Sierra de Gredos Regional Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sierra de Gredos Regional Park |
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View of the Gredos cirque
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 Sierra de Gredos Regional Park
Location in Spain
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| Location |  SpainSierra de Gredos Province of Ávila Castile and León |
| Area | 863.97 km² |
| Established | June 20, 1996 |
| Governing body | Junta de Castilla y León (Government of Castile and León) |
The Sierra de Gredos Regional Park is a special natural area in Spain. Its Spanish name is "Parque Regional de la Sierra de Gredos". This park protects a huge area of nature, covering about 86,397 hectares. That's like 860 square kilometers! It was officially made a park on June 20, 1996, to protect its amazing plants and animals.
Where is the Sierra de Gredos Park?
This beautiful park is found in the southern part of the province of Ávila. This province is in the autonomous community of Castile and León in Spain. The park covers a big part of the Sierra de Gredos mountain range. This mountain range is the highest part of a larger chain called the Sistema Central.
The highest mountain in the park is Almanzor Peak, which stands tall at 2,592 meters (about 8,500 feet). You can see this peak towering over the famous Gredos glacial cirque, which is a huge, bowl-shaped valley carved by ancient glaciers.
The park includes land from many towns. Some of the bigger towns nearby are Arenas de San Pedro and Candeleda. These towns are on the southern side of the mountains.
Amazing Animals and Plants of Gredos
The Sierra de Gredos Regional Park is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. It has large forests with trees like the Quercus pyrenaica (a type of oak), maritime pine, and Scots pine. You can also find evergreen oaks such as Quercus ilex and Quercus suber.
The park is especially important because it protects some animals that are found nowhere else in the world! These unique animals include:
- The Capra pyrenaica victoriae, which is a special kind of Spanish ibex.
- The Microtus nivalis abulensis, a unique type of snow vole.
- The Bufo bufo gredosicola, a special toad.
- The Salamandra salamandra almanzoris, a unique salamander.
Besides these special creatures, you might also spot other cool animals. There are mammals like the European otter and the Iberian shrew. Birds like the majestic Spanish imperial eagle, the huge cinereous vulture, and the elegant black stork fly overhead. If you look closely, you might even see reptiles such as the European pond turtle and the Vipera latastei snake.
See also
In Spanish: Parque regional de la Sierra de Gredos para niños
- Sierra de Gredos
- Province of Ávila
- Circo de Gredos
