Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus: View from Litochoro
Mount Olympus Location of Mount Olympus in Greece
Elevation	2,919 metres (9,577 ft)
Location	Greece
Range	Olympus
Prominence	2,355 metres (7,726 ft)
Coordinates	40°5′00″N 22°21′00″E / 40.083333°N 22.35°E / 40.083333; 22.35Coordinates: 40°5′00″N 22°21′00″E / 40.083333°N 22.35°E / 40.083333; 22.35
Easiest route	Hike
Listing	Country high point Ultra

Olympus' highest peak, Mýtikas or the "Throne of Zeus"

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Mount Olympus (Greek: Όλυμπος ; also transliterated as Ólympos, and on Greek maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 metres high (9,577 feet).^[1] Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe in terms of topographic prominence, the relative altitude from base to top. It is located in Macedonia, about 100 km away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city.

Mount Olympus is noted for its very rich flora with several endemic species. The highest peak on Mount Olympus is Mitikas at 2,919 metres high (9,577 feet), which in Greek means "nose" (an alternative transliterated spelling of this name is "Mytikas"). Mitikas is the highest peak in Greece, the second highest being Skolio (2912 m).

In Greek mythology the mountain was regarded as the "home of the gods", specifically of the Twelve Olympians, the twelve principal gods of the ancient Hellenistic world.^[2] Any climb to Mount Olympus starts from the town of Litochoro, which took the name City of Gods because of its location on the roots of the mountain.

Coin

The Mount Olympus and the national Park around it was recently selected as main motif for a high value euro collectors' coin: the €10 Greek National Park Olympus commemorative coin, minted in 2005. On the reverse, the War of the Titans on Mount Olympus is portrayed along with flowering branches on the lower part of the coin. Above the scene is written, in Greek, "National Park Olympus", while on the bottom of the coin, close to the edge, is the issuing year.

Other mountains

Apart from the Greek Olympus, there was a mountain of the same name in ancient Phrygia and also currently one in Cyprus, one in Utah, one in Washington, one in San Francisco, one on Mars, and many others.

See also

• List of Greek mythological figures
• List of tallest mountains by country
• Geography of Greece
• Mount Meru (mythology)
• Olympus Mons, Mars - tallest known volcano and mountain in our solar system
• Heaven

References

External links

• Mount Olympus
• Greek Mountain Flora
• Management Agency of Olympus National Park