The Sierra de Francia is a comarca located at the southern end of

Salamanca Province Salamanca () is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León (Castilla y León). It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Ávila, and Cáceres, and on the west by Portugal. It h ...

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...

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 ...

. It is located about 70 km from

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

city. It borders with the

Las Hurdes Las Hurdes (; Extremaduran: ''Las Jurdis'') is a ''comarca'' in the Sistema Central, at the northern end of the province of Cáceres in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, Spain. A well-known historical region, Las Hurdes is currently a Site ...

and

Las Batuecas Las Batuecas is a Spanish valley region of the Sierra de Francia in Salamanca Province, Castilla y León. It is located in the vicinity of La Alberca and is named after the river that runs through Las Batuecas. It has a monastery of cloistered ...

comarcas of

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

to the south; the Campo Charro to the north and the Sierra de Béjar to the east. The region is sparsely inhabited and its few towns have great cultural value.

Geography

The mountain range

Sierra de Francia The Sierra de Francia is a mountain range located in Sierra de Francia Comarca at the southern end of Salamanca Province, Castile and León, Spain. It is located about 70 km from Salamanca city. The region is sparsely inhabited and its few ...

belongs to the

Sistema Central The Central System, Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit. The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel an ...

. Its slopes are covered with forests of

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

and

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

. They rise over the Northern Castilian Plateau and mark the geographical limit of its southwestern plains (''Llanura Salmantina''). From its southern side this mountain chain marks the northern limit of

, the legendary

n comarca. The mountain range consists of a quite regular succession of peaks of moderate height, of which the Pico de La Hastiala (1.735 m) is the highest. At the top of the

Peña de Francia The Peña de Francia is a mountain that rises to , south of the Salamanca, Autonomous Region of Castile and León, Spain, whose peak belongs to the municipality of El Cabaco. Location It belongs to the municipality of El Cabaco, it is one of t ...

(1723 m) stands one of the highest

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

shrines of the world, as well as a

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service know ...

antenna. Other summits worth mentioning are the Mesa del Francés (1.638 m) and the Pico Robledo (1.614 m). All these peaks are usually covered with snow in the winter season. Among the rivers that cut valleys in the sierra, the most famous is the Río Francia, which gives the mountain chain its name, as well as the Alagón.

Natural park and biosphere

Most of Sierra de Francia's territory, together with the valley of

was declared Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia Natural Park in 1978. Together with the neighboring

Sierra de Béjar (comarca) Sierra de Béjar is a comarca in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León. It contains the following municipalities: * Aldeacipreste * Béjar Béjar () is a town and Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province o ...

it constitutes a

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

. Some of the towns of the comarca have been officially declared

Conjunto Histórico-Artístico The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...

owing to their cultural and architectural value.

Municipalities

Sierra de Francia contains the following 26 municipalities: * Aldeanueva de la Sierra * Cepeda * Cereceda de la Sierra * Cilleros de la Bastida * El Cabaco * El Maíllo * El Tornadizo *

Escurial de la Sierra Escurial de la Sierra is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a population of 246 people. G ...

* Garcibuey * Herguijuela de la Sierra *

La Alberca La Alberca is a municipality in the province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, Spain. It is the capital of Sierra de Francia Comarca. In 2003, the population of La Alberca was 1105, and the area . Its altitude is ...

(capital of the comarca and declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico) * La Bastida * La Rinconada de la Sierra * Las Casas del Conde * Linares de Riofrío * Madroñal * Miranda del Castañar (Conjunto Histórico-Artístico) *

Mogarraz Mogarraz is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca Salamanca () is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León (Castilla y León). It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valla ...

(Conjunto Histórico-Artístico) * Molinillo *

Monforte de la Sierra Monforte de la Sierra is a village and small Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Salamanca (province), Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located from the provincial capital (pol ...

* Nava de Francia * Navarredonda de la Rinconada * Pinedas * San Esteban de la Sierra *

San Martín del Castañar San Martín del Castañar is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca Salamanca () is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León (Castilla y León). It is bordered by the provinces ...

(Conjunto Histórico-Artístico) * San Miguel de Valero * San Miguel del Robledo * Santibáñez de la Sierra * Sequeros (Conjunto Histórico-Artístico) * Sotoserrano * Valero * Villanueva del Conde (Conjunto Histórico-Artístico)

References

External links

Diputación de Salamanca - Turismo - Sierra de Francia.

Web de Turismo de la Junta de Castilla y León.

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