Cantabrian Mountains

Location of the Cantabrian Mountains in the Iberian Peninsula

Pico Tres Mares, 2150 m

The Cantabrian Mountains ( Spanish Cantabrian or Sistema of Biscay ) is a mountain range in northern Spain. It represents the western extension of the Pyrenees and runs over 480 km through the autonomous regions of Navarre, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Castile and León, Asturias and Galicia. The highest peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains are located in the central mountain range Picos de Europa, whose highest peak is Mount Torre de Cerredo with 2,648 m.

The Cantabrian Mountains represent a climatic divide between the green, maritime influenced north side (known as the Spanish España Verde " Green Spain " ) (Spanish Meseta ) in the south, it dar. limits both the Meseta and the upper Ebro basin after and the continental Castilian plateau north. Its eastern part is composed of folded Mesozoic Kreidekalkschichten in the West there is an old trunk mountains with a carbon core.

The industrial development of the regions of Asturias and the Basque Country in the 19th century is based on the deposits of iron ore, coal, zinc, lead, manganese and potash in the Cantabrian Mountains. In recent decades, the mining and heavy industry as well as in other regions of Europe have fallen sharply.

The nature reserves of the mountain system, the National Park Picos de Europa and the Parque Natural de Somiedo are among the few refuges of the European brown bear, also there are significant wolf and vulture populations.

• Mountains in Europe
• Mountains in Spain