Baba ( mk, Баба; or Baba Mountain, mk, Баба Планина, Baba Planina), or also known by the name of its highest peak, Pelister ( mk, Пелистер), is a mountain in North Macedonia. The Pelister peak (2601 metres, or 8533 feet) overlooks the city of

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

. Baba is the third highest mountain in North Macedonia. Other peaks besides Pelister are Dva Groba (2514 metres), Veternica (2420 metres), Musa (2350 metres), Ržana (2334 meters), Široka (2218 metres), Kozji Kamen (2199 metres), Griva (2198 metres) and Golema Čuka (2188 metres) in North Macedonia, and Belavoda (2.179 meters), Kirko. The Baba massif splits up the rivers in the region, so that they either flow towards the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

Pelister National Park Pelister National Park is a national park in the Municipality of Bitola, North Macedonia. The park is located in the Baba Mountain massif and covers an area of . The altitude of the park varies between above sea level and is filled with exqu ...

's flora include the five-needle pine molika (''

Pinus peuce ''Pinus peuce'' (Macedonian pine or Balkan pine) (Serbo-Croatian/ Macedonian: молика, molika; Bulgarian: бяла мура, Byala mura) is a species of pine native to the mountains of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, the ...

'') - a unique species of tertiary age being present on only a few mountains in the Balkan Peninsula. Fauna in the area include:

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

s, roe deer, wolves,

chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Ril ...

, deer, wild boars,

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s, several species of

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 ...

s, partridges, redbilled jackdaws, and the endemic Macedonian Pelagonia trout. In a comprehensive article published in 2002, Melovski and Godes reported that there are three large carnivores in North Macedonia which can be found in Baba and surrounds, the brown bear, the wolf and the lynx. Actual numbers at that time were difficult to estimate given that most reports came from non-scientific sources (surveys, hunters and anecdotal reports), however in 2002, it was estimated there were approximately 30 bears in N.P. Pelister and Galičica N.P hosting only 3-4. A larger number could apparently be found in the N.P Mavrovo. The numbers however may be significantly larger in today's climate given the protected status of bears in North Macedonia. In terms of wolves, there was an estimated total of 1200 wolves in the entire country of North Macedonia, with an estimated 54 lynx when the article was written. Bitolj

Pelister is the oldest and second largest national park in North Macedonia after Mavrovo. It is one of the leading tourist areas in the country, since it is a well-known ski resort, along with Ohrid, Prespa, Dojran, Popova Šapka, and Kruševo. Pelister provides views of the Pelagonia valley, Lake Prespa, Nidže, Galičica,

Jakupica Jakupica ( mk, , ) or Mokra ( mk, Мокра, ) is a mountain range in the central part of North Macedonia. The headwaters of the Axios river ( grc, Ἀξιός), mentioned by Homer (Il. 21.141, Il. 2.849) as the home of the Paeonians allies of ...

, and the city of

. Pelister is also one of the most southern mountains in the Balkans that has an alpine character. Pelister is also known for its two mountain lakes, which are called Pelister's Eyes. The Big lake is 2,218 metres above the sea level while the Small lake is 2,180 metres high. Here are the sources of many rivers. The climate in Pelister National Park is diverse. On the peaks, there is snow even in July, and in some places the new snow meets the old from previous years. On Pelister mountain, there is a TV transmitter using an additionally guyed lattice steel mast as antenna tower.

References

External links

* http://www.catsg.org/balkanlynx/02_status/2_1_situation-countries/fyr-macedonia/Pdfs/Melovski_&_Godes_2002_Large_carnivores_in_the_Republic_of_Macedonia_Arcturos_report.pdf http://www.catsg.org/balkanlynx/02_status/2_1_situation-countries/fyr-macedonia/Pdfs/Hristovski_&_Angelovski_2004_FYR_Macedonia_in_Eurasian_lynx_status_report.pdf
"Pelister Vrh, Macedonia" on Peakbagger
{{Authority control Two-thousanders of North Macedonia Mountains of North Macedonia Bitola Resen Municipality Tourist attractions in Bitola

See also

References

External links