Los Montes

Comarca de Los Montes
Comarca
Coordinates: 37°28′56″N 3°25′50″W / 37.48222°N 3.43056°W / 37.48222; -3.43056Coordinates: 37°28′56″N 3°25′50″W / 37.48222°N 3.43056°W / 37.48222; -3.43056
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Granada
Area
• Total	1,381 km2 (533 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total	26,420
• Density	19/km2 (50/sq mi)

ˈˈˈLos Montesˈˈˈ is a spanish ^[1] region ^[2] located in the northern part of the province of Granada ^[3], community of Andalusia, Spain. This territory limits with the Granada´s counties of Baza ^[4] in the northwest, Guadix ^[5] in the east and south, Vega de Granada ^[6] in the south, and Loja ^[7] in the west, as well as with the Jaen ^[8] counties of Sierra Sur de Jaén^[9] in the northwest, Sierra Mágina ^[10] in the north, and Sierra de Cazorla ^[11] in the northeast. It is worth mentioning that, in the eastern part of the region, the zone or sub-county of Montes Orientales is located. The sub-county of Montes Orientales is located in the northeast part, occupying around of 1.400 km², which extends from Fardes ^[12] and Guadiana Menor rivers to Frailes ^[13] river. Its main mountainous system, located in the east, is Sierra Arana ^[14], a double limestone ^[15] anticlinal alignment of 30 km ^[16] of length, with an average altitude of 1.200 m.a.s.l (metres above sea level) ^[17], being its highest level the Cerro or Peñón de la Cruz, with 2.030 m.a.s.l. It is subdivided into the sub-county of Iznalloz ^[18] (district capital), in the transition zone with the western part, and the sub-county of Pedro Martínez ^[19], more to the eastward. It predominates a landscape dominated by the hills ^[20] with traditional agriculture, with herbaceous mainly, together with the mountains and dome hills with natural and repopulated vegetation , although also cultivated (mostly towards the west, where a wide range of woody crops appear). There are also some irrigated plains (Cubillas ^[21] and Guadahortuna ^[22] rivers). All the population centres of the region are located above from 630 ]] m.a.s.l and 14 of them exceed 1.000. The average altitude is 942,2; being Villanueva de las Torres ^[23] the one which has the lowest altitude (633 m) and Torre-Cardela ^[24] (1.217) the one which has the highest one. In line with its relief and proximity to the sea, it counts with a humid continental climate^[25], which presents elements of mediterranean influence similar to areas as the Levantine, together with others more typical from the central plateau. There are long and cold winters and, at the other end, equally long and hot summers. The rainfall is scarce (less than 600 I) of unequal distribution, descending from west to east: 700 mm/year in Iznalloz, 300 mm/year in Pedro Martínez. The average annual temperature is 15ºC, oscillating between 6 to 7ºC in January and the almost 26ºC of average in July.

It contains the following municipalities:[26]

References