Serra d'Irta (, es, Sierra de Irta) is an 18.8 km long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca,

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wi ...

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 ...

. Its highest point is Pico Campanelles (573 m).

Location

The Serra d'Irta stretches in a northeast-southwest direction south of the

Vinaròs Vinaròs () is a city located in eastern Spain and the capital of the Baix Maestrat in the province of Castelló. It is in the border between the Valencian Country and Catalonia. Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination. History T ...

plain, its northern limit. It is located right by the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coastline, rising on the eastern side of the road between

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. Its southern limit is near

Alcossebre Alcossebre ( es, Alcocebre / Alcocéber) is a seaside village in the Valencian Community located on the Costa del Azahar along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain in the province of Castelló. This town falls within the municipal limits of ...

. This mountain range is covered with Maquis shrubland, including ''

Juniperus oxycedrus ''Juniperus oxycedrus'', vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region from Algeria and Portugal, north to southern France, east to westernm ...

'', ''

Calicotome spinosa ''Calicotome spinosa'', the thorny broom or spiny broom, is a very spiny, densely branched shrub of the family Fabaceae which can reach up to three metres in height. It grows in the Western Mediterranean region on sunny slopes and dry, rocky gro ...

'', '' Pistacia lentiscus'' and '' Anthyllis cytisoides'' shrubs. Some of the lower slopes facing inland are planted with olive, almond 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 ...

s. In spite of the mountain area having been officially declared a Natural Park, there has been heavy

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

on the slopes of the mountain having a sea view towards the northern end of the range next to Peníscola. There are castles and

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

s of Moorish times on peaks of the Serra d'Irta both east of Santa Magdalena de Polpís and of

Alcalà de Xivert Alcalà de Xivert (; es, Alcalá de Chivert ) is a town and municipality in the Baix Maestrat comarca, province of Castelló, Valencian Community, Spain. Geography The main town is located inland in a flat valley between the two mountain rang ...

. The most important watchtower is Torre Badum.

Geology

The Serra d'Irta is a

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

formation with numerous

shafts ''Shafts'' was an English feminist magazine produced by Margaret Sibthorp from 1892 until 1899. Initially published weekly and priced at one penny, its themes included votes for women, women's education, and radical attitudes towards vivisection, ...

and

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

. It is a southern prolongation of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range that formed 25 million years ago as part of the Alpine orogeny. Geologically the section formed by the Serra d'Irta - Santa Magdalena de Polpís/Alcalà de Xivert Valley -

Talaies d'Alcalà Talaies d'Alcalà (, es, Atalayas de Alcalá), also known as Serra de les Talaies or simply Les Talaies, is a 21.5 km long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Talaia Grossa (635 m). ...

is very similar to the section formed by the Serra del Montsià -

Ulldecona Ulldecona is a town in the South of Catalonia, in Montsià ( Terres de l'Ebre), near the Senia River. Ulldecona is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities. It has got town privileges since 1273. The nearest towns are: Al ...

Freginals Freginals is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Montsià in Catalonia, Spain. This town is located on a hill between the northern end of the Serra de Godall and the Serra del Montsià, not far from the forking of the roads between Tortosa, ...

Valley - Serra de Godall further north. These sets of parallel mountain ranges and valleys form the transition between the Catalan Mediterranean System and the

Iberian System Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

.Gepec.org Serra del Montsià

References

External links

{{commons category
Parc Natural de la Serra d'Irta, non-official Page
Irta Baix Maestrat

Location

Geology

See also

References

External links