Mount Olympus
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- This article is about the mountain in Greece. For other uses, see Olympus (disambiguation); see Olympus Mons for the Martian volcano.
Mount Olympus (also transliterated as Mount Ólympos, and on modern maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece, at 2,919 (according to new measurements [link]) meters high and one of the highest, in real absolute altitude from base to top, of Europe since its base is located at sea level; it is situated at , in mainland Greece.
Mount Olympus is noted for its very rich flora with several endemic species. The highest peak on Mount Olympus is Mitikas, which in Greek means "nose" (an alternative transliterated spelling of this name is "Mytikas"). There are two refuges on a plain about forty five minutes away from Mitikas. Mitikas is the highest peak in Greece, the second highest being Skolio (2912 m). Any climb to Mount Olympus starts from the town of Litochoro, which took the name City of Gods because of its location in the roots of the mountain.
In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is the home of the Twelve Olympians, the principal gods in the Greek pantheon. The Greeks thought of it as built up with crystal mansions wherein the gods, such as Zeus(The King of Gods and Goddesses), dwelt. It is also known in Greek mythology that when Gaia (mother earth) gave birth to the Titans (the ancestors of the gods) they used the mountains in Greece as their thrones since they were so huge, and Cronus/Kronos (the youngest and most powerful of the Titans) sat on Mount Olympus itself. The etymology and meaning of the name Olympus (Olympos) is unknown, and it may be of Pre-Indo-European origin.
Mount Olympus is a popular mountain name. There is a Mount Olympus in Utah (near Salt Lake City).
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