Mount Olympus
| Mount Olympus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mytikas |
| Elevation | 2,917 m (9,570 ft)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 2,353 m (7,720 ft)[3] |
| Parent peak | Musala |
| Isolation | 254 km (158 mi)  |
| Listing | Country high point Ultra |
| Coordinates | 40°05′08″N 22°21′31″E / 40.08556°N 22.35861°ECoordinates: 40°05′08″N 22°21′31″E / 40.08556°N 22.35861°E |
| Geography | |
  Mount Olympus Location of Mount Olympus | |
| Location | Greece |
| Parent range | Thessaly and Macedonia, near the Gulf of Salonika |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 2 August 1913 Christos Kakkalos, Frederic Boissonnas and Daniel Baud-Bovy |
Mount Olympus (/oʊˈlɪmpəs, əˈlɪm-/;[4] Greek: Όλυμπος, romanized: Ólympos, for Modern Greek also transliterated Ólimbos, IPA: [ˈoli(m)bos]) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa and Pieria, about 80 km (50 mi) southwest from Thessaloniki.[5] Mount Olympus has 52 peaks and deep gorges.[6] The highest peak, Mytikas (Μύτικας Mýtikas), meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres (9,570 ft).[2] It is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of topographic prominence.[7]
Olympus is notable in Greek mythology as the home of the Greek gods, on Mytikas peak. It is also noted for its exceptional biodiversity and rich flora. It has been a National Park, the first in Greece, since 1938. It is also a World Biosphere Reserve.[2]
Every year, thousands of visitors admire its fauna and flora, tour its slopes, and climb its peaks. Organized mountain refuges and various mountaineering and climbing routes are available. The usual starting point for climbing Olympus is the town of Litochoro, on the eastern foothills of the mountain, 100 km (62 mi) from Thessaloniki.
Geography[]
The shape of Olympus was formed by rain and wind, which produced an isolated tower almost 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above the sea, which is only 18 kilometres (11 mi) away at Litochoro. Olympus has many peaks and an almost circular shape. The mountain has a circumference of 150 kilometres (93 mi), an average diameter of 26 kilometres (16 mi), and 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) of area.[8] To the northwest lies the Vlach village of Kokkinoplou. The Makryrema stream separates Olympus from the massif of Voulgara. The villages Petra, Vrontou and Dion lie to the northwest, while on the eastern side there is the town of Litochoro, where Enipeas bisects the massif of Olympus. On its southeastern side, the Ziliana gorge divides Mount Olympus from Kato Olympos (Lower Olympus), while on its southwestern foothills, there are the villages Sykaminea and Karya. The Agia Triada Sparmou Monastery and the village Pythion lie to the west.[9]
Olympus's dry foothills, known as the Xirokampi, are covered in chaparral and provides habitat for animals such as wild boar. Further east, the plain of Dion is fertile and watered by the streams which originate on Olympus.
Geology[]
Mount Olympus is formed of sedimentary rock laid down 200 million years ago in a shallow sea. Various geological events that followed caused the emergence of the whole region and the sea. Around one million years ago glaciers covered Olympus and created its plateaus and depressions. With the temperature rise that followed, the ice melted and the streams that were created swept away large quantities of crushed rock in the lowest places, forming the alluvial fans, that spread out all over the region from the foothills of the mountain to the sea.[2] The Geological Museum of Mount Olympus, located in Leptokarya, provides detailed information about the geological structure of the mountain.
Morphology[]
The complicated geological past of the region is obvious from the morphology of Olympus and its National Park. Features include deep gorges and lots of smooth peaks, many of them over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), including Aghios Antonios (2,815 metres (9,236 ft)), Kalogeros (2,700 metres (8,900 ft)), Toumpa (2,801 metres (9,190 ft)) and Profitis Ilias (2,803 metres (9,196 ft)). However, it is the central, almost vertical, rocky peaks, that impress the visitor. Over the town of Litochoro, on the horizon, the relief of the mountain displays an apparent V, between two peaks of almost equal height. The left limb is the peak named Mytikas (or Pantheon). It is Greece's highest peak. Then, on the right is Stefani (or Thronos Dios [Throne of Zeus – 2,902 metres (9,521 ft)]), which presents the most impressive and steep peak of Olympus, with its last sharply rising 200 meters presenting the greatest challenge for climbers. Further south, Skolio (40°04′58″N 22°21′26″E / 40.0829°N 22.3571°E second highest sub-peak – 2,911 metres (9,551 ft)) completes an arc of about 200 degrees, with its steep slopes forming on the west side, like a wall, an impressive precipitous amphitheatrical cavity, 700 metres (2,300 ft) in depth and 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in circumference, the 'Megala Kazania'. On the east side of the high peaks the steep slopes form zone like parallel folds, the 'Zonaria'. Even narrower and steeper scorings, the 'Loukia', lead to the peak.
Οn the north side, between Stefani and Profitis Ilias, extends the Muses' Plateau, at 2,550 metres (8,370 ft), while further south, almost in the center of the massif, extends the alpine tundra region of Bara, at an altitude of 2,350 metres (7,710 ft). Olympus has numerous ravines and gullies. Most distinguishable of the ravines are those of Mavrologos-Enipeas (14 km) and Mavratzas-Sparmos (13 km) near Bara and 'cut' the massif in two oval portions. On the southern foothills the great gorge of Ziliana, 13 km long, consists of a natural limit that separates the mountain from Lower Olympus. There are also many precipices and a number of caves, even nowadays[when?] unexplored. The form and layout of the rocks favor the emergence of numerous springs, mainly lower than 2,000 m, of small seasonal lakes and streams and of a small river, Enipeas, with its springs in the site Prionia and its estuary in the Aegean Sea.[10][11]
Name and mythological associations[]
The origin of the name Όλυμπος (Olympos) is unknown.[12] One theory suggests that it's compounded of lyma (λύμα) and pous (πούς), meaning "pure foot", conforming to Hesiod's description of the earth as a sort of footstool for heaven up from which rise the "Blessed Gods".[13] According to Robert S.P. Beekes the word is of pre-Greek origin and he speculates that it originally meant "mountain".[12][14] It's worth noting that the word is also probably cognate with the Mycenean Greek word