Ports de Tortosa-Beseit (), also known as Ports de Beseit, or simply as Els Ports or Lo Port by locals, is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

mountain massif located at the north-eastern end of the

Sistema Ibérico The Iberian System ( es, Sistema Ibérico, ) is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of th ...

, a complex system of mountain ranges and massifs in the centre of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. Its highest point is

Mont Caro Mont Caro () or Caro is the highest mountain of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, Catalonia, Spain. Geography It has an elevation of 1,441 metres above sea level.. There are two large antennas and a Virgin Mary shrine on top of the summit. This mounta ...

, 1,441 m. Rivers such as the Matarranya and the Sénia have their source in these mountains.

Description

At the 1350 m high

Tossal dels Tres Reis Tossal dels Tres Reis () or Tossal del Rei ('Peak of the King') is a mountain of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit massif, Spain. It has an elevation of 1,350 metres above sea level. This mountain is one of thEmblematic Summits of Catalonia Descriptio ...

(Peak of the Three Kings), where the borders of the ancient Kingdoms of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

and

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

meet, there is a

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

marking the meeting point of the ancient three kingdoms of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...

. It is mostly a

massif, with many steep cliffs, jagged peaks, deep valleys, shafts and caves. The area is mostly uninhabited except for small villages. These mountains were one of the last

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s of the

Spanish Maquis The Maquis were Spanish guerrillas who waged an irregular warfare against the Francoist dictatorship within Spain following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War until the early 1960s, carrying out sabotage, robberies (to help fund g ...

in the 1940s and 50s.

Ecology

One of the largest colonies of

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 ...

s in Europe, as well as

Spanish Ibex The Iberian ibex (''Capra pyrenaica''), also known as the Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat, is a species of ibex endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Four subspecies have been described; two are now extinct. The Portuguese subs ...

Roe Deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

Wild Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

European badger The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range and a large stabl ...

common genet The common genet (''Genetta genetta'') is a small viverrid indigenous to Africa that was introduced to southwestern Europe. It is widely distributed north of the Sahara, in savanna zones south of the Sahara to southern Africa and along the coa ...

grey wagtail The grey wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea'') is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted t ...

s, among others, have their habitat in these lonely mountains. Among the aquatic animals there are

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

in some of the rivers and amphibians such as the

Marbled newt The marbled newt (''Triturus marmoratus'') is a mainly terrestrial newt native to western Europe. They are found in the Iberian Peninsula and France, where they typically inhabit mountainous areas. Habitat and distribution The marbled newt is ty ...

in many of the ponds of the range. The vegetation of the Ports is rich and varied. Besides the Mediterranean species, there are also species belonging to

Alpine flora Alpine flora may refer to: * Alpine tundra, a community of plants that live at high altitude * Alpine plant Alpine plants are plants that grow in an alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. There are many different pl ...

and colder temperate regions at high altitudes and in protected valleys.

Mountain ranges

The Ports Massif comprises several mountain ranges, like the Muntanyes de Benifassà, Serra de les Falconeres, Serra del Àguila, Serra de Rastell, Los Curullons, Moles de Raudorar, Serra de la Fortalesa, Serra de Caro, Serra de la Puca, Serra de Rafalgari, Serra de Paüls,

Serra de les Deveres 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 ...

, Serra de l'Escaleta, Serra d'Encanader, Serra del Pedregal, Serra del Coc and

Serra de l'Espina Serra de l'Espina is a limestone mountain chain located at the north-eastern end of the Iberian System. It connects the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit mountain massif with the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. Geography The Serra de l'Espina ridge's highest p ...

.Ports de Beseit
/ref> The latter, located at its northern end, connects with the

Catalan Pre-Coastal Range The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range ( ca, Serralada Prelitoral Catalana) is a system of mountain ranges running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea coast in Catalonia. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System. Its main axis runs between the Catalan ...

Peaks

Some of the main peaks of the massif are:

(1441 m), the highest point,

Castell de l'Airosa Castell de l'Airosa is a rocky mountain in the eastern side of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, Catalonia, Spain. Its summit has an altitude of 953.8 metres above sea level. Castell de l'Airosa, is a spectacular looking mountain. Its name includes th ...

, Tossal d'en Cervera, Mola del Boix, Mola del Boixet, el Castellar, la Portella del Pinell, Curullons, el Negrell, Punta de l'Àliga, Farrubio, Penyaflor, Mola de Catí,

, Tossa Blanca,

Roques de Benet Roques de Benet is a compact group of sheer rocky outcrops in the northwestern side of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, Catalonia, Spain. The highest summit (el Castell) has an elevation of 1,017.1 metres above sea level. The Roques de Benet are one o ...

Penyagalera Penyagalera () is a rocky mountain in the northern side of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, Aragon, Spain. Punta de Penyagalera, the highest summit, has an altitude of 1,034.4 metres above sea level. Penyagalera, the name of the mountain (''penya'' " ...

, Mola de Lli, Tossal de Tall Nou, Tossal de l'Espada, la Ballestera, Mola de la Paridera, Muntanyola, La Tossa, Mola Castellona, Tossal de Joan Gran, Tossal de la Forca, Tossal d'en Grillo, Muntanya de Santa Bàrbara, L'Espina and La Moleta d'Alfara.

Protected areas

There are two natural parks in the massif; there is no protected area on the Aragonese side: *Parc Natural dels Ports on the Catalan side *Parc Natural de la Tinença de Benifassà on the Valencian side.

Features

File:Mont Caro (enhanced).jpg,

, the Ports' highest point File:El port fageda (19).JPG,

Beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

forest in the National Park area Image:Masdebarberans.jpg,

Mas de Barberans Mas de Barberans is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Montsià in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities. Local crafts This town is located at the feet of the eastern edge of the Ports de Tortos ...

, a town located at the feet of the eastern edge of the Ports File:Els Ports.jpg, A mountain river at ''La Vall'' in the Mas de Barberans administrative area File:L'Ulldemó.jpg, Ulldemó River close to

on the western edge of the Ports File:Capra hispanica pyrenaica at Ports de Tortosa Beseit.jpg,

at Ports de Tortosa Beseit File:Belemnites Ports Tortosa2.jpg, Belemnites fossils from ''Les Foies'', in the

close to

Alfara de Carles Alfara de Carles is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as ...

File:Ulldecona.1.jpg, Ulldecona Reservoir in the

File:Roques de Benet.jpg,

near

Arnes, Terra Alta Arnes () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of la Terra Alta in Catalonia, Spain. Main sights The most noteworthy building of this town is the Town Hall, an example of Catalan Renaissance art. It was built in 1584 by Joan Vilabona of Queretes ...

References

External links

Turisme a les Terres de l'EbreParc Natural dels PortsLo PortWalking trails through the natural park of Tinença de Benifassa
{{Mountain ranges of the Iberian System Mountain ranges of the Sistema Ibérico Mountain ranges of Aragon Mountain ranges of the Valencian Community La Franja Mountain ranges of Catalonia Baix Maestrat