Divisions of the Carpathians explained

See main article: Carpathian Mountains.

Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system.

Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya System that stretches from western Europe all the way to southern Asia, and are further divided into "provinces" and "subprovinces". The last level of the division, i.e. the actual mountain ranges and basins, is usually classified as "units". The main divisions are shown in the map on the right.

To generalize, there are three major provinces (regions): Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, and the Southern Carpathians.

Naming conventions

The division is largely (with many exceptions) undisputed at the lowest level (except for the Ukrainian part), but various divisions are given for the higher levels, especially for the penultimate level. A geomorphological division has been used as much as the data was available; other new physiogeographic divisions were used in other cases. Where the classification of a higher level "title" is known/sure, it is added at the end of the name in brackets, e.g. "(subprovince)".

TaxonomyThe names are also given in the language of the corresponding country and marked by the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes:

The most confusing and diverse is the classification of the Beskids, including the Western Beskids, the Central Beskids and the Eastern Beskids. Their geologic features are fairly distinct, but multiple traditions, languages, and nationalities have developed overlapping variants for the divisions and names of these ranges.

In Romania, it is usual to divide the Eastern Carpathians in Romanian territory into three formal groups (northern, central, southern), instead in Outer and Inner sections of Eastern Carpathians. The Romanian approach is shown by adding the following abbreviations to the names of units within Romania:

A similar standard (grouping of outer and inner sections) is traditionally applied within broader use of the term "Wooded Carpathians", that encompasses all mountain ranges within the central section of Outer Eastern Carpathians, including Eastern Beskids with Polonynian Mountains, and also all mountains within the northern section of Inner Eastern Carpathians, including Vihorlat-Gutin Area and Maramureș-Rodna Area.

The Transylvanian Plateau is encircled by, and geologically a part of, the Carpathians. But it is not a mountainous region and its inclusion is disputed in some sources. Its features are included below.

The Serbian Carpathians are sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians (together with the Banat Mountains), sometimes not considered part of the Carpathians at all. They're included below.

The regions of Outer Subcarpathia lay outside the broad arc of the entire formation and are usually listed as part of the individual divisions of the Carpathian Mountains, i.e. of Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, etc. With the difficulty of finding their exact subdivisions, they are given only as a list of the final units (mountains etc.) from the west to the east and south, in a separate listing at the end.

Western Carpathians (province)

Outer Western Carpathians (subprovince)

South-Moravian Carpathians (CZ) / Austrian - South-Moravian Carpathians (AT) (area)

(CZ: Jihomoravské Karpaty, AT: Österreichisch-Südmährische Karpaten)

Central Moravian Carpathians (CZ) (area)

(CZ: Středomoravské Karpaty)

Slovak-Moravian Carpathians (CZ/SK) (area)

(CZ/SK: Slovensko-moravské Karpaty)

West Beskidian Foothills (CZ / PL) (area)

(CZ: Západobeskydské podhůří, PL: Pogórze Zachodniobeskidzkie)

Western Beskids (CZ / SK / PL) (area)

(CZ: Západní Beskydy, SK: Západné Beskydy, PL: Beskidy Zachodnie)

Western section of the Western Beskids

Northern section of the Western Beskids

Eastern section of the Western Beskids (in Slovak terminology: Eastern Beskids, SK: Východné Beskydy)

Central section of the Western Beskids (in Slovak terminology: Central Beskids, SK: Stredné Beskydy)

Podhale-Magura Area (SK)/ Orava-Podhale Depression (PL) (area)

Source:[2]

(SK: Podhôľno-magurská oblasť, PL: Obniżenie Orawsko-Podhalańskie)

Inner Western Carpathians (subprovince)

Slovak Ore Mountains (SK) (area)

Slovak: Slovenské rudohorie

Fatra-Tatra Area (SK/PL/AT) * (area)

Slovak

Fatransko-tatranská oblasť

Slovak Central Mountains (Slovenské stredohorie) (SK) (area)

SK: Slovenské stredohorie, EN: Slovakian mid-mountainous region

Lučenec-Košice Depression (SK/HU) (area)

