Serra de Vallivana (, es, Sierra de Vallivana) or Muntanyes de Vallivana is an over long mountain range straddling the Alt Maestrat and

Baix Maestrat Baix Maestrat (; es, Bajo Maestrazgo ) is a coastal Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' located in the north of the Provinces of Spain, province of Castellón (province), Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The capital of the '' ...

comarcas,

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 with ...

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 ...

Geography

The highest point of the range is the 1,275 m high Muixacre, located close to the

Port de Querol A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

mountain pass in the

N-232 The N-232 is a highway in Spain. It broadly follows the Rio Ebro from Logroño to the coast. It starts south east of Logroño at the Autovía LO-20 and runs parallel to the Autopista AP-68. The road passes Calahorra before it junctions with the ...

road. Other important peaks are ''Montserrat'' and ''Talaió''. These mountains are frequently covered in

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

in the winter. This mountain chain rises between the almost abandoned village of

Vallivana Vallivana is a small settlement belonging to Morella, Castellón, Morella, Ports (comarca). Description Vallivana is an almost deserted cluster of houses southeast of Morella. It is located at the eastern end of the Dena (land area), Dena de Co ...

and the top of the

Maestrat The Maestrazgo () or Maestrat () is a natural and historical mountainous region, located at the eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range, in Spain. It encompasses the north of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in Castellón provin ...

mountains, south of the

Serra del Turmell Serra del Turmell, also known as Serra del Mont Turmell, ( es, Sierra del Turmell) is an over long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. These mountains and their neighboring ranges are a desolate place with l ...

and west of the

Serra de l'Espadella Serra de l'Espadella ( es, Sierra de la Espandela) is an over long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Espadella (968 m). These mountains are frequently covered in snow in the winter. G ...

ranges. These mountains are named after the virgin of Vallivana, the patroness of Morella. The easiest route to reach the range is from

or from Morella

Ecology

This sparsely-populated mountain area has the most important forested zone of the region with large prey birds such as the griffon vulture and wild animals like Spanish ibex,

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 ...

and

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 ...

. The area of this range together with the neighboring

Tinença de Benifassà Tinença de Benifassà () is a historical ''comarca'' of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is nowadays part of the Baix Maestrat, one of the present-day Comarques of the Valencian Community, even though commercial and human relationships have b ...

and

was declared a

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

under the name Tinença de Benifassà, Turmell i Vallivana.European Parliament - SCI and ZEPA ‘Tinença de Benifassà, Turmell i Vallivana’
/ref>

References

External links

*
El País Valencià poble a poble; comarca a comarca - El Baix MaestratDena de Coll i Moll - Llogaret de Vallivana
{{Mountain ranges of the Iberian System

Alt Maestrat Baix Maestrat

Geography

Ecology

See also

References

External links