Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
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| Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park | |
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| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
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| Nearest city: | Lleida |
| Area: | 141 km² |
| Established: | 1956 |
| Governing body: | Catalan Department of Environment and Housing |
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (Catalan: 'Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici') is the only national park in Catalonia.
A wild mountain region in the Pyrenees, with peaks rising to 3,017 m (Besiberri Sud) and with nearly 200 lakes, many of them of glacial origin, the park comprises:
- the core area (141 km²)
- a peripheral or buffer zone surrounding the park (267 km²)
The park has an elevation range from 1,600 to 3,000 metres and contains four major vegetation zones: lower montane, upper montane, subalpine and alpine. It has a great variety of alpine vegetation, including dark-coniferous mountain forest (fir, mountain pine) and subalpine pine forest.
The fauna includes Pyrenean chamois, marmot, ermine, roe deer, among other mammals and numerous birds (Black Woodpecker, Common Crossbill, Lammergeier, Golden Eagle).
The park was created in 1956. Its administrative seats are in Espot and Boí. The park is mainly located in the comarques of Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça.
Close to the park there is a rich architectural heritage, including the Catalan Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in November 2000.[1] A good example is the Sant Climent de Taüll church.
