| Central System | |
|---|---|
| Sistema Central | |
 View of La Serrota, 2.294 m, inÁvila Province | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Pico Almanzor |
| Elevation | 2,592 m (8,504 ft) |
| Coordinates | 40°14′48″N05°17′52″W / 40.24667°N 5.29778°W /40.24667; -5.29778 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 600 km (370 mi) ENE - WSW |
| Width | 30 km (19 mi) NNW - SSE |
| Geography | |
 Location of the Sistema Central in the Iberian Peninsula | |
| Countries | Spain andPortugal |
| Communities | Extremadura,Castile-La Mancha andCastile and León |
| Districts | Guarda andCastelo Branco |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Alpine |
| Rock age | Tertiary |
| Rock type(s) | Limestone andsandstone |
TheCentral System,Spanish andPortuguese:Sistema Central, is one of the main systems ofmountain ranges in theIberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m highPico Almanzor is its highest summit.
The Central System is located just north of the40th parallel and its ranges divide thedrainage basin of theTagus from the basin of theDouro.
The Sistema Central is a primary feature of theMeseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts. The Sistema Central runs in an ENE - WSW direction roughly along the southern border of theSpanish autonomous community ofCastile and León andExtremadura continuing into theGuarda andCastelo Branco districts inPortugal.
Unlike the neighboringSistema Ibérico, the Sistema Central range is a quite homogeneous system. It consists of several ranges that formed 25 million years ago as part of theAlpine orogeny.
The major mountain ranges are theSierra de Guadarrama, which runs approximately along the border of theMadrid and Castile and León autonomous communities, theSierra de Gredos north of the border between Castile and León andCastile-La Mancha stretching intoExtremadura and containing the range's highest mountain,Pico Almanzor, at 2,592 m, as well as theSerra da Estrela, containing the highest point in continentalPortugal,A Torre, 1,993 m. Other notably large ranges areSierra de Gata andSierra de Ayllón. The Central System links with theSistema Ibérico at its eastern end through theSierra de Pela, theAltos de Barahona andSierra Ministra, the latter already fully part of the Iberian System.[1]
"Sistema Central" is a widely known academic geographical term. Local inhabitants, however, generally refer to the Sistema Central by the names of its smaller constituent ranges.
The main ranges of the Sistema Central from west to east followed by their highest points are:
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