Classroom lesson · Pyrenees Mountain Peaks · 🇦🇩 Andorra

Pyrenees Mountain Peaks

A sky-high country hidden between two giants

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Andorra is a tiny country completely surrounded by mountains called the Pyrenees, which form a natural wall between Spain and France. The peaks rise so high that you are almost always looking up at snow somewhere. More than a third of Andorra is over 2,000 metres above sea level — that is higher than most mountains in the British Isles.

Tell me more

The Pyrenees were formed millions of years ago when two huge sections of Earth's crust slowly pushed into each other, wrinkling the land upwards. The highest point inside Andorra is a peak called Coma Pedrosa, which stands 2,942 metres tall. On clear days you can see Spain and France from the top.

Because the mountains completely surround the country, they shape everything about daily life. The roads twist and turn through narrow valleys, villages are nestled onto hillsides, and every morning children can look out of their school windows and see towering grey and white peaks. In winter the upper slopes are buried under several metres of snow.

The mountains also create lots of different weather in a small space. One valley might be sunny and warm while a valley on the other side of a ridge is cold and cloudy. This happens because the peaks block clouds, so one slope catches rain while the other stays dry. Geographers call this a 'rain shadow'.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01What would be tricky about building roads through mountains? What solutions might engineers use?
  2. 02How do you think mountains change the way people dress, the food they grow, and the sports they play?
  3. 03Andorra is completely surrounded by mountains. Can you think of any good things and any tricky things about that?
Try this

Classroom activity

Give each child a sheet of paper. Ask them to draw a side-on view of a mountain range and label: the peak, a valley, a snow line, and a rain shadow side. Then compare drawings with a partner and discuss what would be different about living on each side.