The Picos de Europa ("Peaks of Europe", also the Picos) are a

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 ...

extending for about , forming part of the

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...

in northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The range is situated in the Autonomous Communities of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

and

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 ...

. The highest peak is

Torre de Cerredo Torre Cerredo, also called Torrecerredo or Torre de Cerredo ( Asturian: ''La Torre Cerréu''), is the highest peak of the Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. With a prominence of 1,931 m, it is an ultra-prominent peak and the third most promine ...

, at an elevation of (8,690 ft).

Name

A widely accepted origin for the name is that they were the first sight of Europe for ships arriving from the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. The name can be traced to Lucio Marineo Sículo, who mentioned the '' Rupes Europae'' in 1530. Ambrosio Morales, chronist of

Felipe II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, K ...

, mentions the ''Montañas de Europa'' in 1572. Prudencio de Sandoval calls them the ''Peñas o Sierras de Europa'' in 1601.

Geography

The range consists of three major

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to 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 ...

(also known as ''Urrieles''), Eastern (Ándara) and Western (also known as the ''Picos de Cornión''). The Central and Western massifs are separated by the deep

Cares The Cares is a river in Northern Spain that flows through the autonomous communities of Asturias and León until it joins the Deva River and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the Bay of Biscay. It forms the Tina Mayor estuary, the natural bo ...

Gorge (''Garganta del

''), with the village of Caín at its head. The waters in the Cares mostly arise from

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

resurgences. Some of the water in the Cares river is diverted through a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

scheme, with a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

running in the northern wall of the gorge to Camarmeña. Almost all of the rock in the Picos is

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

, and

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

action has contributed to create an impressive area of alpine

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

. The highest peak is ''

'', with an altitude of 2,650 metres at . Many other peaks reach altitudes of over 2,600 m. The area is popular with

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

s, climbers and mountain walkers. There is a good network of well-established mountain refuges. The best-known climbing site is the '' Naranjo de Bulnes'' or ''Picu Urriellu'', in the Urrieles massif which can be considered the most famous climb in Spain. Vega de Liordes, an enclave in the León sector of Picos de Europa belonging to the municipality of

Posada de Valdeón Posada de Valdeón ( Astur-Leonese: ''Valdión'') is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. Population According to the 2006 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 526 inhabitants. Villages Po ...

registered on January 7, 2021.

Nature

Cantabrian brown bear The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear (scientifically ''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'') is a population of Eurasian brown bears (''Ursus arctos arctos'') living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain. On average, females weigh , ...

s (''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'') and

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

(''Canis lupus signatus'') live in the more remote regions. Rebeccos (

Cantabrian chamois The Cantabrian chamois (''Rupicapra pyrenaica parva'') is a slim mountain goat-antelope, and is one of the 10 subspecies of the genus '' Rupicapra''. It ranges the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, with a population of 17,000 animals in 2007 ...

- ''Rupicapra pyrenaica parva'') are fairly frequently seen (according to a 2006 Ministry of the Environment report, there were around 8,000 sightings that year);

chough There are two species of passerine birds commonly called chough ( ) that constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae (crow) family of birds. These are the red-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), and the Alpine chough (or yello ...

s and

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Eastern ...

s are common, various eagles and vultures are frequently seen, and there is a diverse butterfly population in the park. Most of the region is now protected as a single ''

Picos de Europa National Park The Picos de Europa National Park ( es, Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa) is a National Park in the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain. It is within the boundaries of three autonomous communities, Asturias, Cantabria and Casti ...

'' in

and León provinces of Spain; the Asturian part was Spain's first National Park. Access is via minor roads to each of the three

s from the north and from the south to the aerial tramway at Fuente Dé and to Caín at the head of the Cares Canyon.

Caves

The Picos de Europa contain many of world's deepest caves, including Torca del Cerro (−1589 m), Sima de la Cornisa (−1507 m), Torca los Rebecos (−1255 m) and Pozo del Madejuno (−1252 m). Discovery of new caves and their exploration still continues.

Gastronomy

The Picos support a dwindling group of

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' ' herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, ...

s who move up from the valleys in the summer with their

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticate ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s, cows, and an occasional pig. The area is famed for its piquant blue

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...

s, such as

Cabrales cheese Cabrales ( Spanish: ''queso de Cabrales'') is a blue cheese made in the artisan tradition by rural dairy farmers in Asturias, Spain. This cheese can be made from pure, unpasteurized cow’s milk or blended in the traditional manner with goat an ...

and Picón Tresviso Bejes.

Gallery

Image:Turieno.jpg, The village of Turieno, at the foot of the ''Picos'' Image:Lamedo I.jpg, Lamedo, in

Liébana Liébana is a ''Comarcas of Cantabria, comarca'' of Cantabria (Spain). It covers 575 square kilometres and is located in the far southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León (province), León and Palencia (province), Palencia. It is made up o ...

(

) File:Asturian sheep.jpg, Asturian sheep grazing in the Picos de Europa File:SotresPanorama.jpg,

Sotres Sotres is a village and parish in the Asturian municipality of Cabrales, in Spain, located 19 km from Carreña, the municipal capital, in the eastern extreme of the province. The highest of all villages in the Picos de Europa National Pa ...

, (

) File:Rebecos en Picos de Europa, BK1D3929.jpg,

, Picos de Europa File:Mustela 1.jpg,

Mustela nivalis The least weasel (''Mustela nivalis''), little weasel, common weasel, or simply weasel is the smallest member of the genus '' Mustela,'' family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has been ...

, Picos de Europa File:PViejaPanoFull.jpg, Picos de Europa, from Peña Vieja File:Urriellu desde el Pozo de La Oracion.jpg, Urriellu peak ( Naranjo de Bulnes) from Pozo de La Oracion File:Covadonga - Lago Enol 11.jpg, Lake Enol File:Picos de Europa Road.jpg, Remote Road in the Picos de Europa

References

External links

Information about Picos de Europa Mountains
spanishminerals.com, Blog of Juan Fernandez Buelga
Safe tours around Picos de Europa
Hiking in the park, visit refuges & information.
Spanish tradition, walks and language in the mountains
peakme.es

topwalks.net
National Park website and online Picos de Europa mountanieering community
(Spanish) picoseuropa.net

(Spanish) llanes.as
Picos de Europa at Valdeon
(Spanish) valdeon.org Ayuntamiento de Posada de Valdeón
Routes in Cantabria and Picos de Europa
rutasporcantabria.com, Bowl Francisco Vega

iberianwildlife.com

oucc.org.uk, Oxford University Cave Club Proceedings 10 : 1980-1981.
El Anillo de Picos - Recorrido circular por los Picos de Europa
elanillodepicos.com (Spanish /English) Hiking in the park, routes & information
Tresviso Caves Project
caving expeditions to the Eastern Massif {{Authority control Mountain ranges of Castile and León Mountain ranges of Asturias Mountain ranges of Cantabria Cantabrian Mountains Green Spain