The Central System,
Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...
s in the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
. The 2,592 m high
Pico Almanzor
Pico Almanzor is the highest mountain in central Spain. Situated in the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, Almanzor is high. It is made of granite. The mountain is also known as ''Pico de Almanzor'' and ''Moro Almanzor''.
History
The mo ...
is its highest summit.
The Central System is located just north of the
40th parallel and its ranges divide the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of the
Tagus
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
from the basin of the
Douro.
Description
The Sistema Central is a primary feature of the
Meseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts. The Sistema Central runs in an ENE - WSW direction roughly along the southern border of the
Spanish autonomous community of
Castile and León
Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain.
It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of th ...
and
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
continuing into the
Guarda and
Castelo Branco districts in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
.
Unlike the neighboring
Sistema Ibérico, the Sistema Central range is a quite homogeneous system. It consists of several ranges that formed 25 million years ago as part of the
Alpine orogeny.
The major mountain ranges are the
Sierra de Guadarrama, which runs approximately along the border of the
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
and Castile and León autonomous communities, the
Sierra de Gredos north of the border between Castile and León and
Castile-La Mancha stretching into
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
and containing the range's highest mountain,
Pico Almanzor
Pico Almanzor is the highest mountain in central Spain. Situated in the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, Almanzor is high. It is made of granite. The mountain is also known as ''Pico de Almanzor'' and ''Moro Almanzor''.
History
The mo ...
, at 2,592 m, as well as the
Serra da Estrela, containing the highest point in continental
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
,
A Torre, 1,993 m. Other notably large ranges are
Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata ( ext, Sierra e Gata) is one of the main mountain ranges in the Sistema Central, Spain. The highest point is Peña Canchera (1,592 m).
Geography
The Sierra de Gata is located in the northwest of the province of Cáceres, which is ...
and
Sierra de Ayllón. The Central System links with the
Sistema Ibérico at its eastern end through the
Sierra de Pela, the
Altos de Barahona and
Sierra Ministra, the latter already fully part of the Iberian System.
Introducción al estudio del espacio geográfico soriano
/ref>
"Sistema Central" is a widely known academic geographical term. Local inhabitants, however, generally refer to the Sistema Central by the names of its smaller constituent ranges.
Mountain ranges
The main ranges of the Sistema Central from west to east followed by their highest points are:
* Serra da Lousã, Trevim, 1,205 m.
* Serra do Moradal
* Serra da Estrela, Torre, 1,993 m.
*Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata ( ext, Sierra e Gata) is one of the main mountain ranges in the Sistema Central, Spain. The highest point is Peña Canchera (1,592 m).
Geography
The Sierra de Gata is located in the northwest of the province of Cáceres, which is ...
, Jálama
The Jálama is a mountain in western Spain.
Etymology
In the local language of the northwestern Province of Cáceres, the mountain is known as ''Xálima''. Both names probably come from Paleohispanic languages. The Jálama Valley is home to ...
, 1,492 m.
* Sierra de la Canchera, Pico Tiendas, 1,590 m
*Sierra de Francia
The Sierra de Francia is a mountain range located in Sierra de Francia Comarca at the southern end of Salamanca Province, Castile and León, Spain. It is located about 70 km from Salamanca city. The region is sparsely inhabited and its f ...
, Pico de la Hastiala
Pico may refer to:
Places The Moon
* Mons Pico, a lunar mountain in the northern part of the Mare Imbrium basin
Portugal
* Pico, a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Verde
* Pico da Pedra, a civil parish in the municipality of Ribeir ...
, 1,735 m.
* Sierra de Béjar, Canchal de la Ceja, 2,430 m.
* Sierra de Gredos, Pico Almanzor
Pico Almanzor is the highest mountain in central Spain. Situated in the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, Almanzor is high. It is made of granite. The mountain is also known as ''Pico de Almanzor'' and ''Moro Almanzor''.
History
The mo ...
, 2,592 m.
* Sierra de la Horcajada, Risco de la Umbrela, 1,562 m.
* Sierra de Villafranca, Cerro Moros, 2,059 m.
* Sierra de Piedra Aguda, Piedra Aguda, 1,817 m.
* La Serrota, Cerro del Santo, 2,294 m.
* Sierra de Hoyocasero, Navasolana, 1,708 m.
* Sierra de la Paramera, Pico Zapatero, 2,160 m.
*Sierra de Ávila
The Sierra de Ávila is a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Its highest point is Cerro de Gorría, at 1708 metres.
See also
* Sistema Central
The Central System, Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main s ...
, Cerro de Gorría, 1,708 m.
* Sierra de Ojos Albos, Cruz de Hierro, 1,657 m.
* Sierra de Malagón, Cueva Valiente, 1,903 m.
* Sierra de San Vicente, Cruces, 1,373 m.
* Sierra de Guadarrama, Peñalara, 2,428 m.
** La Mujer Muerta, La Pinareja, 2,197 m.
**Siete Picos
The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de Gr ...
, Siete Picos
The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de Gr ...
, 2,138 m.
** La Maliciosa, Maliciosa, 2,227 m.
** Cuerda Larga, Cabeza de Hierro Mayor, 2,383 m.
** Sierra de la Morcuera, La Najarra, 2,122 m.
** Sierra de Canencia, Mondalindo, 1,831 m.
**Sierra de la Cabrera
The Sierra de la Cabrera is a mountain range in northern Spain. The landscape shows evidence of past glaciation.
Ecological importance
The Sierra de la Cabrera gives its name to a Site of Community Importance (ES4190110), where species of inter ...
, Cancho Largo, 1,564 m.
* Sierra de Somosierra, Colgadizos, 1,834 m.
* Sierra de Ayllón, Pico del Lobo, 2,274 m.
** Sierra de la Puebla, La Tornera, 1,866 m.
** Sierra del Ocejón, Ocejón, 2,049 m.
* Sierra de Alto Rey, Alto Rey, 1,858 m.
* Sierra de Pela, Sima de Somolinos, 1,548 m.
Main ranges and features
File:Foto3 SGiao Small.jpg, View of the Serra da Estrela, containing the highest point in continental Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
File:Circo y cima de Peñalara1.JPG, Alpine lake at Peñalara, Sierra de Guadarrama
File:Sierra de Gata Nevada.JPG, A view of the Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata ( ext, Sierra e Gata) is one of the main mountain ranges in the Sistema Central, Spain. The highest point is Peña Canchera (1,592 m).
Geography
The Sierra de Gata is located in the northwest of the province of Cáceres, which is ...
peaks in the background over a mountain village
File:Cerro del Padrastro.jpg, Cerro del Padrastro hill close to Atienza, in the transition zone between the Sistema Central and the Sistema Ibérico
See also
* Geography of Spain, section "The Inner Plateau and associated mountains"
* Sierra de Guadarrama
* Valsain Valley
* Valsain Mountains
* Las Hurdes
* List of mountain ranges in the world named The Sleeping Lady
*Topographical relief of Spain
The topographical relief of Spain is characterized by being quite high, with an average altitude of 660 meters above sea level, quite mountainous compared to other European countries and only surpassed by Switzerland, Austria, Greece and the mi ...
References
*Wes Gibbons & Teresa Moreno, ''The geology of Spain''. Geological Society of London, 2003
External links
Physical geography and geology of Spain
Virtual Cadastral
{{Authority control
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...