Monte Perdido (in Spanish; Mont Perdu in
French; Mont Perdito in
Aragonese;all four meaning ''lost mountain'') is the third highest
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 highe ...
in 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 ...
. The summit of Monte Perdido (3355 m), located in
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 ...
, lies hidden from
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
by the seemingly impenetrable peaks of the
Cirques of Gavarnie and
Estaubé. It stands in the north of
Huesca province. The mountain forms part of the Monte Perdido Range and is located in the
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
The Ordesa Valley is a glacial valley in Aragon, in the Spanish Pyrenees which forms part of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. It was first discovered in 1820, but not mapped in detail until approximately the 1920s. The valley is about ...
, in the western part of the Pyrenees, in the community of
Aragon, Spain.
Description
Monte Perdido Glacier, locating on the north-facing slope of Monte Perdido, is the third largest glacier in the Pyrenees. It is surrounded by vertical cliffs up to 800m in height.
Similar to most European glaciers, the Monte Perdido Glacier has been shrinking since the
Little Ice Age, and since 1981, the glacier has lost 48 hectares of surface area.
The rate of retreat is continuing to accelarate due to the effects of global
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
.
Access to the mountain is easier from
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 ...
than from France. The route starts near the village of
Torla, Aragon, at the
Ordesa Valley
The Ordesa Valley is a glacial valley in Aragon, in the Spanish Pyrenees which forms part of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. It was first discovered in 1820, but not mapped in detail until approximately the 1920s. The valley is about ...
and ascends the
Cirque de Soaso towards the Refuge of
Góriz before the stiff climb to the summit. It is a dangerous climb with snow.
National park
Monte Perdido is the centrepiece of the Spanish
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
The Ordesa Valley is a glacial valley in Aragon, in the Spanish Pyrenees which forms part of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. It was first discovered in 1820, but not mapped in detail until approximately the 1920s. The valley is about ...
which was established in 1918 with just 21 square kilometres/hectares of land. In the 1970s work began to build a dam in the nearby Añisclo Canyon with the objective of creating hydroelectric energy but institutions and citizens demonstrated against this and succeeded in stopping it. In 1982 the park was expanded significantly to 156 square kilometres/hectares and now incorporates the whole of the
Añisclo Canyon.
There are more than 1,500 species of flowers, 171 species of birds, 32 different mammals and 8 types of reptile in the Ordesa. Among these is the
lammergeier
The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate m ...
(bearded vulture) with a 3-metre
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...
. The Pyrenees is one of the few places in Europe where these birds can be seen.
Because of its imposing landforms, the national park was inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage List
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 ...
in 1997 as part of the
.
See also
*
List of mountains in Aragon
This is a list of mountains in Aragon, Spain. They include the Aneto, the highest peak in the Pyrenees, as well as the Moncayo, the highest peak in the Sistema Ibérico.
See also
* List of Pyrenean three-thousanders
*Pyrenees
* Pre-Py ...
*
List of Pyrenean three-thousanders
This list contains all of the Pyrenean three-thousanders, namely the 129 mountain summits of or more above sea level in the Pyrenees, a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain. The Pyrenees sep ...
References
External links
*
Normal route and Escaleras route to climb Monte Perdidokomandokroketa.org, retrieved 2013-08-20
*
swisseduc.ch, retrieved 2013-08-20
Mountains of Aragon
Mountains of the Pyrenees
Pyrenean three-thousanders
World Heritage Sites in France
Mountains partially in France
Tourist attractions in Occitania (administrative region)
World Heritage Sites in Spain
{{aragon-geo-stub