Elatia or Karantere ( el, Ελατιά or ''Καρά Ντερέ'') is a mostly forested mountain area located in the central and northern parts of the Drama regional unit (and partially Kavala regional unit) in Greek Macedonia that extends along the Greek- Βulgarian border. Karantere is 90% covered by the forest of Elatia and contains the forest village of Elatia. The Forest of Elatia and Karantere are sometimes used interchangeably when describing the area. The forest village of Elatia lies at the location known as "Koutra," 72 km from Drama, Greece. The forest is owned by the Greek Forest Service, with the village being the administrative and operational center for the Forest of Elatia.Tourist Guide of Dram
The Forest of Elatia
Retrieved on June 23, 2007

Flora, fauna, and funga

Karantere contains the country's only forest of

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

trees. The landscape of the area is similar to that of

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

. Among the trees and plant life that can be found within the forest are: There is a great wealth of plants in Elatia with more than 700 species. Many of which are endemic the Balkans and many of which are rare in Greece. A wide variety of mushrooms can be seen, many which are edible ( Boletus,

Amanita caesarea ''Amanita caesarea'', commonly known as Caesar's mushroom, is a highly regarded edible mushroom in the genus ''Amanita'', native to southern Europe and North Africa. While it was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1772, this mus ...

). The fauna in the area has animal species such as the brown bear, wild boar, roe deer,

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

, wolves, wild cat, wood pigeon,

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

hawks Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily a ...

, and woodpeckers, among others.

References

Landforms of Drama (regional unit) Mountains of Greece Mountains of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace {{EMacedoniaThrace-geo-stub

Flora, fauna, and funga

See also

References