The Pre-Pyrenees are the

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...

of 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. ...

Description

As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction. On the French side the Pyrenees's slopes descend rather abruptly, thus on the northern side, the Pre-Pyrenees are confined to the

Corbières Massif The Corbières Massif ( ; ; ) is a mountain range in the Pre-Pyrenees. It is the only true foothill of the Pyrenees on their northern side. Geography The Corbières are a mountain region in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southeastern France, loc ...

, towards the eastern end of the mountain system. The Massif de Plantaurel further west deserves mention as well, although not as clearly a foothill. On the Iberian side, however, the picture is very different: a large and complex system of foothill ranges stretches from

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

, across northern

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, ...

, reaching the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast on the Catalan end of the Pyrenees. At the eastern end on the southern side lies a distinct area known as the Sub-Pyrenees.

Main ranges

Although the highest peaks in the Pre-Pyrenees are not as high as those in the

proper, some of the ranges are quite massive, with summits reaching up to .

Northern slope

* Massif de Plantaurel

Southern slope

The main ranges are: ;In Catalonia * Serra d'Aubenç * Serra dels Bastets * Serra de Bellmunt * Cingles de Beví * Serra de Boumort * Serra de Busa * Serra del Cadí ** Montsec de Tost * Serra de Boumort * Serra de Camporan * Serra de les Canals * Serra de Capsacosta ** Serra de Malforat *** Serra de la Cau * Serra de Carreu * El Catllaràs * Serra de Comiols * Serra del Port del Comte ** Serra de Querol ** Serra del Verd * Serra de Conivella * Serrat de la Creueta * Serra d'Ensija * La Faiada de Malpàs * Serra de Falgars * Serra de la Gessa * Serra de Sant Mamet * Serra de Moixeró * Serra de Milany * Mare de Déu del Mont * Serra de Monebui * Serra de Montclús *

Montsec The Montsec Range ( ; ) is a mountain system of the Pre-Pyrenees. Description The Serra del Montsec consists of a series of calcareous mountain ranges running roughly from east to west. The range system is about 40 km long and 186.96 s ...

range ** Montsec de Rúbies, the eastern massif, is separated by the river Segre in the east and the Noguera Pallaresa in the middle. *** Serra del Cucuc **

Montsec d'Ares Montsec d'Ares is the central part of the Montsec mountain range, stretching between the cliffs of Montrebei in the West and Terradets in the East. Location La Serra del Montsec is located in the Catalan province of Lleida and in the Aragone ...

, the central massif. *** Montrebei ** Montsec d'Estall, in

, located to the west, separated by the Noguera Ribagorçana from the central massif. * Serra de Montgrony * Serra de Prada * Serra de Picamill * Serra de Picancel * Serra de Queralt * Serra de Sant Gervàs ** Serra de Setcomelles * Serra de Sant Joan * Serra de Sant Marc * Serra de serra de Sobremunt * Serra del Volterol * Serra dels Tossals * Serra de Turp * Rasos de Peguera ** Serrat de la Figuerassa ;In Aragon * Sierra Caballera * Sierra del Castillo de Llaguarres * Sierra de la Carrodilla * Cotiella * Serra d'EsdolomadaLuis Javier Cruchaga, ''Turbón y Sierra de Sis,''Mapas excursionistas, no 12 PRAMES 2002 *

Sierra Ferrera Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" or "mountain chain" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieve ...

* Sierra de Giró * Serra del Jordal * Sierra de las Ares * Sierra de Guara * El Turbón * Sierra de Sis * Sierra de Santo Domingo * Sierra de Loarre * Sierra de Javierre * Sierra Caballera ;In Navarre * Sierra de Leire

Features

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline Mountain ranges of Aragon Mountain ranges of Catalonia Mountain ranges of Navarre Mountain ranges of Occitania (administrative region)