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27-663: The Costa Granadina is made up mostly of agricultural zones and small resort towns and villages. What makes the Costa Granadina unique in comparison to the rest of the Spanish coast is that the mountains of the Sierra Nevada range fall to the very edge of the Mediterranean Sea on the rugged coastline. Except for la vega de Motril , there are no flat areas for large urban sprawl . The area east of Málaga

54-843: A variety of rock types . Most geologically young mountain ranges on the Earth's land surface are associated with either the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Alpide belt . The Pacific Ring of Fire includes the Andes of South America, extends through the North American Cordillera , the Aleutian Range , on through Kamchatka Peninsula , Japan , Taiwan , the Philippines , Papua New Guinea , to New Zealand . The Andes

81-482: A warm semi-arid climate (BSh) due to its low annual rainfall 378.9mm). The climatic conditions of the Costa Granadina supports a cultivation of exotic tropical fruits unique in Europe. This is the case of cherimoya , which has a designation of origin and has made Spain the world's leading producer of this fruit. There are also crops of papayas , avocados , mangoes , guavas , litchi , etc. Another typical farming on

108-722: Is 7,000 kilometres (4,350 mi) long and is often considered the world's longest mountain system. The Alpide belt stretches 15,000 km across southern Eurasia , from Java in Maritime Southeast Asia to the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe , including the ranges of the Himalayas , Karakoram , Hindu Kush , Alborz , Caucasus , and the Alps . The Himalayas contain the highest mountains in

135-624: Is a mountain range in the Andalusian province of Granada in Spain . It contains the highest point of continental Spain: Mulhacén , at 3,479 metres (11,414 ft) above sea level . It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in one of Europe's most southerly ski resorts , in an area along the Mediterranean Sea predominantly known for its high temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills

162-428: Is a ridge running broadly west-south-west - east-north-east. For a substantial distance, the watershed stays consistently above 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). This is sufficient altitude for the peaks to be consistently snow-covered. On the southern side of the range, several long, narrow river valleys lead off towards the south-west, separated by a number of subsidiary ridges. On the steeper and craggier northern side,

189-476: Is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny . Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics . Mountain ranges are also found on many planetary mass objects in

216-538: Is at work while the mountains are being uplifted until the mountains are reduced to low hills and plains. The early Cenozoic uplift of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado provides an example. As the uplift was occurring some 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of mostly Mesozoic sedimentary strata were removed by erosion over the core of the mountain range and spread as sand and clays across the Great Plains to

243-531: Is drier, having been stripped of much of its moisture. Often, a rain shadow will affect the leeward side of a range. As a consequence, large mountain ranges, such as the Andes, compartmentalize continents into distinct climate regions . Mountain ranges are constantly subjected to erosional forces which work to tear them down. The basins adjacent to an eroding mountain range are then filled with sediments that are buried and turned into sedimentary rock . Erosion

270-617: Is found the city of Granada , and a little further south, Almería and Motril . Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park . The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve . The Sierra Nevada Observatory , the Calar Alto Observatory , and the IRAM 30m telescope are located on the northern slopes at an elevation of 2,800 metres (9,200 ft). The Sierra Nevada

297-477: Is less dry and more lush than the surrounding areas. This is because the Sierra Nevada (Spain) mountain range that serves as a backdrop to the Costa Granadina catches more rain and thus supplies the area with abundant irrigation. This same mountain backdrop provides a shelter from northerlies and creates a pleasant microclimate of very mild winters and mild summers compared to the interior of Spain, with temperature differences of 10 °C (18 °F) relative to

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324-435: Is primarily a resort town and agricultural center (tropical fruits), with the summer-time vacation population more than tripling the town's population. Like the rest of the Spanish coast, it recently underwent a housing and construction boom with some environmental degradation . This housing boom was not as severe as on other parts of the Spanish coastline due to the townships of Almuñécar and La Herradura being unable to agree

351-473: The Ocean Ridge forms the longest continuous mountain system on Earth, with a length of 65,000 kilometres (40,400 mi). The position of mountain ranges influences climate, such as rain or snow. When air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools, producing orographic precipitation (rain or snow). As the air descends on the leeward side, it warms again (following the adiabatic lapse rate ) and

378-519: The Solar System and are likely a feature of most terrestrial planets . Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys . Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology . They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes , for example thrust sheets , uplifted blocks , fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in

405-409: The Costa Granadina is sugar cane that is only grown here in the entire European continent. The main towns of the Costa Granadina are Motril , Almuñécar and Salobreña . Motril is principally a manufacturing and agricultural center (horticulture, vegetables, tropical fruits and some sugar cane, although the last is declining). Motril also possesses the main seaport in the Costa Granadina. Almuñécar

