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Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is an IUCN Category II National Park situated in the Pyrenees of Huesca, Aragón (Spain). It was created august 16th of 1918 by a Royal Decree which declared Ordesa Valley a National Park of 2,100 ha of extension. In July 13th of 1982 it was enlarged to the 15,608 ha it has today and its official name changed to Parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido. It's included in the Biosphere Reserve of Ordesa-Viñamala declared by UNESCO in 1997.
Its territory includes the municipalities of Torla, Broto, Fanlo, Tella-Sin, Puertóla and Bielsa.
The National park constitutes a geographic unit. Its orography is dominated by the calcareous mass (the biggest of Europe) of the massiff of the Three Solores, Tresserols, whose greater elevation is the Monte Perdido, from which in a more or less radial form descend a series of impressive mountainous crests and glacial valleys . The most characteristic and symbolic one is the Ordesa Valley, drained by the river Arazas, origin of the National Park, that is opened in Southwestern direction, but also is important the Tube of Añisclo, that is drained by the river Bellós, in South direction, the Gorges of Escuaín, drained by the river Yaga, in Southeastern direction and the Valley of Pineta, drained by the river Five. Although not all of it belongs to the National Park because it's already in French territory and belogs to the Pyrenees National Park, the Valley and Circus of Gavarnie is another impressive glacial cirque that has the highest waterfall of Europe, with more than 400 meters of vertical fall.
The basic morphology of the Park is originated by the fold and alpine elevation of the Tertiary Era, subsequently molded by the glacial erosion during the Quaternary Era, giving rise to a series of circuses and valleys like the Valley of Ordesa and the Valley of Pineta. Nowadays a glacier continues existing in the North face of the Monte Perdido, although continues in retreatment. Most of the rock of the National Park is limestone. Superimposed to the most evident and old glacial erosion is the karstic transformation of the landscape, with multiple caves, canyons, chasms, etc.. most important of them are the Tube of Añisclo and the Gorges of Escuaín, in which appear glacial circuses that subsequently are boxed in deep gorges.
Highest areas of the park (above 2,000 m AMSL) are extremely arid, all precipitation is fastly gone inside the karstic system, while the bottoms of the valleys are dominated by a lush vegetation of beeches and firs that give place to the black pine when the height increases.
Many illustrious persons have been fond of these places and have given word of their virtues. People like Luciano Briet, Solor i Santaló or Lucas Mallada contributed to promote the place and grant it the protected status.
The most important species of the Park was the bucardo or Pyrenean Ibex , sadly extinguished in 2,000 in spite of the preservation efforts. Other species of goats are the sarrio o rebeco of the Pyrenees. There are other species like the marmot, boar and the Pyrenean desman or water-mole (Galemys pyrenaicus). Great birds like the royal eagle, the common vulture, hawks, royal owls and a lesser extent of ospreys and others like the endemic snow partridge , exclusive from the high meadows.
Image Gallery
Image:Macizo_perdido.jpg|Cirque de Soaso and Massif of Monte Perdido
Image:la_breche_de_roland_2.jpg|North face of La Br%C3%A8che de Roland
Image:Circo de Soaso.JPG|Cirque of Soaso and Horse Tail
Image:Pirineo Ordesa 1.jpg|Path inside the Park
Image:Ordesa2.jpg|Entrance to the Park at Torla
Image:Ordesa3.jpg|Cirque of Cotatuero
Image:Ordesa4.jpg|Cirque of Soaso
Image:Ordesa5.jpg|Horse Tail waterfall