SK: Lučensko-košická zníženina

Mátra-Slanec Area (SK) /North Hungarian Mountains (HU) (area)

SK: Matransko-slanská oblasť, HU: Északi-középhegység

Eastern Carpathians (province)

Clarification: In Ukraine sometimes is denoted as "Eastern Carpathians" only the part basically on their territory (i.e.to the north of the Prislop Pass), while in Romania sometimes use to call "Eastern Carpathians" (Carpații Orientali) only the other part, which lies on their territory (i.e. from the Ukrainian border or from the Prislop Pass to the south). In some Polish classifications, Central Beskids and Central Beskidian Piedmont belongs to Western Carpathians province and Outer Western Carpathians subprovince.

Outer Eastern Carpathians (subprovince)

Central Beskidian Piedmont (PL)***

PL: Pogórze Środkowobeskidzkie

Central Beskids (area)

PL: Beskidy Środkowe (in Slovak terminology: Lower Beskids, SK: Nízke Beskydy)[3]

Eastern Beskids (area)

PL: Beskidy Wschodnie; UA: Східні Бескиди. There are several variants of names and divisions of these ranges, that include the southeastern corner of Poland, far northeastern corner of Slovakia, and all of the Ukrainian Carpathians. They are commonly divided into two parallel ridges: Wooded Beskids and Polonynian Beskids.

Wooded Beskids (PL: Beskidy Lesiste; UA: Лісисті Бескиди):

Polonynian Beskids (PL: Beskidy Połonińskie; UA: Полонинські Бескиди; SK: Poloniny):

Inner Eastern Carpathians (subprovince)

SK: Vihorlatsko-gutínska oblasť, UA: Вигорлат-Гутинський хребет

Bistrița Mountains (RO)

RO: Munții Bistriței

Căliman-Harghita Mountains (RO)

RO: Munții Căliman-Harghita

Giurgeu-Brașov Depression (RO)

RO: Depresiunea Giurgeu-Brașovului

Southern Carpathians (RO) (province)

Bucegi Mountains Group

RO: Grupa Munții Bucegi

RO: Grupa Munții Făgărașului

RO: Grupa Munții Parângului

RO: Grupa Munții Retezat-Godeanu

Western Romanian Carpathians (RO)

RO: Carpații Occidentali or Carpații Apuseni or Carpații de Apus. The term Bihor Massif is sometimes used for the Apuseni Mountains and Poiana Ruscă.

Apuseni Mountains (Munții Apuseni)

Criș Mountains (Munții Criș) :

Seș-Meseș Mountains (Munții Seș-Meseșului):

Bihor Massif (Masivul Bihor):

Mureș Mountains (Munții Mureșului):

RO: Munții Poiana Ruscă(Note: sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians)

RO: Munții Banatului(Note: sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians)

Transylvanian Plateau (RO)

RO: Depresiunea Transilvaniei, i.e. Transylvanian Depression. Some authors do not consider it to be part of the Carpathians.

Transylvanian Plateau (Podișul Transilvaniei):

Serbian Carpathians (RS)

Serbian: Karpatske planine, i.e. "Carpathian Mountains". Sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians (together with the Banat Mountains), sometimes not considered part of the Carpathians at all.

Outer Subcarpathian regions (subprovince)

The Outer Subcarpathian regions are divided into Western, Northern, etc. and are usually treated as part of the individual parts of the Carpathian Mountains, i.e. of Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, etc. Since, however, it was impossible to find their exact subdivision, they are given only as a list of the final units (mountains, etc.) from the west to the east and south here:

Footnotes

  1. Földvary, G. Z., ed. (1988). Geology of the Carpathian Region, pp. 106, 108, 109, 172, 554, etc., World Scientific Publishing, Singapore. .
  2. The Tatransko-fatranská oblasť and the Podhôrno-magurská oblasť, sometimes together with the units Vtáčnik, Kremnické vrchy, Pohronský Inovec and parts of Považské podolie, are known as "Central Western Carpathians" in some non-geomorphological systems.
  3. Often considered part of Outer Western Carpathians in non-geomorphological systems.

Bibliography

External links

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