432-526: The altitude. Above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) the climate is Mediterranean -influenced subarctic (Dsc), due to the location's high elevation and low summer precipitation. With June and September being around the threshold of 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperature to avoid the subarctic classification, the climate at a slightly lower elevation is continental highland climate. At an elevation slightly lower than that classification area; where February means average above −3 °C (27 °F); it falls into

459-560: The area on the other side of the mountains – so it could be 38 °C (100 °F) on a summer day in the city of Granada and only around 28 °C (82 °F) on the Costa Granadina. In the winter, it can be snowing in Granada and around 17 °C (63 °F) on the Costa Granadina. The Costa Granadina, with more than 320 sunny days and more than 3000 sunshine hours a year, has an unusual borderline subtropical microclimate. The Sierra Nevada (Spain) mountain range, protects this coast from

486-496: The cold north winds due to the Föhn effect that creates a subtropical frost-free microclimate with very mild winter temperatures. The average annual temperature ranges between 18 and 20 degrees: While summers are warm, hovering the maximums between 27 and 31 degrees while winters are very mild, with maximums between 17 and 19 degrees and minimums between 10 - 12 degrees, with the annual rainfall of around 500 mm/year (however, Motril has

513-485: The east. This mass of rock was removed as the range was actively undergoing uplift. The removal of such a mass from the core of the range most likely caused further uplift as the region adjusted isostatically in response to the removed weight. Rivers are traditionally believed to be the principal cause of mountain range erosion, by cutting into bedrock and transporting sediment. Computer simulation has shown that as mountain belts change from tectonically active to inactive,

540-645: The many-centuries domination of the region by the Arab conquerors. In fact, Almuñécar served as the entry point to Iberia and establishment of a power base for Abd ar-Rahman I in 755, who came from Damascus and was the founder of an independent Muslim dynasty that ruled the greater part of the Iberian Peninsula for nearly three centuries thereafter. 36°45′N 3°36′W  /  36.750°N 3.600°W  / 36.750; -3.600 Sierra Nevada (Spain) Sierra Nevada ( Spanish: [ˈsjera neˈβaða] ; meaning "snow-covered mountain range")

567-457: The normal cool-summer mediterranean classification transitioning with the hot-summer variety in surrounding lowland areas. This renders Sierra Nevada's climate a highland cooled-down variety of a typical mediterranean climate. Summer and winter daytime temperatures are some 12 °C lower than found in Granada , differences that are even greater in spring as Sierra Nevada takes longer to approach

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594-627: The rate of erosion drops because there are fewer abrasive particles in the water and fewer landslides. Mountains on other planets and natural satellites of the Solar System, including the Moon , are often isolated and formed mainly by processes such as impacts, though there are examples of mountain ranges (or "Montes") somewhat similar to those on Earth. Saturn 's moon Titan and Pluto , in particular, exhibit large mountain ranges in chains composed mainly of ices rather than rock. Examples include

621-557: The short summers. In May daytime highs in Sierra Nevada are around 4 °C (39 °F) with Granada having an average of 24 °C (75 °F). The yearly temperature of 3.9 °C (39.0 °F) at the ski station of Pradollano is in stark contrast to Granada 's 15.7 °C (60.3 °F) and coastal Málaga 's 18.5 °C (65.3 °F). [REDACTED] Media related to Sierra Nevada (Spain) at Wikimedia Commons Mountain range A mountain range or hill range

648-427: The terms of their new Urban plan ( PGOU ) since 2002. There are 18 municipalities, running along this coast or inland behind the coast, and listed below from west to east: The Costa Granadina has many historical sights, including prehistoric cave paintings in nearby Nerja; many Roman ruins including roads, bridges, buildings, fish salting factories, and irrigation systems used to this day; and abundant remains of

675-556: The valleys have less regular orientations. This side is dominated by the Rio Genil which starts near Mulhacén and into which many of the other rivers flow. Geologically, the range is composed chiefly of soft micaceous schists , sloping steeply to the north, but more gradually to the south and south-east. According to the Köppen climate classification , Sierra Nevada has a Mediterranean climate , with different variations depending on

702-543: The world, including Mount Everest , which is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) high. Mountain ranges outside these two systems include the Arctic Cordillera , Appalachians , Great Dividing Range , East Siberians , Altais , Scandinavians , Qinling , Western Ghats , Vindhyas , Byrrangas , and the Annamite Range . If the definition of a mountain range is stretched to include underwater mountains, then

729-715: Was formed during the Alpine Orogeny , a mountain-building event that also formed the European Alps to the east and the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Sierra as observed today formed during the Paleogene and Neogene Periods (66 to 1.8 million years ago) from the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates . Central to the mountain range

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