Pindus

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The Pindus (also Pindos; Greek Πίνδος ) is a mountain range in Southeastern Europe. It extends over more than 150 km in north-south direction and separates the Greek landscape Epirus to the west of Macedonia and Thessaly to the east. In the north, the Pindus Mountains extends into to Albania. In the southeast of the Pindos goes over to the Agrafa Mountains. The Pindos is the watershed between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea.

The Smolikas is 2632 m, the highest and second highest mountain in Greece Pindosgipfel after Olympus ( 2917 m). He is like the mountain ranges Grammos Tymfi, Smolikas and Mitsikeli the northern Pindos. In the southern Pindos found, for example, the Lakmosmassiv and used for skiing Tymfristos.

In the Pindos is also the Vikos Gorge. The Vikos - Aoos National Park in the northwest and the Pindos National Park in Western Macedonia are for hikers of interest. East of the Pindos are mainly the Meteora Monasteries of tourist interest.

The National Highway 20 passes through south of the border to Albania the Pindos. During the National Road 38 in southern Pindos recently the 1,300 m long Tymfristos tunnel was completed, which makes the crossing a 1,200 meter high pass filter unnecessary. The important Highway 2 that connects Igoumenitsa Thessaloniki, is in Pindos, where many complex engineering structures are necessary, some still under construction. Here runs approximately the boundary between the northern and southern Pindos.

In Greek mythology, the Pindos is regarded as one of the places where the Muses gather around Apollo. The name of the high mountains means " the white man " and goes with German words like " white " and " wheat " on a common Indo-European root back.