The Serranía de Zapalinamé, also known as the Sierra de Zapalinamé is a mountain range and

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 ...

of northeastern Mexico. The city of

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

lies immediately north of the mountains. The range is a westward extension of the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that f ...

. The highest peak in the range is El Penitiente at 3,140 meters elevation.Encina D., J. A., Encina D., F. J., & Mata R., E. (2011). "Ecología del Bosque de ''Ostrya virginiana'' (Betulaceae) de la Sierra de Zapalinamé, Coahuila, México". ''Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas'', 5(1), 305–310. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41972520 Higher elevations are home to pine–oak forests. The lower slopes are dry shrublands. The Serranía is in the upper basin of the San Juan River, and its forests protect downstream water quality and reduce flood risk. The Serranía de Zapalinamé was designated an ecological conservation area in 1996 by the state government of Coahuila. The protected area covers 253.74 km².UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Serranía de Zapalinamé from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 12 September 2021

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References

{{reflist Landforms of Coahuila Protected areas of Coahuila Protected areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental Sierra Madre Oriental Important Bird Areas of Mexico