Balkan Mountains

Balkan Mountains, mountain range, southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, forming a continuation of the Carpathian system. The Balkan Mountains may be considered to begin at the western extremity of the Transylvanian Alps, at the gorge known as the Iron Gate of the Danube, on the border between Serbia and Romania. Bounded on the west by the basin of the Morava River, the mountains form part of the border between Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and turn east across the center of Bulgaria, extending for 560 km (350 mi) toward the Black Sea. The range varies in width from 19 to 32 km (12 to 20 mi).

The average height of the Balkans is 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level; the highest point, Botev Peak, in central Bulgaria, rises to 2,376 m (7,795 ft). Several other ranges, including the Rhodope, extend south from the Balkans to the Aegean Sea. The principal pass of the range is the Shipka, at an elevation of 1,326 m (4,350 ft). The range is also crossed by highways, railroads, and the Iskŭr River.

The Balkan range is composed largely of folded sedimentary strata of limestone and sandstone rock with crystalline schists. Resources include deposits of lignite and other coal, graphite, copper, lead, zinc, and iron; mineral springs with therapeutic properties; and coniferous and deciduous forests.