Montes de Málaga Natural Park ( es, Parque Natural Montes de Málaga) is the name of a natural park in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

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 ...

. It is named after the

Montes de Málaga Montes de Málaga is a mountain range of the Penibaetic System in Málaga Province, Andalusia, Spain. Its highest point is the 1,030 m high Cresta de la Reina peak. Other notable peaks are San Antón, Coronado, Monte Victoria and Gibralfaro. The ...

range located near

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

city and was established in 1989.

Description

The park lies at the heart of the Montes de Málaga coastal mountain range. The

Guadalmedina The Guadalmedina (from the Arabic وَادِي (''wādī''), 'river' + ''medina'', 'city'; 'river of the city') is a river that runs through the city of Málaga, Spain. Historically, it has played an important role in the city's history, and has ...

river that runs through Málaga, crosses the park area which includes small valleys cut by the Guadalmedina's tributaries The vegetation is dominated by

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

with ''

Pistacia lentiscus ''Pistacia lentiscus'' (also lentisk or mastic) is a dioecious evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus ''Pistacia'' native to the Mediterranean Basin. It grows up to tall and is cultivated for its aromatic resin, mainly on the Greek islan ...

'' and ''

Arbutus unedo ''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common name ...

''. The most characteristic tree

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

s, including the stone pine and Monterrey pine. Other trees found in the area are

Algerian oak ''Quercus canariensis'', the Algerian oak, Mirbeck's oak or zean oak, is an oak in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Mesobalanus'', native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the scientific name, it does not occur na ...

cork oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the cores ...

scarlet oak ''Quercus coccinea'', the scarlet oak, is a deciduous tree in the red oak section ''Lobatae'' of the genus ''Quercus'', in the family Fagaceae. It is primarily distributed in the central and eastern United States. It occurs on dry, sandy, usuall ...

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

and

carob tree The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and lands ...

. The animals in the

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

include the genet,

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

ocellated lizard The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard (''Timon lepidus'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae (wall lizards). The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Common names Additional common names for ''T. lepidus'' include eyed lizar ...

, Andalusian wall lizard, Mediterranean chameleon and the

Iberian ribbed newt The Iberian ribbed newt, gallipato or Spanish ribbed newt (''Pleurodeles waltl'') is a newt endemic to the central and southern Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. It is the largest European newt species and it is also known for its sharp ribs which ...

. There are also

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

such as the

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Eurasian sparrowhawk The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...

and

northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of prey, raptor in the Family (biology), family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harrier (bird) ...

Ethnographic Museum

There is also the Ethnographic Museum (''Museo Etnográfico'') in an old farm in Torrijos, within the park area.Rutas en el Parque Natural de los Montes de Malaga
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References

External links

*
Montes de Málaga (Málaga)
Málaga Natural parks of Andalusia 1989 establishments in Spain Protected areas established in 1989 {{Spain-geo-stub