Pindus Mountains

Pindus Mountains (Albanian Mal Pino; Greek, Pindos Óros), mountain system, north-western Greece, separating Thessaly from Epirus and extending about 160 km (100 mi) from the border of Albania. The Pindus range is as high as 2,546 m (8,352 ft) in the Smolikas. A continuation of the Dinaric Alps, the range forms a protective barrier for the Plain of Thessaly on the east. Only one major road crosses the Pindus Mountains, through the Metsovon Gap. Several of the main rivers in the area rise in the Pindus, including the Piniós, the Aoos (in Albania, the Vjosë), the Akheloos, and the Aliákmon. The region is inhabited by a Vlach (Romanian) minority, who are mostly shepherds.