Belasica (Macedonian and Bulgarian: , also translit. Belasitsa or Belasitza, Ottoman Turkish:Rumeli-i Şahane Haritası, Harvard Map Collection, Ottoman Empire Series, Index Map, 1:210,000 Scale, c. 1901/1902, http://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:4952983$17i Retrieved 17.05.2016 بلش Turkish: Beleş), Belles (, Bélles) or Kerkini (, Kerkíni;), is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe, shared by northeastern Greece (about 45%), southeastern North Macedonia (35%) and southwestern Bulgaria (20%).
Geography The mountain range is fault-block mountain about long and wide and is situated just northeast of Dojran Lake. The highest point is Radomir (Kalabaka) at 2,031 m, with elevation otherwise ranging between 300 and 1900 m above sea level. The borders of all three countries meet at Tumba Peak. The climate in the area shows strong Mediterranean influence.
The area of Belasica became a euroregion in 2003. Two football teams are named after the mountain range, PFC Belasitsa from the nearby Bulgarian town of Petrich and FK Belasica from Strumica in North Macedonia.
History Since ancient times Greeks refer to the range as Ὄρβηλος (, ).The Cambridge Ancient History: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries B.C., Nicholas Geoffrey, Lemprière Hammond, Cambridge University Press, 1995, , p. 594. D. C. Samsaris, Historical Geography of Eastern Macedonia during the Antiquity (in Greek), Thessaloniki 1976 (Society for Macedonian Studies), p. 13. . According to the ancient authors it was a mountain range in the border area between Thrace and Macedonia.(Hdt. 5,16; Str. 7a,1,36; Arr. Anab. 1,1,5) It is generally equated today with the modern Belasica.Brill Online Reference Works – Orbelus von Bredow, Iris (Bietigheim-Bissingen). The name Órbēlos is probably derived from the ancient Thracian/Paionian toponym of the mountain, which means "shining mountain", from belos – "blazing" or "shining", and or – "mountain".Beiträge zur Namenforschung, C. Winter., 1995, S. 241–242. It was known for its Dionysos cult. T. Spiridonov, Istoričeskata geografija na trakijskite plemena, 1983, 24 f., 118.
The area is also particularly famous for the Battle of Kleidion of 1014, which proved crucial for the fall of the First Bulgarian Empire.
Honour Kongur Glacier on Smith Island, South Shetland Islands is named after the peak and nature reserve of Kongur on Belasitsa Mountain.
Photo gallery
See also Belasitsa Nature Park Smolare Falls
References Belasitsa. Tourist map, Sofia, 2006. Благоевъ, Т. А. Бѣласица. София, 1925. Динчев, Евг., Атанасов, П. Високите планини на Република Македония. Пътеводител, София, 1998, стр. 214–224. Енциклопедия Пирински край. Том 1, Благоевград, 1995, стр. 78.
References
External links
Belasitsa.com (regional portal) Image Gallery From Belasica