Balkan Mountains

Balkan Mountains Stara Planina
Haemus Mons
A view from Kom Peak in western Bulgaria
Highest point
Peak	Botev Peak
Elevation	2,376 m (7,795 ft)[1]
Listing	List of mountain ranges
Coordinates	42°43′02″N 24°55′02″E / 42.71713°N 24.91716°E / 42.71713; 24.91716[1]
Dimensions
Length	557 km (346 mi) west-east
Width	15–50 km (9.3–31.1 mi) north-south
Area	11,596 km2 (4,477 sq mi)
Naming
Native name	Стара Планина (Bulgarian) Stara Planina (Serbian) Балкан (Bulgarian) Balkan (Serbian)
English translation	'Old Mountain'
Geography
Countries	Bulgaria Serbia
Range coordinates	43°15′N 25°0′E / 43.250°N 25.000°E / 43.250; 25.000
Geology
Rock types	granite gneiss limestone

The Balkan mountain range^[2] is located in the eastern part of the Balkans in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs for about 560 kilometres (350 mi), first in a south-easterly direction along the border, then eastward across Bulgaria, forming a natural barrier between the northern and southern halves of the country, before finally reaching the Black Sea at Cape Emine. The mountains reach their highest point with Botev Peak at 2,376 metres (7,795 ft).

In much of the central and eastern sections, the summit forms the watershed between the drainage basins of the Black Sea and the Aegean. A prominent gap in the mountains is formed by the predominantly narrow Iskar Gorge, a few miles north of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The karst relief determines the large number of caves, including Magura, featuring the most important and extended European post-Palaeolithic cave painting, Ledenika, Saeva dupka, Bacho Kiro, etc. The most notable rock formation are the Belogradchik Rocks in the west.

There are several important protected areas: Central Balkan National Park, Vrachanski Balkan, Bulgarka and Sinite Kamani, as well as a number of nature reserves. The Balkan Mountains are remarkable for their flora and fauna. Edelweiss grows there in the region of Kozyata stena. Some of the most striking landscapes are included in the Central Balkan National Park with steep cliffs, the highest waterfalls in the Balkans and lush vegetation. There are a number of important nature reserves such as Chuprene, Kozyata stena and others. Most of Europe's large mammals inhabit the area including the brown bear, wolf, boar, chamois and deer.

The mountains are the source of the name of the Balkans (sometimes considered as a distinct peninsula or region). In Bulgarian and Serbian the mountains are also known as Стара планина Stara planina (pronounced in Bulgarian as [ˈstarɐ pɫɐniˈna] and in Serbian as [stâːraː planǐna]), a term whose literal meaning is 'old mountain'.^[3]