[1][7] Modern day Sparta, the capital of the prefecture of Laconia, lies on the eastern foothills of Mount Taygetos.

[8] The Taygetus Massif is about 100 km (62 mi) long, extending from the center of the Peloponnese to Cape Matapan, its southernmost extremity.

It contains the tallest mountain in the Peloponnese, the Profitis Ilias summit, reaching 2,405 m (7,890 ft);[9] this is probably the classical Mount Taléton mentioned by Pausanias.

The western side of the massif houses the headwaters of the Vyros Gorge, which carries winter snowmelt down the mountain, emptying into the Messenian Gulf in the town of Kardamyli.

The remaining 38 km (24 mi), even lower in altitude but still mountainous, runs from Kounouria to the sea at Epidaurus Limera, which is in Monemvasia.

The history of the valley is closely linked with ancient Sparta which was built in the west bank of the Evrotas River.

The settlement at ancient Sparta, named Lacedaemonia, continued to exist, although greatly depopulated, until modern times as a town of a few thousand people who lived among the ruins, in the shadow of Mystras.

[13] Modern Sparta's origins date back to October 20, 1834, when King Otto issued a decree on the construction of the new city.

[14] During the monarchy (which was abolished by referendum in 1973), the title of Duke of Sparta was used for the Greek crown prince, the διάδοχος (diádokhos).

This is due to the interior's geographical location between Taygetus and Parnon mountains, completely cut out from the sea on all directions, some 30 km away from the shores.

[15] During July 2023 the non WMO station of the National Observatory of Athens in Evrotas registered a record mean max temperature of 42.3°C.