Romanian Carpathians 

 

According to Emmanuel de Martonne ^[7] , the Romanian Carpathians cover about a third of Romania's surface .

The Romanian Carpathians are part of the eastern sector of the alpine mountain system, well individualized by the general direction of the main peaks, by altitude, by massiveness and structure. The resistance of the Russian Platform imposed on the Carpathians to form a direction from north-northwest to south-southeast, direction then modified to the west by the Hercynian Hercynian horst.

The average altitude of the Carpathians is about 1000 m, the maximum heights rarely exceeding 2500 m (in Bucegi , Făgăraș Mountains , Parângului , Retezatului ). In the Western Carpathians, the heights of the peaks frequently fall below 800 m (in the Codru-Moma Mountains, Craiului Forest, Banat, etc.). The width of the Carpathian mountain system on the Romanian territory varies between 120 km (in the Rodna Mountains) and 70 km (in the Parang Mountains).

The Carpathians are characterized by the presence of numerous intramontane depressions and transversal valleys, total or partial ( Danube , Jiul , Olt , Bistrița River , Mureș , Crișul Repede , etc.). They are 204 million years old.

According to the geomorphological and geological differences, the Romanian Carpathian chain is divided into three large morphotectonic units:

• Eastern Carpathians - with 3 larger groups and 40 mountain groups , which are morphologically, geophysically and geographically distinct:
  • The Carpathians of Maramureș and Bucovina
  • Moldo-Transylvanian Carpathians
  • Curvature Carpathians

• Southern Carpathians - with 4 larger groups, subdivided into 24 mountain groups , which are geographically distinct:
  • Bucegi mountains
  • Fagaras mountains
  • The Parang Mountains
  • Retezat-Godeanu Mountains

• Western Romanian Carpathians - with 3 larger groups, divided in turn into 18 morphologically, geophysically and geographically distinct mountain groups :
  • Banat Mountains
  • Poiana Ruscă Mountains
  • Apuseni mountains

 

Satellite image of the Carpathian Mountains

The 12 highest peaks of the Romanian Carpathians are:

1. Moldoveanu ( Făgăraș Mountains ) - 2,544 m.
2. Negoiu (Făgăraș Mountains) - 2,535 m.
3. Viştea Mare (Făgăraș Mountains) - 2,527 m.
4. Parângul Mare ( Parâng Mountains ) - 2,519 m.
5. Slabs (Făgăraș Mountains) - 2,517 m.
6. Peleaga ( Retezat Mountains ) - 2,509 m.
7. Pǎpușa Mare (Retezat Mountains) - 2,508 m.
8. Buteanu's Hunt (Făgăraș Mountains) - 2,507 m.
9. Cǎlțun (Făgăraș Mountains) - 2,505 m.
10. Omu ( Bucegi Mountains ) - 2,505 m.
11. Bucura (Bucegi Mountains) - 2,503 m.
12. Dara (Făgăraș Mountains) - 2,500 m.

Climate [ change | change source ]

From a climatic point of view, the Carpathians belong to the temperate-continental climate zone , presenting different shades, as a result of the development in latitude, longitude and altitude.

We can speak of a mountain climate , characterized by altitudinal stratification, which generates a decrease in temperature and an increase in the amount of precipitation, as the altitude increases. Average annual temperatures range from 8 ° C at the foot of the mountains to -2 ° C on the highest peaks. The average annual rainfall ranges from 750 mm to 2000 mm. At altitudes above 2000 m, precipitation is, in most cases, in the form of snow.

In the northern part there are Baltic climatic influences, in the western oceanic, in the eastern climatic influences from the Russian Plain (cold and dry, in winter), and in the southern Mediterranean.

Waters [ change | change source ]

The waters are very numerous. The most important rivers that have their sources in the Carpathians are: Nitra , Hron , Tisa (with its tributaries Bodo , Someș , Criș and Mureș ), Jiu , Olt , Argeș , Ialomița , Siret (with its tributaries Moldova , Bistrița , Trotuș , Putna , Râmnicu Sărat and Buzău ), Prut and Nistru .

On the higher peaks (especially in the northwestern Carpathians and in the southeastern Carpathians) there are numerous glacial lakes. To these are added anthropogenic lakes, in most cases storage lakes used for energy purposes.

Cities [ change | change source ]

 

Lake Bucura

Important cities located in or near the Carpathians, are ordered in descending order by population: Bratislava (Slovakia, 426 091), Cluj-Napoca (Romania, 310 243), Brașov (Romania, 284 596), Košice (Slovakia, 234 596) , Oradea (Romania, 206 614), Miskolc (Hungary, 178 950), Sibiu (Romania, 154 892), Târgu Mureș (Romania, 146 000), Baia Mare (Romania, 137 976), Tarnów (Poland, 117 109) , Râmnicu Vâlcea (Romania, 111 497), Uzhhorod (Ukraine, 111 300), Piatra Neamț (Romania, 105 865),Suceava (Romania, 104 914), Drobeta-Turnu Severin (Romania, 104 557), Reșița (Romania, 86 383), Žilina (Slovakia, 85 477), Bistrița (Romania, 81 467), Banská Bystrica (Slovakia, 80 730) ), Deva (Romania, 80,000), Zlín (Czech Republic, 79,538), Hunedoara (Romania, 79,235), Zalău (Romania, 71,326), Przemyśl (Poland, 66,715), Alba Iulia (Romania, 66,369) ), Zaječar (Serbia, 65,969), Sfântu Gheorghe (Romania, 61,543), Turda (Romania, 57,381), Bor(Serbia, 55 817), Mediaș (Romania, 55 153), Poprad (Slovakia, 55 042), Petroșani (Romania, 45 194), Negotin (Serbia, 43 551), Miercurea Ciuc (Romania 42,029), Sighișoara (Romania, 32 287), Făgăraș (Romania, 40 126), Petrila (Romania, 33 123), Zakopane (Poland, 27 486), Câmpulung Moldovenesc (Romania, 20 076), Vatra Dornei (Romania, 17 864), and Rakhiv (Ukraine , 15 241).

Zakopane is a small town, located at an altitude of 850 meters, on the northern flank of the High Tatras. It is one of the most famous winter sports resorts in the Carpathians and in Europe .