Sierra de las Nieves is a

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 ...

range of the Penibaetic System in Málaga Province,

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

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 ...

with its highest point being

La Torrecilla La Torrecilla is a mountain with a height of , which lies southeast of Ronda in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, of the Sierra de las Nieves range in the province of Málaga, Andalucia, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.s ...

(1,919 m) Sierra de las Nieves is also the name of an administrative area, the '' comarca''. The Sierra de las Nieves is named after the snow that sometimes covers its heights in the winter and that used to be gathered in ice pits for local use.

Geography

This mountain range is part of the Serranía de Ronda ranges, located near Ronda inland from the

Costa del Sol The Costa del Sol (literally "Coast of the Sun" or "Sun Coast") is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the easte ...

, to the east of the road to Ronda from Marbella. The easiest route to reach it is from Ronda town. The Sierra de las Nieves is a karstic range with some impressive shafts and caves. It is composed of a few subranges such as the ''Sierra de la Nieve'', ''Sierra del Pinar'' and ''Sierra de Tolox''. The highest peak is

(1,919 m ) followed by Enamorados (1,775 m). Rivers

Guadalevín The Guadalevín is a tributary of the river Guadiaro in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. Its gorge divides the city of Ronda where it is spanned by three bridges, ''Puente Nuevo'', ''Puente Viejo'' and '' Puente Romano''. The following is a translatio ...

, which is well known for having cut the deep ''Tajo de Ronda'' canyon,

El Burgo River EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

, Alfaguara River, flowing through

Tolox Tolox is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality has a population of 2,317 (2006). It is situated in the centre of the Sierra de las Nieves Nature Park at ...

, the

Río Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

, a tributary of the

Guadalhorce The Guadalhorce (from Arabic وَادِي (''wādī''), "river" + Latin ''forfex'', "scissors") is the principal river of the Province of Málaga in southern Spain. Its source is in the Sierra de Alhama in the Province of Granada, from which ...

, and for the Río Verde whose dam near Istán provides water to the Costa del Sol, have their sources in this range.

Biodiversity

In 1989, the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park was established as a

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 ...

located in the heart of the range; it became a biosphere reserve in 1995.Parque Natural "Sierra de las Nieves"
/ref> The park possesses a huge natural wealth, with really different fauna and flora. Some plant here are endemic, like the

Spanish Fir ''Abies pinsapo'', the Spanish fir, is a species of tree in the family Pinaceae, native to southern Spain and northern Morocco. Related to other species of Mediterranean firs, it appears at altitudes of in the Sierra de Grazalema in the Province ...

''(Abies pinsapo)'' or the Gall Oak. the

ibex An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. ...

or the otter maintain populations of stable individual species. There is one particular Spanish Fir, the Pinsapo de Las Escaleretas, which has been declared a natural monument. The park also has a chestnut estimated to be 800 to 1000 years old, the Castaño Santo.

Comarca of Sierra de las Nieves

Sierra de las Nieves is also the name of an administrative area - the '' comarca'' - which groups together 9 of the

Municipalities of Málaga A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Province. The municipalities which comprise this comarca are:

Alozaina Alozaina is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located between Tolox, Casarabonela and Yunquera and in the foothills of the Sierra de las Nieves in its transi ...

Casarabonela Casarabonela is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 48 km from Malaga capital (bordering on the regions of Antequera ...

El Burgo El Burgo is a village and municipality in the province of Málaga, located in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located in the Parque Natural Sierra de las Nieves which was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. I ...

, Guaro, Istán,

Monda Monda is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located near Sierra Blanca and Sierra de las Nieves in the comarca of Sierra de las Nieves. The municipality is s ...

, Ojén,

and

Yunquera Yunquera is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. It is located in the east of the province. The municipality is situated approximately 36 kilometres from Ronda and 63 ...

References

External links

Comprehensive tourist information about Ronda in English
*{{Commonscat inline

20/02/2011

Nieves Nieves Geography of the Province of Málaga Biosphere reserves of Spain Natural parks of Spain

Geography

Biodiversity

Comarca of Sierra de las Nieves

See also

References

External links