Pyrenees

Pyrenees (French, Pyrénées; Spanish, Pirineos), mountain range, south-western Europe, extending from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea and separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe. Except in a few places, such as the area occupied by the tiny principality of Andorra, the boundary between France and Spain runs along the crest of the chain; approximately two-thirds of the mountains lie in Spain. The Pyrenees extend for about 435 km (270 mi) and cover some 55,374 sq km (21,380 sq mi); the maximum breadth of the system is about 129 km (80 mi).

The Pyrenees form a regular and continuous chain, divisible into western, central, and eastern sections. The western section, which runs from the Bay of Biscay to Somport Pass and merges into the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain, has the lowest altitudes of the chain, with most of its peaks ranging between about 915 and 1,220 m (3,000 and 4,000 ft) above sea level. The central Pyrenees extend to the Col de la Perche and contain the highest peaks of the system, including Aneto Peak (3,404 m/11,168 ft), the loftiest point in the chain; Monte Perdido (3,355 m/11,007 ft); and Vignemale (3,298 m/10,820 ft). The mountain landscape around Mount Perdido (Perdu) contains two of Europe's deepest and largest canyons and several noteworthy cirque (corrie) formations; it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 1997, extended in 1999). The summits of the eastern Pyrenees, which extend to the Mediterranean, range from between about 2,135 to 2,745 m (7,000 to 9,000 ft).

The Pyrenees, which are older than the Alps, were formed mainly during the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic eras. The eastern half of the Pyrenees is composed mostly of granite and gneiss, whereas in the western half the lower slopes are made up of limestone and the peaks of granite.

The Pyrenees are a climatic divide; the French slopes receive abundant precipitation, while the Spanish slopes have very little. Vegetation is most developed in the west, where the lower slopes are forested; in the east the mountains are almost entirely barren. The permanent snow line is at about 1,829 m (6,000 ft), and small glaciers are found in the high central section. Characteristic of the French Pyrenees, which are generally much steeper than the Spanish Pyrenees, are gaves, torrents that often drop from cliffs to form spectacular waterfalls.

The population of the Pyrenees includes Andorrans, Catalans (see Catalonia), Béarnais, and Basques. The few towns in the chain include Jaca and Ripoli in Spain and the famous pilgrimage centre of Lourdes in France. The economy of the eastern Pyrenees is limited mainly to livestock farming, but in the west a number of manufacturing industries, powered by hydroelectricity generated by mountain streams, have been established. The only other industrial activity consists of mining—iron, lead, zinc, manganese, and coal are extracted—and marble quarrying. The chain has many thermal and cold mineral springs, and well-known spas include Cauterets and Bagnères-de-Bigorre in France.