Sierra de la Virgen
Encyclopedia
Sierra de la Virgen is a mountain range in the Aranda and Comunidad de Calatayud
comarcas, Aragon
, Spain
. It is located south of the Moncayo Massif between the valleys of the Jalón and the Aranda rivers, rising north of the N-234 road, roughly between Calatayud
and Torrelapaja
.
The ridge is aligned in a NW-SE direction. Its highest point is Cabrera (1,433 m); other important summits are Virgen de la Sierra (1,413 m), Cucuta (1,300 m), San Cristóbal (1,264 m), Pico de Morés (1,186 m) and Monte de la Lezna (1,173 m). The Sierra de Vicort
stretches east of Sierra de la Virgen in the same direction.
The name of this mountain chain derives from the Santuario de la Virgen de la Sierra, a Virgin Mary shrine located in the heights of the mountain range, about 22 km to the north of Villarroya de la Sierra
town.
These mountains are mostly covered with low maquis shrub and they have been repopulated with pine
since the 20th century. The Sierra de la Virgen is often subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought. Native trees include juniper
and Carrasca (Quercus ilex), among others.
There are other smaller mountain chains named "Sierra de la Virgen" in Spain. One is in Ciudad Real Province, part of the Montes de Toledo
, and the other is located in Córdoba Province, Andalusia
.
Comunidad de Calatayud
The Comunidad de Calatayud is one of the comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is one twelve comarcas of the province of Zaragoza in Aragón. The administrative headquarters are in the city of Calatayud. Local wine achieved Denominación de Origen status in 1990 and it is the second largest wine producing...
comarcas, 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...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is located south of the Moncayo Massif between the valleys of the Jalón and the Aranda rivers, rising north of the N-234 road, roughly between Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
and Torrelapaja
Torrelapaja
Torrelapaja is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 40 inhabitants....
.
The ridge is aligned in a NW-SE direction. Its highest point is Cabrera (1,433 m); other important summits are Virgen de la Sierra (1,413 m), Cucuta (1,300 m), San Cristóbal (1,264 m), Pico de Morés (1,186 m) and Monte de la Lezna (1,173 m). The Sierra de Vicort
Sierra de Vicort
Sierra de Vicort, also known as Sierra de Vicor , is a long mountain range in the Comunidad de Calatayud and Campo de Daroca comarcas of Aragon, Spain....
stretches east of Sierra de la Virgen in the same direction.
The name of this mountain chain derives from the Santuario de la Virgen de la Sierra, a Virgin Mary shrine located in the heights of the mountain range, about 22 km to the north of Villarroya de la Sierra
Villarroya de la Sierra
Villarroya de la Sierra is a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 622 inhabitants.The town is located in the Sierra de la Virgen range....
town.
These mountains are mostly covered with low maquis shrub and they have been repopulated with pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
since the 20th century. The Sierra de la Virgen is often subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought. Native trees include juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
and Carrasca (Quercus ilex), among others.
There are other smaller mountain chains named "Sierra de la Virgen" in Spain. One is in Ciudad Real Province, part of the Montes de Toledo
Montes de Toledo
The Montes de Toledo are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They divide the drainage basin of the Tagus from the basin of the Guadiana.-Description:...
, and the other is located in Córdoba Province, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
.