Monegros Desert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monegros Desert |
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Landscape of Monegros Desert
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Map of Aragon (in red) within Spain
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| Naming | |
| Native name | Error {{native name}}: an IETF language tag as parameter {{{1}}} is required (help) |
| Geography | |
| Country | Spain |
| State | Aragon |
The Monegros Desert (also called Desierto de los Monegros in Spanish) is a special kind of dry area in northeastern Spain. It's not a full desert, but a "semidesert" because it gets a little more rain. This area stretches across parts of Aragon, including the provinces of Zaragoza and Huesca. It's known for its very dry weather and for hosting a big electronic music festival every July.
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Exploring the Monegros Desert
The Monegros Desert is located in the Aragon region of Spain. It covers parts of the Zaragoza and Huesca provinces. This includes the area known as Monegros in Huesca.
Part of the desert is found within the Ebro Valley. The Monegros Desert covers a huge area of about 2,764 square kilometers (1,067 square miles). It includes 49 villages spread across 31 different towns.
The highest point in the Monegros Desert is Monte Oscuro. This peak reaches an altitude of 822 meters (2,697 feet). Most of the land is quite flat, like a semi-desert. It has areas with low shrubs and is very dry.
The Monegros Desert gets very little rain, only about 350 millimeters (13.78 inches) per year. Temperatures are often high. You can also see old, empty farms and scattered woods with juniper trees.
Plants and Animals of Monegros
The plants and animals living in the Monegros Desert must be tough. They need to survive in salty soil and very dry conditions. Naturally, the area had shrub-steppes (dry grasslands with shrubs) and juniper trees. However, many areas are now used to grow cereal crops.
Birds of the Steppe Ecosystem
Many interesting birds live here. For example, the Lesser kestrel is a type of small falcon. These birds often nest in caves found across 250 square kilometers (97 square miles) of the Monegros Desert.
The Monegros area is part of the Natura 2000 network. This is a special network of protected areas in Europe. It helps to protect important natural habitats and species. Some projects, partly funded by the European Commission, have also worked to help the Monegros area.
Protecting Unique Species
The Monegros Desert is considered a very important place for nature. It has a high number of unique species that are found nowhere else. A survey in 1999 found over 5,400 different species here! More research was done in 2000 on the plants and animals of the steppe areas.
Protecting the amazing variety of life in the Monegros is very important. This includes improving habitats for steppe birds and the plants they rely on. There are plans to improve how water is used for farming.
The Aragon Steppes are the largest home for bird communities in Spain. Some birds are highly endangered, meaning they are at risk of disappearing forever. These include the great and little bustards, Eurasian stone-curlew, lesser kestrel, Montagu's harrier, and Dupont's lark. These birds are threatened by changes in their dry grassland homes.
Many unique plant species are also declining. About 45% of all plant species in Spain are found only in certain areas. A project supported by BirdLife International is working to protect these birds and plants.
Life and Economy in Monegros
The Monegros Desert is not very crowded. Not many people live there. A big development project called Gran Scala was once planned for the region. It would have included many hotels, restaurants, and shops. However, this project faced challenges with resources.
The main roads to access the Monegros Desert are the N-II and AP-2 highways. The area is also connected by train.
Monegros Desert Festival
The Monegros Desert is famous for its annual Monegros Desert Festival. This event usually happens in mid-July. It attracts many people from Spain and around the world. Famous DJs and bands perform electronic music. About 40,000 people attend each year.
The festival started in 1992 and was first called the "Groove Parade." It takes place at a place called Finca Les Peñetes. This is about 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Fraga, near Bujaraloz. The main part of the festival is held in a large hall called Flarida. It's a big, open space covered in graffiti.
See also
In Spanish: Monegros (región natural) para niños
