| Western Carpathians | |
| Other Name: | Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Carpații Occidentali |
| Country: | Romania |
| Region Type: | Province |
| Range: | Carpathians |
| Orogeny: | Alpine orogeny |
| Elevation M: | 1849 |
| Coordinates: | 46.5°N 23°W |
The Western Romanian Carpathians (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Carpații Occidentali Românești, Hungarian: Nyugati-Kárpátok), along with the Eastern Romanian Carpathians and the Southern Carpathians is one of the three main mountain ranges of Romania.[1] Their name is given based on their geographical position, west, to the Transylvanian Plateau, which is simultaneously their eastern limits, respectively to the Timiș-Cerna Gap of the Banat Mountains, the southern group of the Western Carpathians.
The Western Carpathians are positioned between the rivers Danube, Barcău and Someș. They have a maximum elevation of 1849 m in the Bihor Mountains, Cucurbăta Mare Peak (Hungarian: Nagy-Bihar) - 1849 metres, also called Bihor Peak. Discontinuity is one of their basic characteristics. Geographical composition is varied, with a real "petrographic mosaic". (flysch, crystalline schists, limestones, igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks)
From north to south, three major mountain groups can be identified, separated by different river valleys.
There are 18 subgroups in total.