The Col du Pourtalet, El Portalet or Portalet d'Aneu is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

and

border crossing Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...

in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, between

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The pass reaches an elevation of , and links the Ossau and Tena valleys. The road across the pass is known as the A-136 on the Spanish side, and links to Biescas and

Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...

. On the French side the D934 road connects the pass to the towns of Laruns, Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Pau. The pass is kept open in the winter, but in case of heavy snowfall may be closed for a couple of days. Due to the

Schengen Agreement The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...

, the checkpoint is not currently functional. The French side of the pass falls within the ''commune'' of Laruns in the ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, whilst the Spanish side is within the municipality of Sallent de Gállego within the

province of Huesca Huesca (; ), officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca. Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French departments of Haute-Garonne, Pyrénées- ...

References

Mountain passes of the Pyrenees Mountain passes of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Mountain passes of Aragon Landforms of the Province of Huesca Landforms of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Transport in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Transport in Aragon France–Spain border crossings {{PyrénéesAtlantiques-geo-stub

See also

References