The Acarnanian Mountains ( el, Ακαρνανικά όρη, ''Akarnanika ori'') is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in the northwestern part of the

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania ( el, Αιτωλοακαρνανία, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic region of Central Greece and the administrative region of West Greece. A combination of the histor ...

regional unit in western

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. It stretches from the village Monastiraki, near

Vonitsa Vonitsa ( el, Βόνιτσα) is a town in the northwestern part of Aetolia-Acarnania in Greece, seat of the municipality of Aktio-Vonitsa. Population 4,916 (2011). The beach town is situated on the south coast of the Ambracian Gulf, and is domina ...

, in the north to Astakos in the south, with a total length of nearly 40 km. The Ionian Sea lies to the west.

Peaks

The mountains are composed of

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 ...

and are generally barren with the exception of the northern faces. The highest peak is Psili Koryfi ( el, Ψηλή Κορυφή, meaning "high peak") at 1589 meters.Oreivatein.com
Directly to the southeast of Psili Koryfi is Boumistos mountain which stands at 1573 meters. Boumistos received its name because of the many lightning strikes that land near the summit. To the west of Boumistos and Psili Korfi is Misovouni which stands at 1338 meters. To the west of Misovouni is Serekas mountain which towers 1171 meters above the Ionian Sea. On the western foothills of Serekas is the convent of Agios Dimitrios which is run by a few nuns. To the north of Psili Koryfi is Perganti mountain which has a height of 1428 meters. On the summit of Perganti is a radio tower facility which services the region surrounding the

Ambracian Gulf The Ambracian Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Arta or the Gulf of Actium, and in some official documents as the Amvrakikos Gulf ( el, Αμβρακικός κόλπος, translit=Amvrakikos kolpos), is a gulf of the Ionian Sea in northwestern Gree ...

. The northernmost rampart of the range is Agriovouni which stands at 563.5 meters.

Nature

The Acarnanian Mountains harbour several different plant species such as the oak tree (quercus) and

Abies cephalonica ''Abies cephalonica'' or Greek fir is a fir native to the mountains of Greece, primarily in the Peloponnesos and the island of Kefallonia, intergrading with the closely related Bulgarian fir further north in the Pindus mountains of northern Gre ...

. They also form an important area for the conservation of raptors and eagles.Tsiakiris R. and Rousopoulos G. (2011). The importance of Boumistos and Akarnanika mountains for the conservation of threatened raptors of Greece and Europe. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283491867_The_importance_of_Boumistos_and_Akarnanika_mountains_for_the_conservation_of_threatened_raptors_of_Greece_and_Europe_in_Greek_with_english_abstract

Weather

The mountains enjoy a wide variety of weather depending on the season. In the summer temperatures can be quite hot as the surrounding region can reach up to . In the higher elevations, summertime temperatures can drop into the 50s (°F) during the day and even cooler at night. Autumn sees even cooler temperatures with heavy rainfall as the area receives over of rain per year. Winter can be cold with snow falling on the higher elevations as early as November and as late as April. January and February are the coldest months with snow falling in the villages that surround the range that are as low as 250 meters. At the village of Monastiraki January temperatures are below freezing on several nights. The highest summits can receive up to of snow in a strong winter storm. Spring time weather is pleasant with the occasional cold spell coming from the northeast.

Settlements

The main villages on the Acarnanian Mountains are

Monastiraki Monastiraki (Greek: Μοναστηράκι, ''Monastiráki'', , literally ''little monastery'') is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, Greece, and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to cloth ...

in the north,

Palairos Palairos ( el, Πάλαιρος) is an ancient city and a modern town in Aetolia-Acarnania, Greece. The modern village is also known locally by the name of Zaverda (Ζαβέρδα), in official use till 1928. Since the 2011 local government reform ...

in the northwest, Kandila in the west, Astakos in the south and Katouna in the east. The

spring water A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust ( pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh ...

Korpi is bottled on the northern end of the mountains.

References

{{reflist Landforms of Aetolia-Acarnania Mountain ranges of Greece Mountains of Western Greece