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)".
Taxonomy The names are also given in the language of the corresponding country and marked by the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes: AT=Austria CZ=Czech Republic HU=Hungary PL=Poland RO=Romania RS=Serbia SK=Slovakia UA=Ukraine
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:
MMB = Maramureș-Bukovinian Carpathians (Munții Carpați ai Maramureșului și Bucovinei) MMT = Moldavian-Transylvanian Carpathians (Munții Carpați Moldo-Transilvani) MC = Curvature Carpathians (Munții Carpați de Curbură)
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)
Lower Austrian Inselberg Swell (AT: Leiser Berge, Niederösterreichische Inselbergschwelle) + Mikulov Highlands (CZ: Mikulovská vrchovina) Dyje-Svratka Vale (AT: Thaya-Schwarza Thalsenke, CZ: Dyjsko-svratecký úval)
Central Moravian Carpathians (CZ) (area) (CZ: Středomoravské Karpaty) Ždánice Forest (Ždánický les) Litenčice Hills (Litenčická pahorkatina) Chřiby Kyjov Hills (Kyjovská pahorkatina)
Slovak-Moravian Carpathians (CZ/SK) (area) (CZ/SK: Slovensko-moravské Karpaty) White Carpathians (CZ: Bílé Karpaty, SK: Biele Karpaty) Maple Mountains (Javorníky) (CZ+SK) Myjava Hills (SK: Myjavská pahorkatina) Váh Valley Land (SK: Považské podolie) Vizovice Highlands (CZ: Vizovická vrchovina)
West Beskidian Foothills (CZ / PL) (area)
(CZ: Západobeskydské podhůří, PL: Pogórze Zachodniobeskidzkie) Moravian-Silesian Foothills (PL: Pogórze Śląsko-Morawskie, CZ: Podbeskydská pahorkatina) Silesian Foothills (PL: Pogórze Śląskie) Wieliczka Foothills (PL: Pogórze Wielickie) Wiśnicz Foothills (PL: Pogórze Wiśnickie)
Western Beskids (CZ / SK / PL) (area)
(CZ: Západní Beskydy, SK: Západné Beskydy, PL: Beskidy Zachodnie)
Western section of the Western Beskids Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains (CZ: Hostýnsko-vsetínská hornatina) Moravian-Silesian Beskids (CZ: Moravskoslezské Beskydy, SK: Moravsko-sliezske Beskydy) Turzovka Highlands (SK: Turzovská vrchovina) Jablunkov Furrow (CZ: Jablunkovská brázda) Rožnov Furrow (CZ: Rožnovská brázda) Jablunkov Intermontane (SK: Jablunkovské medzihorie, CZ: Jablunkovské mezihoří) Silesian Beskids (PL: Beskid Śląski, CZ: Slezské Beskydy) Żywiec Basin (PL: Kotlina Żywiecka)
Northern section of the Western Beskids Little Beskids (Beskid Mały) Maków Beskids or Middle BeskidsFöldvary, G. Z., ed. (1988). Geology of the Carpathian Region, pp. 106, 108, 109, 172, 554, etc., World Scientific Publishing, Singapore. . (Beskid Makowski or "Beskid Średni") Island Beskids (Beskid Wyspowy) Gorce (?)Rabka Basin (Kotlina Rabczańska) Sącz Basin (Kotlina Sądecka)
Eastern section of the Western Beskids (in Slovak terminology: Eastern Beskids, SK: Východné Beskydy) Beskid Sądecki (PL: Beskid Sądecki) + Ľubovňa Highlands (SK: Ľubovnianska vrchovina) Čergov (SK) + Czerchów Mountains (PL: Góry Czerchowskie) Pieniny (often considered part of the Podhôľno-magurská oblasť in non-geomorphological systems)
Central section of the Western Beskids (in Slovak terminology: Central Beskids, SK: Stredné Beskydy)
Orava Beskids (SK: Oravské Beskydy) + Żywiec Beskids (PL: Beskid Żywiecki) (the older SK equivalent of Beskid Zywiecki is "Slovenské Beskydy"- Slovak Beskids or "Kysucko-oravské Beskydy"- Kysuce-Orava Beskids; the older polish equivalent is "Beskid Wysoki" - High Beskids) Kysuce Beskids (SK: Kysucké Beskydy) +Żywiec Beskids (PL: Beskid Żywiecki) (the older SK equivalent of Beskid Zywiecki is "Slovenské Beskydy" or "Kysucko-oravské Beskydy"; the older polish equivalent is "Beskid Wysoki" - High Beskids) Kysuce Highlands (SK: Kysucká vrchovina) Orava Magura (SK: Oravská Magura) Orava Highlands (SK: Oravská vrchovina) Sub-Beskidian Furrow (SK: Podbeskydská brázda) Sub-Beskidian Highlands (SK: Podbeskydská vrchovina)
Podhale-Magura Area (SK)/ Orava-Podhale Depression (PL) (area)
Source: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.
