View source for Osogovo

{{coord|42|9|30|N|22|31|0|E|type:mountain_region:BG|display=title}}[[File:Ruen IMG 4742.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Ruen peak from the Bulgarian side of Osogovo.]]
[[File:Osogovo in Macedonia.JPG|thumb|300px|Springtime on the Macedonian side of Osogovo.]]

'''Osogovo''' ([[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]/[[Macedonian language|Macedonian]]: {{audio|Mk-Osogovo.ogg|Осогово}}), or '''Osogovska Planina''' or '''Osogovski Planini''' (Осоговска Планина or Осоговски Планини), is a mountain range and ski resort between the south-western part of [[Bulgaria]] ([[Kyustendil Province]]) and the north-eastern part of [[North Macedonia]] ([[Kočani]] and [[Kriva Palanka]] municipalities). [[Osogovo Monastery]] is situated on the mountain.

==Description==
The range is about {{convert|110|km|2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|50|km|2|abbr=on}} wide, the highest peak being [[Ruen (peak)|Ruen]] (Руен) at 2251 m, which constitutes the main orthographic knot on the very border between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. The steepest slope is in the west, stretching down from Carev Vrv (Царев Врв; "Tsar's Peak"). It is the northernmost and highest part of the Osogovo-[[Belasica]] group and is situated between the [[Kyustendil]] and Kamenitsa Valleys, Dobro pole and [[Bregalnica]] and [[Kriva River (Pčinja)|Kriva Reka]] river valleys. The western slopes are steep and the south-eastern ones are slant. The mountain itself is a granite massif of crystal rocks. It has a prominent volcanic relief made of conic peaks and volcanic tuff and is rich in [[Polymetallic|polymetal]] [[ore]]s.

==Etymology==
There are many legends about the origin of name Osogovo, but the most famous one is that the area was briefly settled by [[Transylvanian Saxons]] miners who were mining gold and silver in the region in the past. According to this legend, the name originates from the [[Old Germanic]] words "osso" (god) and "gov" (place) which means "a divine place".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://osogovskata-planina.hit.bg/|title=Осоговската планина|last=Котев|first=Йордан|language=bg|access-date=2008-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010063206/http://osogovskata-planina.hit.bg/|archive-date=2008-10-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Osogovo Bay]] in [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named after Osogovo.

[[File:Osogovo-Kameninchitsa-gorge.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Osogovo in Bulgaria]]

==Environment==
The flora distinguishes vertical coverage: an under-mountainous zone up to 1000 m where trees like oak, elm, hornbeam, ash, hazel and others can be found; a mountainous zone (1000–1800 m) covered mostly with beech trees; and a sub-alpine zone covered with grass pastures and bushes of juniper trees. The mountain rivers and streams are a natural habitat for the barbell, the chub and the mountain trout. [[Deciduous]] and [[coniferous]] forests dominate. The area is inhabited by the rare [[Alpine Newt]]. The nature and climate conditions allow for all-year tourism. Important towns at the foot of Osogovo are Kyustendil to the northeast in Bulgaria and Kočani and Kriva Palanka to the west and southwest in North Macedonia.

===Important Bird Area===
A 7,000&nbsp;ha tract of the mountains has been designated an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because it supports a population of [[lanner falcon]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/osogovo-mountains-iba-north-macedonia|title= Osogovo Mountains|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 12 March 2021}}</ref> 

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==References==
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{{Bulgaria topics}}
{{North Macedonia topics}}
{{Bulgarian ski resorts}}

[[Category:Osogovo| ]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of North Macedonia]]

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