The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
. It is the southernmost subrange of the
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...
range (Dinarides), extending from northern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
to southern
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
and northeastern
Montenegro
)
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.
Maja Jezercë
Jezerca Peak ( sq, Maja Jezercë) is the highest peak in the Dinaric Alps, the fifth highest in Albania and the sixth highest in the Balkans, standing at above sea level. It is the 28th most prominent mountain peak in Europe, and is regarded ...
, standing at , is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the
fifth highest peak in Albania. The highest peak in Montenegro,
Zla Kolata
Zla Kolata ( sr-cyrl, Зла Колата; sq, Kollata e Keqe) is one of the highest of the Accursed Mountains, on the border of Montenegro and Albania.
Description
Zla Kolata has an elevation of , making it the highest mountain in Montenegr ...
at and the second-highest in Kosovo,
Gjeravica
Gjeravica or Đeravica ( sq, Gjeravica; sr-cyr, Ђеравица) is the second-highest mountain peak in the Accursed Mountains mountain range and the Dinaric Alps chain, after Maja Jezercë. It is the second-highest mountain in Kosovo,. It has ...
at are also part of the range. One of the southernmost
glacial masses in Europe was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009.
Name
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
mentioned , which has been connected to the Accursed Mountains. Bertiscus lives on artificially in the form ''bertiscae'' in the scientific names for endemic species that have their ''