Location
Olympus is located at the border between Macedonia (Prefectures of Pieria) and Thessaly (Prefectures of Larissa). Its higher most point, Mytikas, is 263 kilometers from Athens and 78 from Thessaloniki as the crow flies, and 18 and 24 kilometers from the coasts of Pieria and Katerini respectively. Olympus is approximately 500 square kilometers in area. It is almost circular in shape with an average diameter approximately 25 kilometers and a perimeter about 80 kilometers.

Morphology- Geology
Olympus is Greece's highest mountain and the second highest in the Balkans. Its relief has many characteristic features that adorn it with beauty and grandeur. Precipitous, rocky peaks, deep gorges, alpine pastures, and dense forests all combine to shape this rare sculptural creation known as Olympus. A total of 52 peaks pierce the sky at altitudes ranging from 760 to 2918 meters, forming craggy ravines of breathtaking beauty. The rock formation of Olympus began to take shape 200 million years ago at the bottom of a relatively shallow sea, from where the mountain emerged and gradually began to take its own shape. This shape underwent major changes during the ice age when the melting ice bore an enormous amount of rocks from the peaks to the foot of the mountain. When the last mass of ice finally melted about 10,000 years ago, the mountain assumed its present shape.

Special features
Besides the periodic pools formed at Bara and Disela when the snow melts, there are no lakes on Olympus. A small man-made lake was built in the recent years at the mouth of Xerolaki ravine, above the village of Petra. No official mention has been made of large caves on the mountain, save for grottoes, potholes, snow holes, and crevices, yet this does not preclude their existence. Water is not to be found in most of the ravines throughout the year and its exceptional quality results in it ending up in the region's water supply system. Olympus has a multitude of springs, but very few are found at altitudes above 1000 meters.

Climate
The climate on Olympus is affected by its geographical position, its massif rock formation, and the exposure of the slopes. Generally speaking, it is a Mediterranean climate, i.e. hot and dry in summer and wet in winter. The mountain is cloaked in snow seven months a year (from November to May), and the yearly amount of precipitation is important at 1100 to 1800 mm, approximately 3 to 4 times higher than the levels in Athens or Thessaloniki. Half the precipitation falls in the form of snow and the other half in the form of rain or hail. In the winter, average temperatures range between minus 20 C and 10 C and in summer between 0 C and 20 C, and these limits can be exceeded. For every 100 meters one climbs on Olympus, the temperature drops about half a degree. So, if at sea level the temperature is 20 C, the temperature on Mytikas at that moment will be approximately 5 C., provided the climate conditions are the same. Finally, winds are a daily occurrence on the mountain, sometimes exceeding 100 kilometers an hour.

Flora
Scientists have recorded more than 1700 species of plants on Olympus, about a quarter of the whole country?s flora. Of these species 23 are indigenous:
1. Cerastium theophrasti
2. Silene oligantha
3. Silene dionysii
4. Erysimum olympicum
5. Aubrieta thessala
6. Alyssum handelii
7. Phynchosinapis nivalis
8. Potentilla deorum
9. Genista sakellariadis
10. Viola striis ? notata
11. Carum adamovicii
12. Ligusticum olypicum
13. Veronica thesalica
14. Melampyrus ciliatum
15. Jankaea heldreichii
16. Asperula muscosa
17. Campanula oreadum
18. Achillea ambrosiaca
19. Centaurea transies
20. Centaurea incomplete
21. Centaurea litochorea
22. Festuca olypicca
23. Poa thessala.

The stark contours of the mountains landscape, the proximity to the sea, and the creation of numerous microenvironments foster great anarchy in the succession of vegetation zones on Olympus. This is particularly evident on the eastern slopes. Generally speaking, there are four zones in which a great number of overlaps are nevertheless found.

The first zone, ranging from 300 to 500 meters, comprises shrubs and small trees, such as the Holm oak, arbutus andrachne, Kermes oak, strawberry tree, cedar, flowering ash, Montpelier maple, Judas tree, turpentine tree, etc. Between 600 and 1400 meters in altitude one encounters mainly the black pine, beech and fir trees, while the elm, yew, hazelnut, and cherry plum make sporadic appearances. In the ravines we find oriental planes and willows. The zone of cold-hardy conifers makes its appearance between 1400 and 2500 meters, the dominant species being the rare Bosnian pine, which also grows at altitudes above 1100 meters. Above 2500 meters, the highest tree line in the Balkans, there are no more forests. One does however find a variety of Alpine ecosystems of low-lying vegetation with many rare species of wild flowers, most of which are indigenous to Greece and the Balkans.

Fauna
Thirty-two mammal species have been recorded on Olympus, the most widely known being the chamois, roe deer, wolf, wild boar, fox, beech marten, squirrel, jackal, and wildcat. Birds species that have found shelter in the inaccessible forests and on craggy slopes number 108. Some of the species of fauna are endangered, such as the aforementioned chamois as well as the golden eagles and some rare woodpecker species. A significant amount of amphibians and reptiles can also be found in streams and ponds, and Olympus is also renowned for its vast number of butterflies.

Olympus: The first national park
In 1938, Olympus was decreeted the first National Park in Greece. In 1981, UNESCO declared it a Biosphere Reserve, and in 1985 it was proclaimed an archaeological and historical site. It is a NATURA 2000 protected region, thereby constituting, together with an international network of protected natural regions, an ideal place for research, environmental education and sustainable management.

Regulations of the Olympus National Park
Entry to the National Park is permitted via the existing roads and visitors are only to use the specified trails from sunrise to sunset

Prohibitions

• Children under 14 years of age may not enter the area unaccompanied.
  
• Parking is only permitted in allocated parking areas
  
• The cutting of trees, removal of soil, uprooting and collection of shrubs, plants or seeds is prohibited.
  
• All forms of hunting are prohibited thoughtout the year.
  
• The destruction or collection of nests, eggs or hatchlings and in general any interference with or destruction of fauna species are prohibited.
  
• Animals accompanying visitors are not permitted to circulate freely.

The Olympus national park is protected by special legislation. Infringers are subject to the provisions of Legislative Decrees 86/1969 and 998/1979.