The Iberian System is one of Spain's major mountain ranges. Located in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula, but extending eastward within the Valencian Community, it reaches almost to the Mediterranean coast, forming a vast and complex mountain area. From a hydrological perspective, this system is crucial to the Iberian Peninsula, as it separates the drainage basins of most of Spain's and Portugal's major rivers.
In this article we will tell you all about the characteristics and importance of the Iberian System.
Key features
The westernmost part of the Iberian System is bordered by the Meseta Central, which separates it from the Ebro Valley and the Mediterranean coast. The system extends over 500 km northwest-southeast between the Ebro Valley and the central plain of the Meseta, from the La Breba corridor in the province of Burgos, near the Cantabrian Mountains, to the Mediterranean Sea near Valencia in the south, and to Tortosa and the Ebro Delta in the east. Most of the Iberian System lies in the southern half of Aragon. The Prebetic System rises south of the southernmost part of the Iberian System.
The geology of the Iberian system is complex because it is difficult to define it as a homogeneous system. It is formed by a series of irregular and heterogeneous mountains, massifs, plateaus and depressions without a clear common petrological composition. Some parts of the system are geologically isolated, interrupting the continuity of the whole, connecting with other parts through plateaus of different heights.
Large areas of the Iberian System have been severely depopulated since the 20th century. Many ghost towns or abandoned villages are scattered throughout the Iberian System, especially in the province of Teruel. Today, many of the remaining villages have only remnant populations. In some cases, many residents were not native to the area, but rather immigrants from Romania who were employed as agricultural workers. You can learn more about the characteristics of the central plateau bordering the Iberian System.
The exodus from rural Spain increased after General Franco's stabilization plan in 1959. The population fell drastically and people moved to industrial areas in the big cities and coastal towns where tourism had multiplied. Other reasons for mass emigration were the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices by local youth, such as sheep and goat farming, which were the backbone of the village economy, and lifestyle changes that spread through the Spanish countryside in the second century.
Fauna
Massive depopulation benefits wildlife, which is why one of the last European colonies of griffon condors has been found in the Iberian System. Wolves and eagles are also more common in the solitary highlands. Among mammals, the Spanish ibex, roe deer, wild boar, European badger, and common moorhen, among others, have many habitats in these desolate mountains.
The most common reptiles in the Iberian system are the lepidopterans, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus, Podarcis Muralis and Podarcis hispánica, Chalcides chalcides, Chalcides bedriagai and Anguis fragilis are less common. The snakes of these mountains are Natrix maura, Natrix natrix, Malpolon monspessulanus, Elaphe scalaris, Coronella Girondica, Coronella austriaca and Vipera latastei. The variety of reptiles contributes to the biodiversity of the system and is related to the climate in various parts of Spain, as mentioned in this article on the climate of Spain.
Some amphibians are abundant near ponds and streams throughout the system, such as the Iberian sand frog (Rana perezi), the common toad (Bufo bufo), the Iberian wall lizard (Bufo calamita), the common obstetrician (Alytes obstetricans), the marbled toad (Triturus marmoratus), and the Swiss toad (Lissotriton helveticus), the latter also found at high altitudes in both intermittent and permanent water bodies. Others are less common, such as the tree salamander (Hyla arborea) and the wood salamander (Salamandra salamandra), but are still widespread, especially in areas of humid woodland. However, the common house salamander (Pleurodeles waltl) is rarely found in the mountains. Aquatic invertebrates, including the white-lipped crab (Austropotamobius pallipes), crayfish, and certain fish such as the Mediterranean saltwater fish (Salaria fluviatilis) and the Iberian cobitis (Cobitis paludica), are common in the upper reaches of the Iberian System rivers. Some mountain streams have been restocked for trout.
In the dry steppe of some villages in the system, traditional livestock activities that were very important in the center of the Iberian Peninsula still survive. There were also some hunters who visited some mountain ranges, mainly those closest to the city, especially on weekends.
Vegetation of the Iberian System
Marshes are uncommon on the Iberian Peninsula, but high-altitude marshes form in the few areas of the Iberian System where water remains stagnant, such as Bronzales, near Orihuela del Tremedal and known as P or the Fuente del Hierro region, at an altitude ranging from 1.400 to 1.550 meters. The plants that grow in these marshes are mainly hairy moss, Erectus vulgaris, Pinguicula vulgaris, Vaccinium myrtillus, Calluna vulgaris, and Drosera rotundifolia, a carnivorous plant that does not grow in southern Western Europe. The vegetation here is affected by climatic changes, which can affect other areas, as discussed in this specialized article on internal geological processes.
Cordilleras of the Iberian System
The Iberian system includes several mountain ranges and massifs:
- For the North: Sierra de la Demanda, Sierra de Neila, Mesa de Cebollera and Picos de Urbión, to the northwest, Sierra de Alcarama, Sierra de Peñalmonte, Sierra de Moncalvillo and Moncayo, isolated to the north, always have snow peaks in winter, the Sierra de Nava Alta with its extension to the east.
- West: Smaller and drier mountains near the transition zone of the central system, such as Sierra de Perdices, Sierra Ministra, Sierra de Caldereros (Águila 1.443 m), Sierra de Pardos, Sierra de Miñana, Sierra de Solorio, Sierra de Selas (Aragoncillo 1.517 m) and Parameras de Molina (High Landmark 1.408 m).
- Central: Numerous mountains in the center of the system, such as Sierra de la Virgen, Sierra de Vicort, Sierra de Algairén, Sierra de Santa Cruz, Sierra de Cucalón, Sierra de Herrera, Sierra de San Just, Sierra de Lidón and Sierra Palomé Pull, etc.
- Southwest: Serranía de Cuenca, Sierra Menera, Sierra de Albarracín, Montes de Picaza (Colmenarejo 1426 m), Montes Universales and Sierra de Mira.
- Southeast: Sierra de Javalambre, Sierra del Toro, Sierra de Gúdar, Sierra de Mayabona, Sierra de Camarena, Sierra de Sollavientos, Sierra del Rayo and Sierra de Pina.
- East: set of mountains that enter the Mediterranean Sea, among which are the Maestrat or Maestrazgo and Penyagolosa massifs, Sierra de la Lastra, Sierra de los Caballos, Sierra de Garrocha, Sierra de la Canada, Sierra Carrascosa, Ports de Morella , Serra de la Creu, Serra d'En Segures, Serra d'en Galceran, Serra d'Esparreguera, Serra de Vallivana, Serra d'En Celler, Serra del Turmell, Serra de l'Espadella and Moles de Xert, and Talaies d ' Alcalà, the Serra de la Vall d'Àngel, the Sierra de Cervera, the Serra de Sant Pere, the Serra Calderona and the foothills of the Serra d'Espadà at the eastern end.
- Northeast: a complex mountainous region linked to the ancient mountains of the Catalan coast, including the mountains of Tortosa-Bercet and Benifasa.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Iberian System and its characteristics.