Monte Perdido (in Spanish; Mont Perdu in
French; Mont Perdito in
Aragonese; all three meaning ''lost mountain'') is the third highest
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
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. ...
. The summit of Monte Perdido (3355 m), located in
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 ...
, lies hidden from
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 ...
by the seemingly impenetrable peaks of the
Cirques of Gavarnie and
Estaubé. It stands in the north of
Huesca province. The mountain forms part of the Monte Perdido Range and is located in the
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, in the western part of the Pyrenees, in the community of
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
, Spain.
Description
Monte Perdido Glacier, located on the north-facing slope of Monte Perdido, is the third-largest glacier in the Pyrenees. It is surrounded by vertical cliffs up to 800m in height.
Similar to most European glaciers, the Monte Perdido Glacier has been shrinking since the
Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Mat ...
, and since 1981, the glacier has lost 48 hectares of surface area.
The rate of retreat is continuing to accelerate due to the effects of global
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
.
Access to the mountain is easier from
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 ...
than from France. The route starts near the village of
Torla, Aragon, at the
Ordesa Valley and ascends the
Cirque de Soaso towards the Refuge of
Góriz
Góriz or Refuge of Góriz is a mountain refuge located in the province of Huesca in the Spanish Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian M ...
before the stiff climb to the summit. It is a dangerous climb with snow.
National park
Monte Perdido is the centrepiece of the Spanish
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park which was established in 1918 with just 21 square kilometres/hectares of land. In the 1970s work began to build a dam in the nearby Añisclo Canyon with the objective of creating hydroelectric energy but institutions and citizens demonstrated against this and succeeded in stopping it. In 1982 the park was expanded significantly to 156 square kilometres/hectares and now incorporates the whole of the
Añisclo Canyon.
There are more than 1,500 species of flowers, 171 species of birds, 32 different mammals and 8 types of reptile in the Ordesa. Among these is the
lammergeier (bearded vulture) with a 3-metre
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...
. The Pyrenees is one of the few places in Europe where these birds can be seen.
Because of its imposing landforms, the national park was inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage List
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
in 1997 as part of the
Pyrénées – Mont Perdu World Heritage Site.
See also
*
List of mountains in Aragon
*
List of Pyrenean three-thousanders
References
External links
*
Normal route and Escaleras route to climb Monte Perdidokomandokroketa.org, retrieved 2013-08-20
*
swisseduc.ch, retrieved 2013-08-20
Mountains of Aragon
Mountains of the Pyrenees
Pyrenean three-thousanders
World Heritage Sites in France
Mountains partially in France
Tourist attractions in Occitania (administrative region)
World Heritage Sites in Spain
France–Spain border
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