Mount Olympus - Definition and Overview

This article refers to a mountain in Greece. For other meanings, see Olympus (disambiguation).

Mount Olympus (also transliterated as Mount Olýmpos, and on modern maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece, at 2,911 meters high; it is situated at 40°05'N 22°21'E. The name means "The Luminous One" in Classic Greek language.

Mount Olympus is noted for its very rich flora, possibly the richest in the whole of Europe, with several endemic species.

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 dwelt. It is the spiritual analogue of the Upper World of shamanic cosmology.