The Serra dos Ancares (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Sierra de los Ancares'', also known as ''Sierra de Ancares'') is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

of the

Galician Massif The Galician Massif ( es, Macizo Galaico, also known as ''Macizo Galaico-Leonés'') is a system of mountain ranges in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located in Galicia with its southeastern end reaching into the provinces ...

in north-west

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 ...

, extending in a south-westerly direction from the western end of the

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, th ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

Geography

The range forms the boundary between the

autonomous communities eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

of Galicia and

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...

. The highest point of the range is the Cuiña Peak at . Other notable peaks are Mustallar (1,935 m) and

Miravalles The Miravalles Volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano in Costa Rica. The caldera was formed during several major explosive eruptions that produced voluminous dacitic-rhyolitic pyroclastic flows A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic de ...

(1,969 m). The smaller

Serra do Courel Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to: People * Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer * Serra (surname) * Serra (given name) Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil *Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area *Ampa ...

lies south of this range, stretching parallel to it. The main trees in the range are

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

and

European alder ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations whe ...

close to water courses, as well as

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

common hazel ''Corylus avellana'', the common hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia. It is an important component of the hedgerows that were the traditional field boundaries in lowland En ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

common holly Brigitte Naggar, better known by her stage name Common Holly, is a Canadian musician from Montreal, Quebec. As Common Holly, Naggar has released two full-length albums. History Naggar's first album, ''Playing House'', was released in 2017. The a ...

. Above there is brushland with

tree heath ''Erica arborea'', the tree heath or tree heather, is a species of flowering plant (angiosperms) in the heather family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. It is also cultivated as an or ...

and

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

. This area of Spain contains many isolated rural communities that were largely cut off from the outside world until roads were built in the mid 20th century. The most significant element of the whole architecture of the area is the

palloza A palloza (also known as pallouza or pallaza) is a traditional dwelling of the Serra dos Ancares of northwest Spain. Structure A palloza is a traditional thatched house as found in Leonese county of El Bierzo, Serra dos Ancares in Galicia, and ...

or ''casa

teito Teito (also Palhoça in Portugal and Palloza in Galicia) is an Asturian term that designates a type of stone dwelling with a thatched straw or broom roof, found in western Asturias, especially in the Somiedo and Oscos area, and also in Galici ...

'', stone buildings of ancient origin, with a circular or elliptical plan.

Ecology

Sierra de los Ancares is the name of a

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

in the

province of León León (, , ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the cap ...

. ''Os Ancares Lucenses y Montes de Cervantes, Navia y Becerrea'' was declared a

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

in 2006. Os Ancares UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve
/ref> Los Ancares Leoneses is also a biosphere reserve. File:Ancares lucenses (Lugo, Galicia, España) 09.JPG , Serra dos Ancares (Lugo) File:Ancares lucenses (Lugo, Galicia, España) 06.JPG, Serra dos Ancares (Lugo) File:Sierra de los Ancares (León, España) - lago en el camino hacia el Cuiña.JPG, Serra dos Ancares (León) File:Sierra de los Ancares (León, España) - vistas subiendo al Pico Miravalles.jpg, Serra dos Ancares (León)

References

External links

Los Ancares, a very special reserveValle De Ancares (Ancares Valley)
{{Authority control Ancares Mountain ranges of Castile and León Mountain ranges of Galicia (Spain) Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Lugo Protected areas of Galicia (Spain)

Geography

Ecology

See also

References

External links