| Baetic System | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mulhacén seen from the Vereda de la Estrella inSierra Nevada National Park | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mulhacén |
| Elevation | 3,478.6 m (11,413 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Schematic representation of the Baetic System of mountain ranges | |
| Countries | Spainand little bit inGibraltar (UK) |
| Region(s) | mostlyAndalusia, small parts inMurcia, Castile-La Mancha, Valencian Community andGibraltar (onlyRock) |
| Range coordinates | 37°N5°W / 37°N 5°W /37; -5 |
| Parent range | Gibraltar Arc |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Alpine Orogeny |
TheBaetic System orBetic System (Spanish:Sistema Bético) is one of the main systems ofmountain ranges inSpain. Located in the southern and easternIberian Peninsula, it is also known as theCordilleras Béticas (Baetic Mountain Ranges) orBaetic Mountains. The name of the mountain system derives from theancient Roman region ofBaetica, one of the ImperialRoman provinces of ancientHispania.
The Baetic System is made up of multiple mountain ranges that reach from westernAndalusia to theRegion of Murcia, southernCastile-La Mancha and southernLand of Valencia. To the north, the Baetic Ranges are separated from theMeseta Central and theSierra Morena by the basin of theGuadalquivir. TheIberian System rises north of the eastern part of thePrebaetic System, the northernmost part of the Baetic System. The mountain ranges that are part of this system are generally aligned \along a southwest-northeast direction.[1]
The best-known range of the Baetic System is theSierra Nevada, which contains theMulhacén, the highest mountain in continental Spain and in theIberian Peninsula. TheRock of Gibraltar is also considered part of the Baetic System,[2] but not theCabo de Gata area further east which includes rocks ofvolcanic origin.[3]
The Baetic System as a geological feature belongs to a largerorogeny usually called theGibraltar Arc, which represents the westernmost edge of theAlpine Orogeny. Thegeodynamic mechanisms responsible for its formation are so far relatively unknown.[4]
Geologically theRif mountains inMorocco and theSerra de Tramuntana in the island ofMajorca are, respectively, Southwestern and Northeastern extensions of the Baetic System.[5]The Gibraltar Arc geological region follows the Moroccan coast fromOujda in the east toTangier in the west, then crosses theStrait of Gibraltar and goes east again fromCádiz toValencia and theBalearic Islands.
The Baetic System is home to a number ofMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub plant communities, including shrublands,oak woodlands,broadleaf forests, andconiferous forests, which vary with elevation, soils, and topography.
The Baetic System, together with theRif Mountains of Morocco, which face the Baetic Ranges across theAlboran Sea, is one of theMediterranean basin's tenbiodiversity hotspots, known to ecologists as the Baetic-Rifan complex. The Baetic mountains are home to a rich assemblage of Mediterranean plants, including a number ofrelict species from the ancientlaurel forests, which covered much of the Mediterranean basin millions of years ago when it was more humid.
The Baetic System is divided into the following sub-chains (from south to north):
ThePenibaetic System includes the highest point in the peninsula, the 3,478 m highMulhacén in theSierra Nevada; other ranges and features are:
TheSubbaetic System occupies a central position within the Baetic System. Highest point 2,027 m (6,650 ft) highPeña de la Cruz inSierra Arana.
ThePrebaetic System is the northernmost feature of the whole Baetic System. Highest point 2,382 m highLa Sagra.
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