The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos;[Latin form Pindus is used by Encarta . Both Pindus and Pindos are used by the Encyclopædia Britannica ( here and here). It is the largest mountain range in Greece. Modern guidebooks tend to use Pindos (Baedeker's Greece, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, Cicerone Mountain Walking) or Pindhos (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide).] ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of (Smolikas). Because it runs north to south along much of mainland Greece, the Pindus range is known colloquially as the spine of Greece. The mountain range stretches from near the Greek-Albanian border in southern Albania, entering the Epirus and Macedonia regions in northern Greece down to the north of the Peloponnese. Geologically, it is an extension of the Dinaric Alps, which dominate the western region of the Balkans.
History of the name
According to
John Tzetzes (a 12th-century Byzantine writer), the Pindos range was then called Metzovon.
When translated (between 1682/83 and 1689) to a more conversational (colloquial) language the initial praise to St. Vissarion, which was drafted in 1552 by , 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 the Ioannina region from the Thessaloniki region.”
By the eighteenth century, there had been identification of the name Metsovo with the Pindos mountain range (in a French encyclopedia of 1756).
Major mountains
The most notable mountains in the range are
Mount Grammos,
Mount Smolikas,
Mount Vasilitsa,
Tymfi,
Lakmos, the
Athamanika,
Vardousia, and the
Agrafa 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.
Population
The main groups of Pindus are
Epirotes,
Roumeliotes, and
Vlachs. There are many villages in the Pindus, one of them being
Samarina, 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 ethnically
Sarakatsani and
Aromanians. Many of the villages such as Perivoli and
Smixi include communities of Aromanians (
Vlachs), originally shepherds and farmers. In recent decades, a number of villages, such as
Metsovo, have developed into tourist resorts with ski facilities.
Transportation
The A2 motorway (Egnatia Odos) serves the region and connects it with the rest of Greece.
Sightseeing
Besides the imposing mountainous terrain of the range, two significant gorges in Europe are located in the area: the
Vikos Gorge and the
Aoos Gorge. Together with the mountain valley of Valia Kalda they have been declared protected regions and constitute the National Park of Northern Pindos. Furthermore, many mountain settlements with long history and unique architecture are located throughout the range.
Nature and wildlife
The Pindus region covers a wide range of elevations and habitats, from deep
to steep mountains. The wide range in altitude results in two major forest zones:
-
A conifer zone, where trees such as a subspecies of Austrian Pine and the endemic Greek fir, characterise the highest elevations, with juniper woodlands dominating near the timberline.
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A mixed broadleaf forest zone dominates the and of the middle and lower elevations.
Large breeding colonies of , , , and fish the waters of the mountain lakes of the Pindus. This is one of the few areas in Europe where the rare Dalmatian pelican can be found. wolf, , and are found in the forests.
Ecology
The forests of this region have faced many threats over the course of human history, including
overgrazing, agriculture, and
deforestation. The greatest threats now come from the development of mountain tourism and
. 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 for
bauxite, overgrazing, and over-collection of plants are also threatening the great biodiversity of this ecoregion.
National Parks
In the Albanian section of the Pindus mountains is Albania's newest national park.
Vjosa Wild River 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.
Vikos-Aoos National Park
The Vikos-Aoos National Park is south of the town of
Konitsa, in the west part of
Zagori region. It includes Mount
Tymfi, the
Vikos Gorge and the
Aoos Gorge. It was created in 1973.
Pindus National Park
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 of
Metsovo and south of Perivoli. The park of some 7,000 hectares was established in 1966. There are forests of black pine and
beech, and in the higher parts,
Bosnian Pine (
Pinus leucodermis). The park is a refuge for
,
, and
.
The National Park was selected as main motif for two high value euro collectors' coins: the €10 Greek Birds and Flowers and Black 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.
See also
Sources
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N. Hammond, Epirus, vol. A΄, transl. Athanasiou Giagka, publ. Epirotiki Vivliothiki, Athens 1971, pp. 12–13.
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F. Dasoulas, “Pindos, oi geografikes kai istorikes diastaseis enos onomatos” Pindos,, Epirotiko Imerologio 31 (2012), pp. 189–254
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K. Tsipiras, Oreini Ellada Mountainous, publ. Kedros S.A., 2003, pp. 14–61
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N. Kosmas, “Oi diodoi tis Pindou” The, Epirotiki Estia 4 (1955), pp. 14–20.
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N. Pihtos, H aisthitiki tis Pindou The, publ. City of Metsovo, Ioannina 1988.
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B. Nitsiakos, Oi oreines koinotites tis voreias Pindou. Ston apoiho tis makras diarkeias The, publ. Plethron, Athens 1995.
Further reading
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Salmon, T. (2006), The Mountains of Greece: The Pindos Mountains, Cicerone Press,
External links
