The peninsula of Athos, a total of 336 square kilometres in area, projects 40 kilometres into the Aegean Sea, its width ranging from 7 to 10 kilometres. It is the eastern-most of the three peninsulas in Halkidiki, the other two being Kassandra and Sithonia, and its coastline extends up to 112 kilometres. The Megali Vigla mountain range, found approximately 3 kilometres south-east of Ouranoupolis, acts as a natural boundary that separates the peninsula from the rest of Halkidiki. At the centre of the region Mount Athos rises majestically, his peak reaching 2033 metres high. The southern inclination of Athos is substantially reduced, forming Mount Karmelio. Due to its mountainous character, rivers are entirely absent from the landscape. Nevertheless, there are quite a number of small torrents on both sides of the massif, some of which are usually dry, flooding with rapid waters only in winter, while others have abundant water throughout the year. The region’s climate varies depending on the horizon, the winds that carry the rain and the altitude. It ranges from warm (Nea Skiti [New Skete], the Skete of Agia Anna, the Skete of Xenophontos) to cold (Monastery of Agios Pavlos), from dry (Pantokratoros and Stavronikita monasteries, Kapsala settlement) to humid (Philotheou and Konstamonitou monasterties) and, finally, from misty (Chelandariou Monastery, township of Karyes) to downright sunny (Iviron, Docheiariou and Panteleimonos monasteries). From very early on the peninsula of Athos had been established as a centre of monasticism for the Eastern Orthodox Church and as a result was named the Holy Mountain.