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Spain
Index
External to the Meseta Central lie the Pyrenees in the
northeast and the Sistema Penibetico in the southeast. The
Pyrenees, extending from the eastern edge of the
Cordillera
Cantabrica to the Mediterranean Sea, form a solid barrier
and a
natural border between Spain and both France and Andorra
that,
throughout history, has effectively isolated the countries
from
each other. Passage is easy in the relatively low terrain
at the
eastern and western extremes of the mountain range; it is
here
that international railroads and roadways cross the
border. In
the central section of the Pyrenees, however, passage is
difficult. In several places, peaks rise above 3,000
meters; the
highest, Pico de Aneto, surpasses 3,400 meters.
The Sistema Penibetico extends northeast from the
southern
tip of Spain, running parallel to the coast until it
merges with
the southern extension of the Sistema Iberico near the Rio
Jucar
and with the eastern extension of the Sierra Morena. The
Sierra
Nevada, part of the Sistema Penibetico south of Granada,
includes
the highest mountain on the peninsula, Mulhacen, which
rises to
3,430 meters. Other peaks in the range also surpass 3,000
meters.
Data as of December 1988
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