Baba Mountain (Macedonia)

Baba Mountain
Pelister , Varnoundas
Part of Baba mountain with its peak Pelister in the backdrop
Highest point
Elevation	2,601 m (8,533 ft)
Prominence	1,516 m (4,974 ft)
Listing	Ultra
Coordinates	41°00′13″N 21°11′12″E / 41.00361°N 21.18667°E / 41.00361; 21.18667Coordinates: 41°00′13″N 21°11′12″E / 41.00361°N 21.18667°E / 41.00361; 21.18667
Geography
Baba Mountain Macedonia
Location	Bitola Municipality, Pelagonia, Macedonia

Baba Mountain (Macedonian: Баба Планина/Baba Planina) or Varnoundas (Greek: Βαρνούντας/Varnoundas), or also known by the name of its highest peak, Pelister (Greek: Περιστέρι/Peristeri), is a mountain in Macedonia and partly in Greece. The Pelister (peak (2601 metres, or 8533 feet) overlooks the city of Bitola. Baba Mountain is the third highest mountain in the Republic of Macedonia. Other peaks besides Pelister are Dva Groba (2514 metres), Veternica (2420 metres), Musa (2350 metres), Rzana (2334 meters), Shiroka (2218 metres), Kozji Kamen (2199 metres), Griva (2198 metres) and Golema Chuka (2188 metres) in the Republic of Macedonia, and Belavoda (2.179 meters), Kirko (2.155 meters) in Greece. The Baba massif splits up the rivers in the region, so that they either flow towards the Adriatic or the Aegean sea.

Pelister National Park's flora include the five-needle pine molica (Pinus peuce) - a unique species of tertiary age being present on only a few mountains in the Balkan Peninsula. Fauna in the area include: bears, roe deer, wolves, chamois, deer, wild boars, rabbits, several species of eagles, partridges, redbilled jackdaws, and the endemic Macedonian Pelagonia trout. In a comprehensive article published in 2002, Melovski and Godes reported that there are three large carnivores in the republic of Macedonia which can be found in Baba Mountain and surrounds, the brown bear, the wolf and the lynx. Actual numbers at that time were difficult to estimate given that most reports came from non-scientific sources (surveys, hunters and anecdotal reports), however in 2002, it was estimated there were approximately 30 bears in N.P. Pelister and Galicica N.P hosting only 3-4. A larger number could apparently be found in the N.P Mavrovo. The numbers however may be significantly larger in today's climate given the protected status of bears in Macedonia. In terms of wolves, there was an estimated total of 1200 wolves in the entire country of Macedonia, with an estimated 54 lynx when the article was written.