Which mountain range separates Spain from France?

The Pyrenees are the mountain range that separates Spain from France. Stretching across southwestern Europe, the range forms most of the natural boundary between the two countries and also includes the small independent country of Andorra.

The Pyrenees extend for nearly 500 kilometers, from the Bay of Biscay in the west to the Mediterranean coast in the east. Their highest summit is Aneto, which rises to 3,404 meters in Spain’s Aragon region. The mountains contain sharply contrasting landscapes, including forests, alpine meadows, glaciers, and limestone peaks.

The range has shaped European travel and politics for centuries. Rather than being an impassable wall, it contains several historic passes and valleys. The France–Spain border generally follows the mountain crest, although the exact political boundary has exceptions. The Treaty of the Pyrenees, signed in 1659, formally settled major disputes between France and Spain.

A common mix-up is confusing the Pyrenees with the Alps. The Alps separate or border countries such as France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Germany, while the Pyrenees lie between Spain and France.