Tara (mountain)

Tara
Тара
Highest point
Elevation	1,544 m (5,066 ft)
Coordinates	43°50′54″N 19°27′34″E / 43.84833°N 19.45944°E / 43.84833; 19.45944Coordinates: 43°50′54″N 19°27′34″E / 43.84833°N 19.45944°E / 43.84833; 19.45944
Geography
Tara Location in Serbia
Location	Western Serbia
Parent range	Dinaric Alps
IUCN category II (national park)
Tara National Park
Area	220 km2 (85 sq mi)
Established	1981

Tara (Serbian Cyrillic: Тара, pronounced [târa]) is a mountain located in western Serbia. It is part of Dinaric Alps and stands at 1,000-1,500 metres above sea level. The mountain's slopes are clad in dense forests with numerous high-altitude clearings and meadows, steep cliffs, deep ravines carved by the nearby Drina River and many karst, or limestone caves. The mountain is a popular tourist centre. Tara's national park encompasses a large part of the mountain. The highest peak is Zborište, at 1,544 m.

Tara's national park was established in 1981 and it encompasses Tara and Zvijezda mountains, in a large bend of the Drina River. The size of the park is about 220 square km with altitudes varying from 250 to 1,500 metres above sea level. The park's management office is located in nearby Bajina Bašta.

The national park consists of a group of mountain peaks with deep picturesque gorges between them. The most striking of these gorges is the Drina Gorge, with its sheer drops from 1000–250 metres and extensive views of western Serbia and nearby Bosnia. The area is also characterised by karst caves, pits, springs, and breathtaking vista points.

Forests account for three quarters of this national park's area, some of them being the best preserved and well-kept in Europe. Tara also boasts a rare endemic Tertiary species, the Picea omorika, or Serbian Spruce, which is now protected in a small area of the park. Because of its rarity and scientific importance, it has been placed under national protection. Locally, Tara is home to many different species of wildlife, including brown bears, chamois, roe deer, lynxes, otters, wolves and others. More than 100 bird species also make their temporary or permanent homes on the slopes of the mountain: the golden eagle, the griffon vulture, the peregrine falcon, the Eurasian eagle owl, the black grouse, among many others.