, photo=Pic Ramougn.jpg , photo_caption=North side of Pic Ramougn from Hourquette d'Aubert , country=France , region_type=

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, region=

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...

, region1= , region2= , region3= , parent=Pyrenees , length_km=, length_orientation= , width_km= , width_orientation= , geology=Granite, period= , orogeny= , highest=Pic Long , elevation_m=3192 , range_coordinates = , coordinates = , map= , map_caption= The Néouvielle massif is a group of

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 (topography), summit area, and ...

s 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 C ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

notable for its

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s and its

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

. Much of the massif lies within the

Néouvielle National Nature Reserve Néouvielle National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve located in the Néouvielle massif. It ranges from to . With a wide array of flora and fauna, it contains about 370 animal species and 570 breeds of algae. Geography Located in ...

; this

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

was created in 1936 and is the third oldest in France. The name ''Néouvielle'' ('old snow') derives from ''nèu vielha'' in the

Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Ital ...

– ''nèu'' meaning 'snow' and ''vielha'' meaning 'old' – and is thought to refer to the many

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

that used to belong to the region.

Néouvielle group

This group is centred on Pic de Néouvielle and is composed of heavily glaciated granite peaks. *

Pic de Néouvielle Pic de Néouvielle (3,091 m) is a mountain in the Néouvielle massif in the French Pyrenees. It is located in the commune of Saint-Lary-Soulan within the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées, and lies on the border between the Pyrenees National ...

3,091 m * Trois Conseillers 3,039 m *

Turon de Néouvielle The Turon du Néouvielle is a summit in the French Pyrenees, culminating at 3,035 m, located in the Néouvielle massif, Néouvielle Range, on the edge of the Pyrenees National Park. It is famous for having the first recorded ascent of a Pyrenees p ...

3,035 m * Pic Ramougn 3,011 m * Pic de la Coume de l'Ours 2,855 m * Pic de la Morèle 2,679 m * Pic de la Hèche Castet 2,568 m * Pic Prudent 2,287 m

Pic Long-Campbieil group

This group lies to the south of the Néouvielle group and is outside the 'réserve naturelle du Néouvielle'. *

Pic Long Pic Long (3,192 m) is the highest mountain in the Néouvielle massif 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 ...

3,192 m *

Campbieil The Campbieil is a summit in the French 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 ...

3,173 m * Pic Badet 3,160 m * Pic Maou 3,074 m * Pic Maubic 3,058 m * Pic de Buggaret 3,031 m * Pic de Crabounouse 3,021 m * Dent d'Estibère 3,017 m *

Estaragne The Estaragne (Pic d'Estaragne) is a French pyrenean summit, culminating at m. Topography The peak is located in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Néouvielle massif, near Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Pyrenees National Park and near th ...

3,006 m * Pic des Halharisès 2,995 m * Pic Méchant, 2,930 m * Pic de Bugatet 2,877 m

Flora and fauna

The massif enjoys a variety of climatic influences and supports a wide variety of plant and animal species, including ''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''uncinata'' (a subspecies of mountain pine) which grows in abundance between elevations of 1,600–2,300 m,

cross-leaved heath ''Erica tetralix'', the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe ...

, the arctic

marsh cinquefoil ''Comarum palustre'' ( syn. ''Potentilla palustris''), known by the common names purple marshlocks, swamp cinquefoil and marsh cinquefoil, is a common waterside shrub. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout North America, Europe ...

, 94 species of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.sphagnum moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

in the bogs within the park. Approximately 370 species of animal are found in the reserve, including

capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Taxonomy The genus ''Tetrao'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ...

grey partridge The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix''), also known as the gray-legged partridge, English partridge, Hungarian partridge, or hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

griffon vulture The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It may also be known as the Griffon vulture, though it may be used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confused with Rü ...

, isard,

midwife toad Midwife toads are a genus (''Alytes'') of frogs in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae), and are found in most of Europe and northwestern Africa. Characteristic of these toad-like frogs is their parental care; the males carry a string o ...

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...

and Seoanei's viper.

Lakes

Lac d'Aubert Lac d'Aubert is a lake in Hautes-Pyrénées, France, elevated 2148 metres with a surface area of 0.45 km². Lakes of Hautes-Pyrénées {{HautesPyrénées-geo-stub ...

* Lac d'Aumar * Lac de Cap de Long * Lac de Madamète * Lac d'Orédon * Lac de l'Oule

References

External links

Information about the réserve naturelle du Néouvielle (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neouvielle Massif Mountains of the Pyrenees Mountains of Hautes-Pyrénées Nature reserves in France