Cordillera Cantábrica

Cantabrian Mountains
Spanish: Cordillera Cantábrica
The Picos de Europa typical Cantabrian Mountains landscape overlooking the village of Sotres, Cabrales
Highest point
Peak	Torre de Cerredo
Elevation	2,648 m (8,688 ft)
Coordinates	43°11′51″N 04°51′06″W / 43.19750°N 4.85167°W / 43.19750; -4.85167
Dimensions
Length	300 km (190 mi) WE
Width	50 km (31 mi) NS
Naming
Etymology	Cantabria
Geography
Location of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain
Country	Spain
Communities	Basque Country, Castile and León, Cantabria, Asturias
Range coordinates	43°N 5°W / 43°N 5°W / 43; -5Coordinates: 43°N 5°W / 43°N 5°W / 43; -5
Borders on	Pyrenees and Galicia
Geology
Age of rock	Carboniferous, Paleozoic, Mesozoic
Type of rock	Limestone

The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range (Spanish: Cordillera Cantábrica) are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif in Galicia, along the coast of the Cantabrian Sea. Their easternmost end meets the Sistema Ibérico.

These mountains are a distinct physiographic province of the larger Alpine System physiographic division.

The Cantabrian Mountains offer a wide range of trails for hiking, as well as many challenging climbing routes. Skiing is possible in the ski resorts of Alto Campoo, Valgrande-Pajares and Manzaneda.

The Cantabrian Mountains stretch east-west, nearly parallel to the sea, as far as the pass of Leitariegos, also extending south between León and Galicia. The range's western boundary is marked by the valley of the river Miño (Portuguese: Minho), by the lower Sil, which flows into the Miño, and by the Cabrera River, a small tributary of the Sil. Cantabrian mountains reach its south-western limit in Portugal.

As a whole, the Cantabrian Mountains are remarkable for their intricate ramifications, but almost everywhere, and especially in the east, it is possible to distinguish two principal ranges, from which the lesser ridges and mountain masses radiate. One range, or series of ranges, closely follows the outline of the coast; the other, which is loftier, forms the northern limit of the great tableland of Castile and León, and is sometimes regarded as a continuation of the Pyrenees. In some parts the coastal range rises sheer above the sea, and everywhere has so abrupt a declivity that the streams which flow seaward are all short and swift.