Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
Location: Lleida, Catalonia
Area: 141 km2 (54 sq mi)
Description of Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park is a nature
reserve in Catalonia region of Spain that covers an area of
141 km2 (54 sq mi). The National Park of Aiguas Tortas and Lake
of San Mauricio (in Catalan: National Park of Aigüestortes and
Estany de Sant Maurici, in Occitan, Parc Nacionau d'Aigüestòrtes
and Estanh de Sant Maurici) was created in 1955 and is the only
Spanish national park located in the autonomous community of
Catalonia. With 525,067 visitors annually (2015), the
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park is the
eighth national park in Spain in number of visitors. It is
located in the central part of the Pyrenees divided between four
regions of the Pyrenees: Alta Ribagorza, Pallars Sobirà, Pallars
Jussà and Valle de Arán, in the province of Lleida,
encompassing, in its central part, territory of the municipal
boundaries of Espot and Valle de Bohí.
It has two areas: the eastern, continental climate and irrigated
by the tributaries of Noguera Pallaresa, which feed the lake of
San Mauricio, and the western (Aiguas Tortas), Atlantic high
mountain climate and bathed by the tributaries of Noguera
Ribagorzana. The geography of the park is high mountain because
much of the territory exceeds 1,000 meters above sea level, with
peaks that exceed 3,000 meters. Highlights, among all, two
valleys: to the west the valley of the San Nicolás River, with
its characteristic meadows and meanders from which comes the
name of "Aiguas Tortas" (tortuous waters).
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park has a great
biological value. The large slopes that it presents originate
the different ecosystems: meadows, crops and deciduous forests
in the lower elevations, evergreen forests in the middle
elevations, and meadows and rocks of high mountain in the
highest levels. For years it has been a protected space and its
relatively inaccessible access, it has preserved the flora and
fauna in a rather wild state. In spite of everything, the
footprint of man is inevitable and the park is still exploited
by cattle, tourism and hydroelectric power plants.