Spain
Spain (España in Spanish) is situated in south-west Europe, and has a total area of about 504,030 square kilometres, making it one of the largest countries in Europe. Mainland Spain, which occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, is bordered to the north by the Bay of Biscay, France and Andorra, to the east and south by the Mediterranean Sea and small British territory of Gibraltar, and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean and Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa, are also Spanish territory. There are also two autonomous Spanish cities (Ceuta and Melilla) in North Africa, bordering Morocco.
Spain is a very decentralised country, with considerable autonomy granted to its various component states – especially the Basque Country and Catalonia.
For further details on the country, see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain. For information on the geography of Spain, see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Spain.
The principle mountain ranges in the country are, starting from the north-west, and moving clockwise:
The Pyrenees. This is the third highest mountain range in Western and Central Europe (after the Alps and Sierra Nevada), forming the border with France. The range runs roughly on a west to east orientation. The highest mountain in the range is Pico d’Aneto (3404m), which has a prominence of 2812 metres. The Pyrenees are composed of a tough core of granite and gneiss with flanking layers of limestone in the western part of the range.
Sistema Ibérico. This complex range of mountains flanks the central plateau (Meseta Central) on its north-eastern side, running on a north-west to south-east orientation. The highest mountain in the range is Moncayo (2313m). The geology of the Sistema Ibérico is very complex, giving rise to a great diversity of mountain landscapes.
Sistema Penibético. This range, situated on the southern flank of the country, consists of a number of sub-ranges, most notably the Sierra Nevada, the second highest group of mountains in western and central Europe. It runs roughly on an east to west orientation. The highest mountain in the range, and in all of mainland Spain, is Mulhacén (3479m), which has a prominence of 3285 metres. The geology of the Sistema Penibético is again complex, with volcanic and sedimentary rocks predominating in different parts of the range.
Sierra Morena. This lesser range forms the southern flank of the Meseta Central, running roughly on an east to west orientation. The highest mountain in the range is Bañuela (1323m), which has a prominence of 649 metres.
Sistema Central. This range, again roughly on an east-west orientation, divides the Meseta Central into southern and northern sections. On its eastern end it abuts the Sistema Ibérico, and extends into Portugal at its western end. The highest mountain in the range is Pico Almanzor (2592m), which has a prominence of 1690m metres. The range is mainly composed of volcanic rocks.
Cordillera Cantábrica. This range, in Northern Spain, is also on a roughly west to east orientation, following the coast of the Bay of Biscay. The highest mountain in the range is Torre de Cerredo (2648m) in the Picos de Europa sub-range. This mountain has a prominence of 1931 metres. The Cordillera Cantábrica are principally composed of sedimentary rocks (limestone).
Apart from mainland Spain on the Iberian Peninsula, the following island groups form part of the kingdom:
Balearic Islands, in the Western Mediterranean, off the east coast of Spain. The main islands of the group are Majorca (highest mountain – Puig Major (1447m)) , Minorca (highest hill El Toro (358m)), Ibiza (highest hill Sa Talaia (476m)) and Formentera (highest hill La Mola (192m)).
Canary Islands, 90km off the west coast of North Africa. The main islands in the group are Tenerife (highest mountain Pico de Teide (3718m)), Fuerteventura (highest hill Pico de Jandía (807m)), Gran Canaria (highest mountain Pico de Las Nieves (1949m)) , Lanzarote (highest hill Peñas del Chache (671m)) , La Palma (highest mountain Roque de los Muchachos (2423m)), La Gomera (highest mountain Garajonay (1484m)), El Hierro (highest mountain Pico Malpaso (1501m)), Alegranza (highest hill Punta Delgada (289m)), La Graciosa (highest hill Aguja Grandes (266m)) and Montaña Clara (highest hill Montaña Clara (256m)).
The highest mountain in Spain and its islands is Pico de Teide (3718m) on Tenerife, with a prominence of 3718 metres. It is an active volcano that last erupted in 1909.
There are eight mountains in Spain and its islands with a prominence of at least 1500 metres (Ultras). There are thirty-one mountains in Spain and its islands of at least 3000 metres in height and 150 metres of prominence – five in the Sierra Nevada, twenty-five in the Pyrenees and one on the island of Tenerife.
A list of all the mountains and hills in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula can be found at
http://www.sol.co.uk/v/viewfinder/IBERIAover590m.html .
Below this page are sub-pages on the autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Catalonia. Click on the headings in the toolbar on the left to go to these sub-pages.
The list of Spain’s 3000m peaks, which can be downloaded below, compiled by Clem Clements, is the first list of mountains for the whole country selected on both height and prominence criteria. More lists will follow in due course.
Mountains listed in attachments below:
John Kirk's list of Spanish 2000m to P140m peaks (in three parts)
The 3000m Summits of Spain - e-booklet version
The 3000m Summits of Spain - print-booklet version
2013 Spain 2000 Area 1 v.15.03.13.pdf2013 Spain 2000 Area 2 v.15.03.13.pdf2013 Spain 2000 Area 3 v.15.03.13.pdf3000m Summits of Spain - e-booklet version 10.10.pdf3000m Summits of Spain - print-booklet version 10.10.pdf