Pindus Mountains

Pindus Mountains

▪ mountains, Europe
Modern Greek  Oroseirá Píndhou,  

      principal range and backbone of mainland Greece, trending north-northwest–south-southeast from Albania to central Greece north of the Peloponnese.

      In antiquity, the name Pindus applied to ranges south of the Aracynthus (Zygós) Pass west of Thessaly. Occasionally the Pindus is said to extend into Albania but also to include the Tymphrestos (Timfristós) massif and even the Gióna massif north of Amphissa in the nomós (department) of Phocis (Fokís). The highest point of the range is 8,651 feet (2,637 m) in the Smólikas massif, near the Albanian border.

      An extension of the calcareous Dinaric range of the Balkans, the core of the Pindus appears to comprise metamorphic and volcanic rocks: schists, serpentines, granite, and jasper. The northern parts, less elevated, have folded Balkan characteristics. Lacking uniformity, the Pindus consists largely of a series of small ranges separated by transverse valleys eroded from limestones that on the eastern slopes often are overlain by geologically younger sandy and marl deposits. The result is often wild, precipitous slopes that afford few passes; the principal one is the Métsovo (Katára pass; 5,593 feet [1,705 m]), a historic defile that carries the highway from the Epirus to Thessaly.

      The southern limits of the Pindus are generally considered to be the Tymphrestos Mountains northeast of Karpenísion. From the Albanian border, the local massifs are the Grámmos and Vóïon, Tímfi, Smolikas, Lingos, Lákmos (the latter rising at Peristéri to 7,529 feet [2,295 m]), and the Athamánon, between the Árakhthos and Achelous rivers, rising at Tzoumérka to 8,100 feet (2,469 m).

      Forested with oak, fir, beech, and pine, the Pindus creates a barrier for the westerly weather fronts, which puts the Thessalian plain to the east in a rain shadow. The mountains, snowcapped in winter, receive heavy rainfall that feeds such rivers as the Achelous and Mégdhova on the western slopes and the Piniós and Aliakmon on the eastern.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pindus Mountains mixed forests — The Pindus Mountains mixed forests constitute a terrestrial ecoregion of Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It belongs to the biome of Mediterranean forests,… …   Wikipedia

  • Pindus Mountains — geographical name mountains N Greece between Epirus & Thessaly …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Pindus Mountains — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Pindus — This article is about the mountain range called Pindus. For other uses of these names, see Pindus (disambiguation). Pindus Mountains The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos[1]) (Greek: Πίνδος) mountain range is loca …   Wikipedia

  • PINDUS, MOUNT —    is the range of mountains rising between Thessaly and Epirus, which forms the watershed of the country …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Principality of the Pindus — Πριγκιπάτο της Πίνδου Printsipat di la Pind Principato del Pindo Proposed puppet state of Italy …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Pindus — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Pindus partof=the Greco Italian War caption= date=October 28 November 13, 1940 place=Pindus Mountains result=decisive Greek victory combatant1=flagicon|Italy|1861 state Fascist Italy: 3 Alpine Division …   Wikipedia

  • List of mountains in Greece — A list of mountains in Greece:*Acarnanian Mountains *Aenos *Agia Dynati in Kefalonia *Agkistro *Aigaleo or Egaleo *Arachnaia *Artemissio Mountains *Aroania or Chelmos *Askio *Athamanika or Tzoumerka *Attavyros *Mount Athos *Chasia *Cholomon… …   Wikipedia

  • Šar Mountains — ▪ mountains, Macedonia Serbo Croatian  Šar Planina        mountain range in western Macedonia, one of the most rugged and impassable in the Balkans, extending northeast–southwest for about 47 miles (75 km). A southern continuation along the… …   Universalium

  • Latin names of mountains — Users of Neo Latin have taken the Latin language to places the Romans never went; hence a need arose to make Latin names of mountains that did not exist when Latin was a living language.trategies for constructing Latin names:See companion… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”