Sierra de Montánchez is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in the greater

Montes de Toledo The Montes de Toledo are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. They divide the drainage basin of the Tagus from the basin of the Guadiana. The highest peak is high La Villuerca. Description The Montes de Toledo are ...

range,

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 named after nearby Montánchez town, the capital of the Tierra de Montánchez comarca, located on its slopes. This range gives its name to the Mancomunidad Integral Sierra de Montánchez. This mountain range separates the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

to the north from the basin of the

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

to the south. The main rivers that have their sources in this range are the

Salor Salor is a state constituency in Kelantan, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly The Kelantan State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan) is the unicameral state legislature of the ...

and Tamuja, a tributary of the Almonte, flowing towards the Tagus, as well as the Aljucén River, a tributary of the

Description

The Sierra de Montánchez stretches for about 33 km in a NE/SW direction west of the Sierra de Villuercas and is relatively lower than the latter. It rises towards the south of

Cáceres Province Cáceres is a Spanish surname and placename and may refer to: * Province of Cáceres, in Spain ** Cáceres (Spanish Congress Electoral District), which covers the province * Cáceres, Spain, the capital of Cáceres Province, not a bishopric * Cá ...

, in the center of the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

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 ...

. Its highest point is 995 m high Monte Viejo, also known as Montancil or Monte Tances. There is a road leading to the Monte Viejo mountaintop where there is a

cellular repeater A cellular repeater (also known as cell phone signal booster or cell phone signal amplifier) is a type of bi-directional amplifier used to improve cell phone reception. A cellular repeater system commonly consists of a donor antenna that receives ...

antenna and an attached building. At the 955 m high Cancho Blanco summit there is a weather surveillance radar. The ''Castillo de Montánchez'', a castle built during the times of

Moorish Spain Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...

is located on a 741 m high hillock above Montánchez town. Besides Montánchez,

Alcuéscar Alcuéscar is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest ci ...

, Arroyomolinos and Zarza de Montánchez are other important towns in the area. Shrubland is prevalent in the areas covered with natural vegetation. There are also scattered patches of forested zones, sometimes planted with non-native species such as

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

Geology

Precambrian slates and

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

s are predominant in the area.

Rankers Rankers are soils developed over non-calcareous material, usually rock. They are regarded in some soil classifications as lithomorphic soils, a group which also includes rendzinas, similar soils over calcareous material. They are often called ...

, subhumid in the northern and dry in the southern slopes, have developed over

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

in the mountains.Eduardo Hernández Pacheco, ''Estudio Geológico de la Sierra de Montánchez'', 1896

References

External links

Sierra de Montánchez - Tourism

Estudio geológico y gravimétrico de los granitoides de la antiforma de Cáceres

Museo de Geología de Extremadura
Geography of the Province of Cáceres Montanchez Mountain ranges of Extremadura {{extremadura-geo-stub