The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills

Foothills

Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...

 of the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

.

Description

As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction. At the eastern end lies the area known as the Sub-Pyrenees

Sub-Pyrenees

The Sub-Pyrenees are a chain of mountains in Spain. They form a section of the southern foothills of the Pyrenees. They are located at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, west of the Catalan Transversal Range, between the lower Ripollès and an area of the high Garrotxa.The Sub-Pyrenees consist of...

.

On the French side the Pyrenees's slopes descend rather abruptly, thus on the northern side, the Pre-Pyrenees are confined to the Corbières Range

Corbières (mountains)

The Corbières is a mountain range in the Pre-Pyrenees.-Geography:The Corbières are a mountain region in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southwestern France, located in the departements of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales....

, towards the eastern end of the mountain system. The Massif de Plantaurel further west deserves mention as well, although not as clearly a foothill.

On the Iberian side, however, the picture is very different: a large and complex system of foothill ranges stretches from Navarre

Navarre

Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...

, across northern Aragon

Aragon

Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...

, reaching the Mediterranean coast on the Catalan

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

 end of the Pyrenees.

Main ranges

Although the highest peaks in the Pre-Pyrenees are not as high as those in the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

 proper, some summits reach 2.500 m. The main ranges include:

Northern Slope:

• Corberes
• Massif de Plantaurel

Southern Slope:

• Mare de Déu del Mont
• Serra del Montsec
  Serra del Montsec
  The Serra del Montsec is a mountain system of the Pre-Pyrenees.-Description:The Serra del Montsec consists of a series of calcareous mountain ranges. Runs from east to west, it is about 40 km long and 186.96 square kilometres in area...
  
  
• Serra del Cadí
  Serra del Cadí
  The Serra del Cadí is a mountain range running north of Catalonia, Spain, part of the Pre-Pyrenees. Its highest peak is the Vulturó, with an altitude of 2,648 metres....
  
  
• Serra de Boumort
• Serra de Moixeró
• El Port del Comte
• Serra de Montgrony
• Sierra de Guara
  Sierra de Guara
  The Sierra de Guara is a mountain massif in the province of Huesca, the most northerly province in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. Its highest point is Tozal de Guara .It lies around 25km northeast of the city of Huesca itself...
  
  
• El Turbón
  El Turbón
  El Turbón is a mountain massif of the Pre-Pyrenees, located in the province of Huesca, the most northerly province in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
  
  
• Sierra de Sis
• Sierra de Santo Domingo
• Sierra de Loarre
• Sierra de Javierre
• Sierra Caballera
• Sierra de Leire

See also

• Geology of the Pyrenees
  Geology of the Pyrenees
  The Pyrenees form part of the huge alpine orogenic system. This 430 kilometre long, roughly east-west striking, intracontinental mountain chain divides France, Spain, and Andorra. It has an extended, polycyclic geological evolution dating back to the Precambrian...
  
  
• Sub-Pyrenees
  Sub-Pyrenees
  The Sub-Pyrenees are a chain of mountains in Spain. They form a section of the southern foothills of the Pyrenees. They are located at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, west of the Catalan Transversal Range, between the lower Ripollès and an area of the high Garrotxa.The Sub-Pyrenees consist of...
  
  
• List of mountains in Catalonia
• List of mountains in Aragon