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| Pindus | |
|---|---|
| Pindos, Pindhos | |
 Pindus inEpirus – The village of Anthochori resting beneath the east face of Kalogiros peak,Lakmos Mountain. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Smolikas |
| Elevation | 2,637 m (8,652 ft) |
| Coordinates | 40°05′20″N20°55′31″E / 40.08889°N 20.92528°E /40.08889; 20.92528 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 112 mi (180 km) north-south |
| Width | 35 mi (56 km) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | |
| Geography | |
  Pindus  Pindus | |
| Countries | |
| Provinces/Counties | |
ThePindus, alsoPindos orPindhos[a][1] is a mountain range located inNorthern Greece andSouthern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (99 mi) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres (8,652 ft) (Mount Smolikas). Because it runs north to south along much of mainland Greece, the Pindus range is known colloquially as thespine of Greece. The mountain range stretches from near the Greek-Albanian border in southern Albania, entering theEpirus andMacedonia regions in northern Greece down to the north of thePeloponnese.Geologically, it is an extension of theDinaric Alps, which dominate the western region of theBalkan Peninsula.
According toJohn Tzetzes (a 12th-century Byzantine writer), the Pindos range was then called Metzovon.
WhenAnastasios Gordios [el] translated (between 1682/83 and 1689) to a more conversational (colloquial) language the initial praise to St. Vissarion, which was drafted in 1552 byPahomios Rousanos [el], he wrote: “A mountain called by the Greeks Pindos is the same mountain which is called Metzovon in Barbarian” and further down the same text he adds “this mountain, Metzovon, separates theIoannina region from theThessaloniki region.”[citation needed]
By the eighteenth century, there had been identification of the name Metsovo with the Pindos mountain range (in a French encyclopedia of 1756).[2] BY 1825, the travellerJohn Cam Hobhouse was writing that "…the latter mountains, now known by the name of Metzovo, can be no other than Pindus itself…"[3] while a patriarchal document of 1818 states: "Because the high mountain of Pindos in Epirus, that is commonly called Messovon...".[citation needed] The word Pindos was used more in literary sources, while the folk name for the mountain range from the Middle Ages up to the 19th century was either "Metsovo" or "the mountains of Metsovo". Most probably this name was not meant to indicate the whole range as it is meant today, but only its central part between the area ofAspropotamos and the springs of theAoös River.[citation needed] This part coincides with the mountainous region which the ancient Greeks used to call Pindos.[citation needed]
The most notable mountains in the range areMount Grammos,Mount Smolikas,Mount Vasilitsa,Tymfi or Gamila,Lakmos or Peristeri, theAthamanika or Tzoumerka mountains,Vardousia, and theAgrafa mountains. Some mountains in Southern Greece are also considered part of the extended Pindus range. Its highest peak is on Mount Smolikas at an altitude of 2,637 meters.
The main groups of Pindus areEpirotes,Roumeliotes, andVlachs. There are many villages in the Pindus, one of them beingSamarina, which boasts one of the highest elevations in Greece. The area had a traditional pastoral economy in which sheep were raised by shepherds who were ethnicallySarakatsani andAromanian. Many of the villages, such asPerivoli andSmixi, include communities of Aromanians (Vlachs), originally shepherds and farmers. In recent decades, a number of villages, such asMetsovo, have developed into tourist resorts with ski facilities.
TheA2 motorway (Egnatia Odos) serves the region and connects it with the rest of Greece.
Besides the imposing mountainous terrain of the range, two significant gorges in Europe are located in the area: theVikos Gorge and theAoos Gorge. Together with the mountain valley of Valia Kalda they have been declared protected regions and constitute the National Park of Northern Pindos.[citation needed] Furthermore, many mountain settlements with long history and unique architecture are located throughout the range.
The Pindus region covers a wide range of elevations and habitats, from deepcanyons to steep mountains. The wide range in altitude results in two major forest zones:
Large breeding colonies ofherons,spoonbills,egrets, andpelicans fish the waters of the mountain lakes of the Pindus. This is one of the few areas in Europe where the rareDalmatian pelican can be found.[citation needed]Wolves,jackals, andbears are found in the forests.
The forests of this region have faced many threats over the course of human history, includingovergrazing, agriculture, anddeforestation. The greatest threats now come from the development of mountain tourism andski resorts. Because of the instability of the soil on steep mountains, road-building and clear-cutting operations have led to dangerous landslides and the collapse of mountain slopes. Mining forbauxite, overgrazing, and over-collection of plants are also threatening the great biodiversity of this ecoregion.
In the Albanian section of the Pindus mountains is Albania's newest national park.
The Vjosa River is Europe's first Wild River National Park that was designated on 15 March 2023. The river valley is considered Albania's biodiversity hotspot, offering ideal aquatic habitats for over 1,100 species of wildlife, including otters, the endangered Egyptian vulture and the critically endangered Balkan lynx, of which only 15 are estimated to remain.
In the Greek section of the Pindus mountains there are two national parks.
The Vikos-Aoos National Park is south of the town ofKonitsa, in the west part ofZagori region. It includes MountTymfi, theVikos Gorge and theAoos Gorge. It was created in 1973.
The Pindus National Park (also known as Valia Kalda) is in a remote area in the northeast of the Pindus mountains, north of the town ofMetsovo and south ofPerivoli. The park of some 7,000 hectares was established in 1966. There are forests ofblack pine andbeech, and in the higher parts,Bosnian Pine (Pinus leucodermis). The park is a refuge forbears,wild cats, andlynxes.[4]
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The National Park was selected as main motif for two high value euro collectors' coins: the €10 GreekBirds and Flowers andBlack Pine Trees commemorative coins, minted in 2007. On the obverse of the latter there is a panoramic view of the common black pine trees that are prevalent in the park.
Винятком із цього спостереження є бурсацький арґотизм пендос 'грек', виведений від гр. кονδός 'низькорослий'. Очевидно, таке мотивування зумо-влене типовим для бурсацько-школярського арґо «перевернення дійсності» (традиційно греки є високими за зростом), яке мало на меті висміяти, зіронізувати назване явище.
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