The Pontic Mountains form a mountain range in Northern Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, also known as the Parhar mountains in the local Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

 and Pontic Greek languages. The term "Parhar" originates from the Hittite

Hittite language

Hittite is the extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centred on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia...

 word meaning "high" or "summit".

The range runs roughly east-west, parallel and close to the southern coast of the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 and extends eastward to Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

. The highest peak in the range is Kaçkar Dağı

Kaçkar Dagi

Kaçkar Dağı, with an elevation of 3937 meters, is the highest peak in the Kaçkar Mountains. The mountain may be climbed by the northeast ridge route beginning from the village Yukarı Kavrun.- External links :* * *...

, which rises to 3931 m (12,897 ft). The North Anatolian Fault

North Anatolian Fault

The North Anatolian Fault is a major active right lateral-moving strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia which runs along the transform boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the East Anatolian Fault at the Karliova Triple...

 and the Northeast Anatolian Fault, which are east-west running strike-slip faults, run along the length of the range.

The mountains are generally covered by dense forests, predominantly of conifers. The Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests

Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests

The Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests is a Palearctic ecoregion in the Temperate coniferous forests Biome, located in northern Turkey...

 is an ecoregion which covers most of the range, while the Caucasus mixed forests

Caucasus mixed forests

The Caucasus mixed forests ecoregion, in the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Biome, covers the Caucasus range, which forms the traditional border between Europe and Asia, as well as the adjacent Lesser Caucasus range and the eastern end of the Pontic Mountains.-Distribution:The Caucasus...

 extend across the eastern end of the range, known as the Kaçkar Mountains

Kaçkar Mountains

Kaçkar Mountains or simply Kaçkars are a mountain range that rises above the Black Sea coast in eastern Turkey.With highest peak Kaçkar Dağı at an elevation of , and mountain plateaus at about in elevation, it is the highest part of the Pontic Mountains. The Kaçkars are glaciated mountains that...

. The region is home to such Eurasian wildlife as the Caucasian Black Grouse

Caucasian Black Grouse

The Caucasian Grouse is a large bird in the grouse family. It is closely related to the Black Grouse . It occurs in extreme southeastern Europe and adjacent regions...

, Ring Ouzel

Ring Ouzel

The Ring Ouzel is a European member of the thrush family Turdidae.It is the mountain equivalent of the closely related Common Blackbird, and breeds in gullies, rocky areas or scree slopes....

, Red-fronted Serin

Red-fronted Serin

The Red-fronted Serin or Fire-fronted Serin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It prefers high mountain regions and is 11–12 cm long....

, and Wallcreeper

Wallcreeper

The Wallcreeper is a small passerine bird found throughout the high mountains of Eurasia. It is the only member of the genus Tichodroma.-Taxonomy and etymology:...

. The narrow coastal strip between the mountains and the Black Sea, known as Pontus

Pontus

Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...

, is home to the Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests

Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests

The Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests ecoregion, in the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Biome, is located along the southern shore of the Black Sea...

, which contain some of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

's only temperate rain forest

Temperate rain forest

Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive high rainfall.-Definition:For temperate rain forests of North America, Alaback's definition is widely recognized:-Global distribution:...

s. The Anatolian Plateau, which lies south of the range, has a considerably drier and more continental climate

Continental climate

Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...

than the humid and mild coast.