Sierra de las Nieves is a
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 ...
range of the
Penibaetic System in
Málaga Province,
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
,
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 ...
with its highest point being
La Torrecilla (1,919 m).
Sierra de las Nieves is also the name of an administrative area, the ''
comarca''.
The Sierra de las Nieves is named after the snow that sometimes covers its heights in the winter and that used to be gathered in
ice pits for local use.
Geography
This mountain range is part of the
Serranía de Ronda ranges, located near
Ronda inland from the
Costa del Sol, to the east of the road to Ronda from
Marbella. The easiest route to reach it is from Ronda town.
The Sierra de las Nieves is a
karstic range with some impressive
shafts and caves. It is composed of a few subranges such as the ''Sierra de la Nieve'', ''Sierra del Pinar'' and ''Sierra de Tolox''. The highest peak is
La Torrecilla (1,919 m) followed by Enamorados (1,775 m).
Rivers
Guadalevín, which is well known for having cut the deep ''Tajo de Ronda'' canyon,
El Burgo River,
Alfaguara River, flowing through
Tolox, the
Río Grande, a tributary of the
Guadalhorce, and for the
Río Verde whose dam near
Istán provides water to the Costa del Sol, have their sources in this range.
Biodiversity
In 1989, the
Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park was established as a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
located in the heart of the range; it became a
biosphere reserve in 1995.
Parque Natural "Sierra de las Nieves"
/ref> The park possesses a huge natural wealth, with really different fauna and flora. Some plant here are endemic, like the Spanish Fir ''(Abies pinsapo)'' or the Gall Oak. the ibex or the otter maintain populations of stable individual species. There is one particular Spanish Fir, the Pinsapo de Las Escaleretas, which has been declared a natural monument. The park also has a chestnut estimated to be 800 to 1000 years old, the Castaño Santo.
Comarca of Sierra de las Nieves
Sierra de las Nieves is also the name of an administrative area - the '' comarca'' - which groups together 9 of the Municipalities of Málaga Province. The municipalities which comprise this comarca are: Alozaina, Casarabonela, El Burgo, Guaro, Istán, Monda, Ojén, Tolox and Yunquera.
See also
* Baetic System
References
External links
Comprehensive tourist information about Ronda in English
*{{Commonscat inline
20/02/2011
Nieves
Nieves
Landforms of the Province of Málaga
Biosphere reserves of Spain
Natural parks of Spain