Le cirque de Gavarnie est un cirque naturel de type glaciaire situé en France dans le massif montagneux des Pyrénées, sur le territoire de la commune de Gavarnie, dans le département des Hautes-Pyrénées, en région Occitanie. Il fait partie du parc national des Pyrénées et a été inscrit en 1997 au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO dans l'ensemble Pyrénées-Mont Perdu.
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The Cirque de Gavarnie is a vast cirque in the central Pyrenees, in southwestern France, close to the border of Spain. It is within the commune of Gavarnie, the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, and the Pyrénées National Park. Major features of the cirque are La Brèche de Roland and the Gavarnie Falls.
It was described by Victor Hugo as "the Colosseum of nature" due to its enormous size and horseshoe shape resembling an ancient amphitheatre. The cirque was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 as part of the Pyrénées – Mont Perdu World Heritage Site.
The cirque is 800 m wide and about 3,000 m wide at the top. The rock walls that surround it are up to 1,500 metres above the floor of the Cirque.
During the warmer seasons of spring, summer and fall, there are a number of large meltwater falls that spill into the cirque. The largest of these is Gavarnie Falls, the second-highest waterfall in Europe. It descends some 422 metres over a series of steps before reaching the floor of the cirque.
There are also several passes and clefts between the peaks that form the rim of the Cirque. The largest is La Brèche de Roland, at 2,800 metres above sea level. According to legend, its sheer walls were cut into the mountain by the sword of the hero Roland, nephew to Charlemagne.
The cirque, and many others like it in the Pyrenees, was formed by the process of glacial erosion. The Cirque de Gavarnie's uniquely immense size was likely caused by repeated cycles of glacial scraping over millions of years.
A number of rare plants and animals live on the peaks at the upper rim of the Cirque de Gavarnie, protected on both the French and the Spanish sides by national parks. Martagon lilies grow in the pine forests. Saxifraga and other tiny alpine flowers cling to the rock faces. Pyrenean chamois, a type of mammal similar to goats or antelope, live among the crags.
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The Gavarnie Falls is a tiered waterfall in France. With its overall drop of 422 metres, it is the highest waterfall in mainland France. The falls are situated in the Cirque de Gavarnie, near the village Gavarnie in the Hautes-Pyrénées.
The waterfall is the beginning of the Gave de Pau stream. It is fed by a melting snow and a small glacier, located in Spain. This water seeps underground until it appears at the upper rim of waterfall. The average annual flow in the waterfall is 3 m3/s. In summer, when the snowmelt is most intense, it can reach up to 200 m3/s. In winter it sometimes freezes and stops flowing.
The waterfall has 2 - 3 steps; the height of the tallest drop is 281 m.
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The Cascade Peaks are three summits in the Monte Perdido Range of the Pyrenees, culminating at 3,161 m on the eastern peak. The central peak, known as Brulle, and the western peak are 3,106 m and 3,095 m high, respectively. The peaks are located on the 3,000 m French-Spanish borderline crest.
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Épaule du Marboré is a pyrenean summit, culminating at 3,073 m in the Monte Perdido Range, marking the Franco-Spanish border. It lies on the Greenwich meridien.
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The Pyrénées – Mont Perdu World Heritage Site is a World Heritage Site straddling the border between Spain and France in the Pyrenees mountain chain. The summit of Monte Perdido is on the Spanish side of the border. The site was designated in 1997 and extended north in 1999 to include the Commune of Gèdre in France.
The site includes two bordering national parks: the entire Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in Spain and the eastern part of Pyrénées Occidentales National Park in France.
The World Heritage Site comprises a total area of 30,639 hectares.
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