The White Mountains

Lefka Ori or Madares is a mountain range located in Western Crete, in the Chania prefecture. The White Mountains or Lefka Ori occupy a large part of the centre of West Crete and are the main feature of the region. They consist mainly of limestone, from light grey to bluish or black color. The White Mountains have taken their name from the perpetual white or off-white color of their peaks as the off white of limestone during the summer and fall interchanges with the snow that covers the peaks until late in spring.

The highest summit is Pachnes at 2,453 m and there are over 30 summits that are over 2,000 m high. The Lefka Ori also have about 50 gorges, the most famous being the Samaria Gorge. Another characteristic of the mountain range is that there are a number of plateaus that exist at heights of 500–1,100 metres, such at those of Askifou, Impros, Kallikratis, Anopolis, and Omalos, which are all surrounded by mountains.