Los Ancares is a district in northern Spain, which is noted for its unspoilt landscapes and ecological importance. The area takes its identity from the Sierra de los Ancares mountains which form a political and linguistic boundary between the autonomous communities 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 Spanish term ''Los Ancares Leoneses'' is sometimes used to refer to the zone on the Castile and León side of the sierra, which is in the basin of the

river Sil The Sil is a river in León (Castile and León) and Galicia, Spain, a tributary of the Miño. Its total length is . The source of the Sil is in the Cantabrian Mountains in the Leonese town of Villablino. It flows through the provinces of Le ...

. ''Os Ancares Lucenses'' is the corresponding term for the Galician side of the sierra: in Spanish, the name is Los Ancares. Ancares 059

World Heritage Site

The area is a projected

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, which would also include Somiedo Natural Park in Asturias.Ancares - Somiedo
UNESCO tentative list

Wildlife

Fauna includes the

Cantabrian brown bear The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear (scientifically ''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'') is a population of Eurasian brown bears (''Ursus arctos arctos'') living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain. On average, females weigh , ...

References

External links

{{coord missing, Spain Province of León Province of Lugo