Ports de Tortosa-Beseit (), also known as Ports de Beseit, or simply as Els Ports or Lo Port by locals, is a

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 ...

mountain massif located at the north-eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico, a complex system of mountain ranges and massifs in the centre of 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 ...

. Its highest point is

Mont Caro Mont Caro () or Caro is the highest mountain of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, Catalonia, Spain. Geography It has an elevation of 1,441 metres above sea level.. There are two large antennas and a Virgin Mary shrine on top of the summit. This mount ...

, 1,441 m. Rivers such as the Matarranya and the Sénia have their source in these mountains.

Description

At the 1350 m high

Tossal dels Tres Reis Tossal dels Tres Reis () or Tossal del Rei ('Peak of the King') is a mountain of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit massif, Spain. It has an elevation of 1,350 metres above sea level. This mountain is one of thEmblematic Summits of Catalonia Descripti ...

(Peak of the Three Kings), where the borders of the ancient Kingdoms of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

and

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to s ...

meet, there is a

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehi ...

marking the meeting point of the ancient three kingdoms of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

. It is mostly a

massif, with many steep cliffs, jagged peaks, deep valleys, shafts and caves. The area is mostly uninhabited except for small villages. These mountains were one of the last

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s of the Spanish Maquis in the 1940s and 50s.

Ecology

One of the largest colonies of griffon vultures in Europe, as well as Spanish Ibex,

Roe Deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

Wild Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

European badger The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range and a large stab ...

s, common genets, grey wagtails, among others, have their habitat in these lonely mountains. Among the aquatic animals there are

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

in some of the rivers and amphibians such as the Marbled newt in many of the ponds of the range. The vegetation of the Ports is rich and varied. Besides the Mediterranean species, there are also species belonging to

Alpine flora Alpine flora may refer to: * Alpine tundra, a community of plants that live at high altitude * Alpine plants that live within that community * Flora of the Alps __NOTOC__ The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe stretching ap ...

and colder temperate regions at high altitudes and in protected valleys.

Mountain ranges

The Ports Massif comprises several mountain ranges, like the Muntanyes de Benifassà, Serra de les Falconeres, Serra del Àguila, Serra de Rastell, Los Curullons, Moles de Raudorar, Serra de la Fortalesa, Serra de Caro, Serra de la Puca, Serra de Rafalgari, Serra de Paüls, Serra de les Deveres, Serra de l'Escaleta, Serra d'Encanader, Serra del Pedregal, Serra del Coc and Serra de l'Espina.Ports de Beseit
/ref> The latter, located at its northern end, connects with the

Catalan Pre-Coastal Range The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range ( ca, Serralada Prelitoral Catalana) is a system of mountain ranges running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea coast in Catalonia. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System. Its main axis runs between the Catal ...

Peaks

Some of the main peaks of the massif are:

(1441 m), the highest point, Castell de l'Airosa, Tossal d'en Cervera, Mola del Boix, Mola del Boixet, el Castellar, la Portella del Pinell, Curullons, el Negrell, Punta de l'Àliga, Farrubio, Penyaflor, Mola de Catí,

, Tossa Blanca, Roques de Benet, Penyagalera, Mola de Lli, Tossal de Tall Nou, Tossal de l'Espada, la Ballestera, Mola de la Paridera, Muntanyola, La Tossa, Mola Castellona, Tossal de Joan Gran, Tossal de la Forca, Tossal d'en Grillo, Muntanya de Santa Bàrbara, L'Espina and La Moleta d'Alfara.

Protected areas

There are two natural parks in the massif; there is no protected area on the Aragonese side: *Parc Natural dels Ports on the Catalan side *Parc Natural de la Tinença de Benifassà on the Valencian side.

Features

File:Mont Caro (enhanced).jpg,

, the Ports' highest point File:El port fageda (19).JPG,

Beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

forest in the National Park area Image:Masdebarberans.jpg,

Mas de Barberans Mas de Barberans is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Montsià in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities. Local crafts This town is located at the feet of the eastern edge of the Ports de Torto ...

, a town located at the feet of the eastern edge of the Ports File:Els Ports.jpg, A mountain river at ''La Vall'' in the Mas de Barberans administrative area File:L'Ulldemó.jpg, Ulldemó River close to Beseit on the western edge of the Ports File:Capra hispanica pyrenaica at Ports de Tortosa Beseit.jpg, Spanish Ibex at Ports de Tortosa Beseit File:Belemnites Ports Tortosa2.jpg,

Belemnites Belemnites may refer to: *Belemnitida Belemnitida (or the belemnite) is an extinct order of squid-like cephalopods that existed from the Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous. Unlike squid, belemnites had an internal skeleton that made up the cone. ...

fossils from ''Les Foies'', in the Serra de l'Espina close to

Alfara de Carles Alfara de Carles is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in the province of Tarragona Tarragona (, ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of C ...

File:Ulldecona.1.jpg, Ulldecona Reservoir in the

File:Roques de Benet.jpg, Roques de Benet near

Arnes, Terra Alta Arnes () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of la Terra Alta in Catalonia, Spain. Main sights The most noteworthy building of this town is the Town Hall, an example of Catalan Renaissance art. It was built in 1584 by Joan Vilabona of Quere ...

References

External links

Turisme a les Terres de l'EbreParc Natural dels PortsLo PortWalking trails through the natural park of Tinença de Benifassa
{{Mountain ranges of the Iberian System Mountain ranges of the Sistema Ibérico Mountain ranges of Aragon Mountain ranges of the Valencian Community La Franja Mountain ranges of Catalonia Baix Maestrat