Parnon or Parnonas ( el, Πάρνων/Πάρνωνας) or Malevos (Μαλεβός) is a mountain range, or massif, on the east of the

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...

n plain and the

Evrotas The Eurotas ( grc, Εὐρώτας) or Evrotas (modern Greek: ) is the main river of Laconia and one of the major rivers of the Peloponnese, in Greece. The river's springs are located just northwest of the border between Laconia and Arcadia, at ...

valley. It is visible from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

above the top of the

Argive mountains Argos (; el, Άργος ; grc, label=Ancient and Katharevousa, Ἄργος ) is a city in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the oldest in Europe. It is the largest city in Ar ...

. The western part is in the

prefecture and the northeastern part is in the

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

prefecture. The Parnon range separates

from

. Its summit offers panoramic views of southeastern

and

South Kynouria South Kynouria ( el, Νότια Κυνουρία – ''Notia Kynouria'') is a municipality in the Arcadia regional unit, Peloponnese, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town of Leonidio. The municipality has an area of 592.439 km2. It co ...

and much of

that includes the northern and the central portions and reaches as far as the

Taygetos The Taygetus, Taugetus, Taygetos or Taÿgetus ( el, Ταΰγετος, Taygetos) is a mountain range on the Peloponnese peninsula in Southern Greece. The highest mountain of the range is Mount Taygetus, also known as "Profitis Ilias", or "Prophet ...

mountains. It also views a part of the central

and the southern

Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( el, Αργολίδα , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula and part of the tri ...

prefectures. It views the Myrtoan and the

Laconian Gulf The Laconian Gulf ( el, Λακωνικός Κόλπος, translit=Lakonikos Kolpos), is a gulf in the south-eastern Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the southernmost gulf in Greece and the largest in the Peloponnese. In the shape of an inverted "U", ...

Geography

Physical

The Parnon Massif is divided into three parts.Unless otherwise cited this section relies heavily on The northernmost, which is the highest, runs from just north of

Ano Doliana Ano Doliana (Ano meaning "upper", el, Άνω Δολιανά, ) or simply Doliana, is a stone-built mountainous village in the municipality of North Kynouria, in eastern Arcadia, Greece. As of 2011 it had 90 inhabitants. It is a protected tradit ...

North Kynouria North Kynouria or Vóreia Kynouría ( el, Βόρεια Κυνουρία) is a municipality in Arcadia, Greece. It is located in the eastern part of the regional unit, between the northwestern shores of the Argolic Gulf and northern Laconia. Its l ...

, eastern

, southeast to Platanaki Pass. Platanaki, ancient Glyppia, is on the ancient route from

Therapnes Therapnes ( el, Θεράπνες) is a municipal unit (''dimotiki enotita'') of the municipality (''dimos'') of Sparti within the regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') of Laconia in the region (''perifereia'') of Peloponnese, one of 13 regions i ...

between the peaks of Parnon, , and Psaris, . Altitudes on the north rise from to increasing toward the peak to to with a tree line at . Below it are forests of Black Pine and fir; above it, grasslands. Between the pass and Kounoupia to the south is of central Parnon, lower in altitude than the northern. The remaining , even lower in altitude but still mountainous, runs from Kounouria to the sea at Epidaurus Limera, which is in

Monemvasia Monemvasia ( el, Μονεμβασιά, Μονεμβασία, or ) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea. The island is connected t ...

. Parnon proper does not extend into the Malea Peninsula. In addition to the range of Parnon, two forelands can also be defined, east and west. Kynouria is located in the east foreland. In the west two lengths can be distinguished: from the northern flank of Parnon to Gkoritsa in

(on the road to Platanaki Pass), which is to , and southward into the Malea Peninsula, to wide.

Political

The nearest places are: *

, north * Agios Petros, north *

Kastanitsa Kastanitsa ( el, Καστάνιτσα, Tsakonian: Γαστένιτσα) is a village in Arcadia in Greece, on the southern slope of Mount Parnon. It is considered a traditional settlement. It is noted for its production of chestnuts, from which ...

, northeast * Agios Vasileios, east * Platanaki, east * Palaiochori, east *

Kosmas Cosmas or Kosmas is a Greek name ( grc-gre, Κοσμᾶς), from Ancient Greek Κοσμᾶς (Kosmâs), associated with the noun κόσμος (kósmos), meaning "universe", and the verb κοσμέω (to order, govern, adorn) linked to propriet ...

, southeast * Geraki, south *

Kallithea Kallithea (Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a district of Athens and a municipality in south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth largest municipality in Greece (96,118 inhabitants, 2021 census) and the fourth biggest i ...

, southwest * Vamvakou, west

Geology

The Parnon range is predominantly

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The mountain is home to the fifth deepest

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

in Greece, the Peleta Sinkhole (depth as of 2006 is -543 m) and the impressive vertical cave Propantes (-360m).

References

External links