The cul­tur­al land­scape of Madriu-Per­afi­­ta-Claror Val­ley offers a micro­cos­mic per­spec­tive of the way peo­ple have har­vest­ed the resources of the high Pyre­nees over mil­len­nia. Its dra­mat­ic glacial land­scapes of crag­gy cliffs and glac­i­ers, with high open pas­tures and steep wood­ed val­leys, cov­ers an area of 4,247 ha, 9% of the total area of the prin­ci­pal­i­ty. It reflects past changes in cli­mate, eco­nom­ic for­tune and social sys­tems, as well as the per­sis­tence of pas­toral­ism and a strong moun­tain cul­ture, notably the sur­vival of a com­mu­nal land-own­er­­ship sys­tem dat­ing back to the 13th cen­tu­ry. The site fea­tures hous­es, notably sum­mer set­tle­ments, ter­raced fields, stone tracks and evi­dence of iron smelt­ing.