The Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. The highest point in the Pyrenees is Mont Perdu at 3,404 metres (11,168 ft), located in the central section of the range on the border between France and Spain. The term “Pyrenees” may also refer to the mountain range as a whole, or to any one of its constituent ranges: the Central Pyrenees, the Western Pyrenees or the Eastern Pyrenees.
Geography
The Pyrenees are about 965 kilometres (600 mi) long and 80 kilometres (50 mi) across at their widest point. They extend from west to east along the northern edge of the Iberian Peninsula, from north to south along the Mediterranean coast of France, and from northeast to southwest through westernmost Navarre in Spain. The climate is generally Mediterranean with warm summers and cool winters; precipitation is adequate but variable from year to year. Snowfall can be heavy in some years; several major ski resorts are located in French slopes of the central part of range while Spanish ones are mostly located on its southern slopes.
Etymology and history
There are various explanations for the name “Pyrenees”. A Greek legend has it that Hercules created them when he set fire to some trees with his flaming arrows as revenge against Apollo for having stolen his cattle. Another explanation comes from Greek mythology: after seducing her sister Hera’s husband Zeus, Aphrodite fled across these mountains to avoid Hera’s wrath (giving rise to another name for them: “Hera’s Mountains”). In fact, according to Strabo there was no single name for them in Greek antiquity: different groups knew them under different names such as Orko (“the high”), Rhodope (“the rosy”), Oeta (“the mountain goat-infested”) or Hesperia (“the land west [of Greece]”). During Roman times they were called Alpes Poeninae (“Alps near Gaul”) because they were all within Gallia Narbonensis province; then Hispania Tarraconensis after Augustus’ reorganization of provinces placed all peninsular provinces except Lusitania into this new one; finally towards late empire they became known simply as Alpes (‘mountains’). In modern languages they retain this Latin alpine root but have acquired other names reflecting regional dialects and national languages: etymologically purer Basque speakers call them Pirineos while Catalan speakers use either Pirineus or Pireneu (singular); both mean ‘end[s]/edge[s] [of something]’, referring either specifically or generally – like most Romance terms – to what lies beyond these mountains rather than just naming them directly; Occitan uses Pyrénéis/Pirenèus which also derive from Latin words meaning ‘fires’; Aragonese has pirinencos while Gascon uses pirenés/pirinés alongside pic d’Occitània (‘Peak [of Occitania]’ – i.e., its highest peak). Standard French usage transformed pyrénéen(ne) into pays des Pyrénéens literally meaning ‘[country/land] [of/belonging] [to those who live by /underneath /at foot of ] mountains’. This connotation was popularized by 17th century clergymen such as François de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt who wrote Voyage dans les départements du Midi de la France en l’an II de la République (‘Journey through departments of Southern France during second year Republic’), published posthumously 1802–03 where he described Hautes-Pyrénées department thusly:.
Les habitants sont appelés communément le peuple des montagnes … On leur donne encore un autre surnom tiré de leur position géographique qui est celui des Pyrénéens … La plupart sont gens paisibles et travailleurs cultivant la terre ou exerçant quelques petits métiers artisanaux … Mais il y en a toujours eu une partie farouche et indomptée que rien n’a pu asservir et qui vit à l’état sauvage comme les bêtes fauves dont elle semble avoir pris le caractère.”