is linked to the aforementioned European mountains. Thus we can find terms such as pyrenees , pyrenees , pyrenees and pirineas .
The Pyrenees , which can even be named in the singular ( Pyrenees ), have a length of about 430 kilometers. They take place in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia , Aragon , Navarra and the Basque Country and in the French regions of Occitania and New Aquitaine . Also on its surface is the Principality of Andorra , a small independent and sovereign country.
Apart from Aneto , there are more than a hundred peaks in the Pyrenees that exceed 3,000 in height. Among them, Posets , Monte Perdido and Punta de Astorg , all located in Spanish territory.
The Pyrenees are also notable for presenting the southernmost glaciers on the European continent. It is estimated that there are a dozen ice masses that have their own movement (since their lower sector slides) and that, therefore, are glaciers themselves, while another nine frozen masses are snowfields: areas with perpetual snow.
It should be noted that the European brown bear, the Pyrenean chamois, the wild boar, the red deer and the golden eagle are some of the animals that live in the Pyrenees , where several rivers also originate.
Other interesting information about the Pyrenees with the following:
-They are older than the famous Alps.
-At the plant level it has more than 4,500 different species, highlighting some of endemic nature, as would be the case, for example, of the white thistle or the king's crown, for example. However, the most representative is the one that responds to the name of snow flower or Edelweiss, which is protected and can be found mainly in the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park.
-It must be emphasized that the Pyrenees have become the last refuge of the bearded vulture, which is practically extinct in the rest of Europe. It is a species of vulture that has a wingspan that can reach 3 meters.
-One of the great attractions of the Pyrenees in what is the area of Spain is the large number of leisure spaces it has. Specifically, it has several ski resorts, such as Baqueira-Beret, Candanchú, Panticosa – Los Lagos, La Molina, Formigal or Rasos de Peguera, among others.
-In addition to its nature and the ability to enjoy outdoor sports, this area allows you to discover enclaves of great value and interest such as the Panticosa spa, the citadel of Jaca, the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña, the Castillo Santuario de Javier or Loarre Castle. Not to mention the medieval town of Rosa de Isábena, the Posets Madaleta Natural Park or the town of Ainsa.