Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a large mountain range that stretches across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. It is about 1,500 kilometers long, making it the third-longest mountain range in Europe. The highest peaks are found in the Tatra Mountains, where some mountains rise over 2,600 meters tall.

These mountains run from Austria, through the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, and continue into Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia. The Carpathians are home to many wild animals, including brown bears, wolves, and lynxes. Romania, in particular, has the largest number of these animals.

The area also contains many different plants, with over one-third of all European plant species living there. There are also many natural springs and waters. Romania has a lot of old-growth forests, some of the largest left in Europe, mostly in the Carpathians. However, these forests face threats from logging and deforestation.

Name

Further information: Carpi (people) § Name etymology

The Carpathian Mountains have many names depending on the language. In Czech, Polish, and Slovak, they are called Karpaty. In Ukrainian, they are known as Карпати, and in Romanian, they are called Carpați. Other languages also have their own names for these mountains.

Long ago, different groups gave the mountains various names. Some old documents called the eastern part of the Carpathians the "Sarmatian Mountains" and the western part simply "Carpates." Stories from long ago also mention names like "Snowy Mountains" and "Hungarian Mountains." The exact origin of the name "Carpates" is not fully known, but it might be linked to old tribes who lived near the mountains or to words meaning "rock" or "mountain" in ancient languages.

Geography

The Carpathian Mountains are a large mountain range that stretches over 1,500 km (930 mi) across Central and Southeast Europe. They start in Slovakia and southern Poland, curve around areas like Transcarpathia and Transylvania, and end near the Danube River in Romania.

These mountains are not a single, unbroken chain but are made up of several different groups. The highest peaks are found in the Tatra Mountains, reaching over 2,600 m (8,500 ft). The Carpathians cover an area of about 190,000 km² (73,000 sq mi) and pass through several countries, including the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia. Unlike the Alps, the Carpathians have fewer very tall peaks and no large glaciers, but they share a similar appearance and climate.

Geology

The Carpathian Mountains were formed long ago during a big change in Earth's surface called the Alpine orogeny. This happened in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic time periods when big pieces of Earth's crust moved and pushed over older ocean parts.

These mountains are made in a special way called a fold and thrust belt. They bend and push mostly to the north in the west, to the northeast and east in the east, and to the southeast in the south. Today, this area is one of the most active places in Central Europe for small shakes and movements in the ground.

The outer part of these mountains is made from old sea bottom rocks that were pushed over a big plate of land. Inside the mountains, there are older rocks that were changed and moved during different times. About 30,000 years ago, the last big volcanic activity happened at Ciomadul.

The Carpathians started looking like they do today from the latest Miocene time onward. Some parts of their slopes have special deposits from old moving earth. Lots of iron, gold, and silver were found in the Western Carpathians. After a Roman leader named Trajan took over Dacia, he brought back lots of gold and silver to Rome.

Ecology

Main article: Carpathian montane conifer forests

The Carpathian Mountains have many different plants and animals, depending on how high up you go. In the lower areas, you can find forests with trees like oak and beech. As you go higher, the trees change to spruce, and above a certain height, there are no trees at all—just grasses and wildflowers.

The mountains are home to some amazing wildlife, including bears, wolves, lynxes, wildcats, special goats called chamois, bison, and golden eagles. These animals all live in the forests and meadows of the Carpathians.

Divisions of the Carpathians

Main article: Divisions of the Carpathians

The Carpathian Mountains are often grouped based on country or region, but these divisions change over time due to shifts in borders. Today, they are usually divided among Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Each country has its own way of naming and classifying parts of the Carpathians, which can make it tricky to compare them internationally.

A large part of the western and northeastern Outer Eastern Carpathians lies in Poland, Ukraine, and Slovakia and is called the Eastern Beskids. The border between the eastern and southern Carpathians runs through the Predeal Pass and the Prahova Valley.

The geological border between the Western and Eastern Carpathians runs roughly from south to north between Michalovce, Bardejov, Nowy Sącz, and Tarnów. Older systems place the border further east, along rivers and towns such as San, Osława, Snina, and Tur'ia. Biologists sometimes place it even further east.

In Romania, the Carpathians are known as the Romanian Carpathians. Romanians often refer only to their part of the Eastern Carpathians as the Eastern Carpathians, dividing it into three groups: Maramureș-Bukovinian Carpathians, Moldavian-Transylvanian Carpathians, and Curvature Carpathians.

In Ukraine, the Carpathians are called the Ukrainian Carpathians. Classifying the eastern parts of these mountains is complex because different traditions influence how they are named. Terms like Wooded Carpathians, Poloniny Mountains, and Eastern Beskids are used in various ways.

• Beljanica region waterfall

• Vrátna dolina, Slovakia

• Maramureș. Mountains in the north of Romania and the west of Ukraine

• Mukachevo, Western Ukraine

• View from Sanok in Poland

• Kežmarok in Slovakia

• Gorals in the Polish Carpathians

• Szczawnica in Poland, Pieniny, 1939

• !The Feast of the Assumption of Mary in the Polish Carpathians

  The Feast of the Assumption of Mary in the Polish Carpathians

Highest peaks

This is an (incomplete) list of the peaks of the Carpathians having summits over 2,500 metres (8,200 ft), with their heights, geologic divisions, and locations.

Highest peaks by country

This is a list of the highest national peaks of the Carpathians, their heights, geologic divisions, and locations.

Cities and towns

The table and the list may contain some localities near the Carpathians, not only in these mountains.

Smaller cities and towns:

• Piatra Neamț (Romania)
• Nowy Sącz (Poland)
• Suceava (Romania)
• Vršac (Serbia)
• Târgu Jiu (Romania)
• Drobeta-Turnu Severin (Romania)
• Reșița (Romania)
• Žilina (Slovakia)
• Bistrița (Romania)
• Zvolen (Slovakia)
• Deva (Romania)
• Zlín (Czech Republic)
• Hunedoara (Romania)
• Martin (Slovakia)
• Zalău (Romania)
• Przemyśl (Poland)
• Krosno (Poland)
• Sanok (Poland)
• Alba Iulia (Romania)
• Sfântu Gheorghe (Romania)
• Turda (Romania)
• Mediaș (Romania)
• Poprad (Slovakia)
• Spišská Nová Ves (Slovakia)
• Petroșani (Romania)
• Miercurea Ciuc (Romania)
• Făgăraș (Romania)
• Odorheiu Secuiesc (Romania)
• Boryslav (Ukraine)
• Jasło (Poland)
• Cieszyn (Poland)
• Nowy Targ (Poland)
• Żywiec (Poland)
• Zakopane (Poland)
• Petrila (Romania)
• Cugir (Romania)
• Târgu Neamț (Romania)
• Câmpulung Moldovenesc (Romania)
• Gheorgheni (Romania)
• Rakhiv (Ukraine)
• Vatra Dornei (Romania)
• Rabka-Zdrój (Poland)
• Bor (Serbia)