The Pirin Mountain Bulgarian: Пирин is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren at an altitude of 2,914 m being the highest peak. One hypothesis is the mountain was named after Perun, the highest god of the Slavic pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. Another version is that the etymology of the range derives from the Thracian word Perinthos, meaning `Rocky Mountain`. The range extends about 80 km from the north-west to the south-east and is about 40 km wide, spanning a territory of 2,585 km2 998 sq mi. To the north Pirin is separated from Bulgaria`s highest mountain range, the Rila Mountain, by the Predel saddle, while to the south it reaches the Slavyanka Mountain. To the west is located the valley of the river Struma and to the east the valley of the river Mesta separates it from the Rhodope Mountains. Pirin is dotted with more than a hundred glacial lakes and is also the home of Europe`s southernmost glaciers, Snezhnika and Banski Suhodol. The northern part of the range, which is also the highest one, is protected by the Pirin National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Pirin is noted for its rich flora and fauna, as well as for the presence of a number of relict species.

圖片編號： 147710967
拍攝者： Uzunov