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 (or Desierto de los Monegros in Spanish) is a very dry area in northeastern Spain. It stretches across parts of the Zaragoza and Huesca provinces in the Aragon region. This area is known for its hot temperatures and very little rain. It is also famous for its big electronic music festival held every July.
Contents
Exploring the Monegros Desert
The Monegros Desert covers a large area in the Aragon region of Spain. It includes parts of the Zaragoza and Huesca provinces. This desert is about 276,440 hectares (683,100 acres) in size. It is home to 49 villages spread across 31 different towns.
Land and Climate
The highest point in the Monegros Desert is Monte Oscuro, which is 822 metres (2,697 ft) tall. Most of the land is quite flat, like a semi-desert. It has low-growing shrubs and grasses. The area gets very little rainfall, only about 350 mm (13.78 inches) each year. This makes it a very dry place with hot weather. You might also see old, empty farms and small forests of juniper trees scattered around.
Plants and Animals of Monegros
The Monegros Desert is a special place for nature. Plants and animals here must be able to live with salty soil and very dry conditions. Even though the area naturally had shrub-steppe and juniper plants, many parts are now used for growing cereal crops.
Birds of the Desert
Many interesting birds live in the Monegros Desert. One example is the Lesser kestrel. These birds build their nests in caves found across a large part of the desert. Other important birds include the great bustard and little bustard, Eurasian stone-curlew, Montagu's harrier, and Dupont's lark. These birds are very important to the area's ecosystem.
Protecting Nature
The Monegros Desert is part of the Natura 2000 network. This is a special program that protects important natural areas in Europe. There have been projects to help protect the plants and birds that live here. Scientists have found over 5,400 different types of species in the area. This shows how important it is to protect this unique desert environment.
Life and Culture in Monegros
The Monegros Desert is not very crowded. The main roads that go through the area are the N-II and AP-2. There are also train lines connecting it.
Monegros Desert Festival
The Monegros Desert is famous for its annual music festival. This event usually happens in mid-July. It brings together many people from Spain and around the world. Famous DJs and bands play electronic music, and about 40,000 people attend each year. The festival started in 1992 and was first called the "Groove Parade." It takes place near Fraga, in a large hall called Flarida.
Images for kids
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Monegros camp
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A quiet spot in Monegros
See also
In Spanish: Monegros (región natural) para niños
