The Sub-Pyrenees ( ca, Subpirineu) are a mountainous region in

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 north ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, forming a section of the southern

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

of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

. They are located at the eastern end of the

Pre-Pyrenees The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills of the Pyrenees. 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 slop ...

, west of the

Catalan Transversal Range The Catalan Transversal Range (''Serralada Transversal'') is a system of minor mountain ranges at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, between the Osona and Garrotxa comarques. The existence of the Catalan Transversal Range has made communication ...

, between the lower

Ripollès Ripollès (; es, link=no, Ripollés) is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Ribes and Camprodon river valleys. In 2001, its population was 25,744, about 40% of whom lived in the capital, Ripoll. Ripollès borders the c ...

and an area of the high Garrotxa.

Description

The Sub-Pyrenees consist of a series of parallel mountain ranges aligned in an east-west direction. Their shape is smooth and they are mostly covered with

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

. They are cut transversally by the Ter River, between the

Sant Amand Sant Amand or Puig de Sant Amand is a mountain of Catalonia, Spain. It has an elevation of 1,851 metres above sea level.. See also *Sub-Pyrenees *Mountains of Catalonia This is a list of mountains in Catalonia, Spain. See also *Monts ...

(1,851 m) anticline and Bellmunt (1,515 m), the mountain massif rising over the

Plain of Vic The Plain of Vic (Catalan ''Plana de Vic'') is a 30 km long depression located at the eastern end of the Catalan Central Depression in the Osona comarca. It is named after the town of Vic, an important and ancient urban center in this natur ...

. The term ''Subpirineu'' was first used in 1938 by Catalan geographer and

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

Lluís Solé Lluís Solé i Sabarís (May 18, 1908 - July 14, 1985) was a Spanish educator and geographer. Life Born in the city of Gavà, Solé's family moved to Lleida when he was still young. In 1926, he met Pau Vila, through whom he discovered geography, a ...

. He justified the separateness of the Sub-Pyrenees from the Pre-Pyrenees and the Transversal Range on the basis of the material composition of the mountains, as well as the relatively more recent character of the

anticline In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the ...

and the evidence of fractures. The name "Sub-Pyrenees" was systematically accepted in the 1958 work ''Geografia de Catalunya''.Jordi Sacasas i Lluís, ''Geografía de Catalunya'', Publicacions L'Abadia de Montserrat.

References

{{Reflist

External links

El Factor Natural del PaisatgePOUM Maià de Montcal
Garrotxa Osona Ripollès Mountain ranges of Catalonia