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Mount Athos facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Mont Athos 3D version 1
A 3D model of Athos
Karta Athos
Map of Mount Athos

Mount Athos is a famous mountain in Greece. It is also known as the Self-governed Monastic State of the Holy Mountain. This means it's a special, independent part of Greece. It's home to twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries.

Spiritually, Mount Athos is under the direct care of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. This is like the main leader for many Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world.

What is Mount Athos?

Mount Athos is on a peninsula. This peninsula is the easternmost "leg" of the larger Halkidiki peninsula. It sticks out into the Aegean Sea for about 60 kilometers (37 miles). It is between 7 to 12 kilometers (4 to 7 miles) wide. The total area is about 335.6 square kilometers (129.6 square miles). The actual Mount Athos mountain has steep, forested slopes. It reaches up to 2,033 meters (6,670 feet) high. The seas around the end of the peninsula can be quite rough.

Visiting Mount Athos

You can only reach the peninsula by boat. There is a limit on how many people can visit. Visitors need to get a special permit before they come. Only men are allowed to enter Mount Athos.

Who Lives on Mount Athos?

Monks call Mount Athos the "Garden of the Virgin." This is because they believe it is a special place dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Only men over 18 who are members of an Eastern Orthodox Church are allowed to live on Athos as monks.

Many people also work on the Holy Mountain. Most workers live at the place where they work. There are small hotels in Karyes, which is the main administrative center, and in Dafni, the main port. In 2001, the population of Mount Athos was 2,262 people.

Images for kids

  • Athos - from NW

    Mount Athos - view from the northwest

  • Ste01945

    An old drawing of a proposed monument by Dinocrates

  • Athos peninsula

    The peninsula seen from the top of Mount Athos

  • Athos2

    A Byzantine watch tower at Xeropotamou monastery

  • Athanasios

    Athanasios the Athonite

  • Mucha, Alfons - Der Heilige Berg Athos - 1926

    Holy Mount Athos: Sheltering the Oldest Orthodox Literary Treasures (1926), by Alphonse Mucha

  • Vatopedi 2

    View of the area around Vatopedi monastery

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Monte Athos para niños

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