(SK: Podhôľno-magurská oblasť, PL: Obniżenie Orawsko-Podhalańskie) Skorušina Mountains (SK: Skorušinské vrchy) + Spiš-Gubałówka Highlands (PL: Pogórze Spisko-Gubałowskie) Sub-Tatra Trench (SK: Podtatranská brázda, PL: Rów Podtatrzański) Spiš Magura (SK: Spišská Magura) + Spiš-Gubałówka Highlands (PL: Pogórze Spisko-Gubałowskie) Levoča Mountains (SK: Levočské vrchy) Bachureň (SK) Spiš-Šariš Intermontane (SK: Spišsko-šarišské medzihorie) Šariš Highlands (SK: Šarišská vrchovina) Orava Basin (SK: Oravská kotlina) + Orava-Nowy Targ Basin (PL: Kotlina Orawsko-Nowotarska)
Inner Western Carpathians (subprovince)
Slovak Ore Mountains (SK) (area)
Vepor Mountains (Veporské vrchy) Spiš-Gemer Karst (Spišsko-gemerský kras) Stolica Mountains (Stolické vrchy) Revúca Highlands (Revúcka vrchovina) Volovec Mountains (Volovské vrchy) Black Mountain (Čierna hora) Rožňava Basin (Rožňavská kotlina) Slovak Karst (Slovenský kras) and Aggtelek Karst (Hungarian: Aggteleki-karszt; lies in northern Hungary)
Fatra-Tatra Area (SK/PL/AT) * (area) Slovak:Fatransko-tatranská oblasť
Little Carpathians (SK: Malé Karpaty) + Hainburg Mountains (AT: Hainburger Berge) Považský Inovec Tribeč Strážov Mountains (Strážovské vrchy) Súľov Mountains (Súľovské vrchy) Žiar Lesser Fatra (Malá Fatra) Greater Fatra (Veľká Fatra) Staré Hory Mountains (Starohorské vrchy) Choč Mountains (Chočské vrchy) Western Tatras Eastern Tatras Low Tatras (Nízke Tatry) Kozie chrbty (literally: Goat Ridges) Branisko Žilina Basin (Žilinská kotlina) Upper Nitra Basin (Hornonitrianska kotlina) Turiec Basin (Turčianska kotlina) Podtatranská kotlina (Sub-Tatra Basin) Hornád Basin (Hornádska kotlina) Horehronské podolie
Slovak Central Mountains (Slovenské stredohorie) (SK) (area) SK: Slovenské stredohorie, EN: Slovak mid-mountainous region
Vtacnik Mountains (Vtáčnik) Pohronský Inovec Štiavnica Mountains (Štiavnické vrchy) Kremnica Mountains (Kremnické vrchy) Poľana Ostrôžky Javorie Krupina Plain (Krupinská planina) Zvolen Basin (Zvolenská kotlina) Pliešovce Basin (Pliešovská kotlina) Žiar Basin (Žiarska kotlina)
Lučenec-Košice Depression (SK/HU) (area) SK: Lučensko-košická zníženina Southern Slovak Basin (SK: Juhoslovenská kotlina) + Central Ipoly Basin (HU: Középső-Ipoly-völgy) + Borsod Hills (HU: Borsodi-dombság) Bodva Hills (SK: Bodvianska pahorkatina) (SK: Košická kotlina) + Hernád-Valley Basin (HU: Hernád-völgy)
Mátra-Slanec Area (SK) /North Hungarian Mountains (HU) (area) SK: Matransko-slanská oblasť, HU: Északi-középhegység Börzsöny Mountains (HU: Börzsöny-hegység, literally: Logwood Mountains) + Burda (SK) Gödöllő Hills (HU: Gödöllői-dombság) Cerová vrchovina (SK; Cerová Highlands) + Cserhát (HU: Cserhát) Mátra (HU: Mátra) Bükk (HU: Bükk – literally Beech Mountains) Cserehát Hills (HU: Cserehát) Slanec Mountains (SK: Slanské vrchy) + Zemplén Mountains (HU: Zempléni-hegység, also Tokaji-hegység/Tokaj Mountains) Zemplín Mountains (SK, Zemplínske vrchy)
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 Rożnów Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Rożnowskie) Ciężkowice Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Ciężkowickie) Strzyżów Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Strzyżowskie) Dynów Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Dynowskie) Przemyśl Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Przemyskie) Gorlice Depression (PL: Obniżenie Gorlickie) Jasło-Krosno Basin (PL: Kotlina Jasielsko-Krośnieńska) Jasło Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Jasielskie) Bukowsko Piedmont (PL: Pogórze Bukowskie)
Central Beskids (area)
PL: Beskidy Środkowe (in Slovak terminology: Lower Beskids, SK: Nízke Beskydy)Often considered part of Outer Western Carpathians in non-geomorphological systems. Busov (SK) Ondava Highlands (SK: Ondavská vrchovina) Low Beskid (PL: Beskid Niski) + Laborec Highlands (SK: Laborecká vrchovina) Central Beskidian Piedmont (SK: Beskydské predhorie)
Eastern Beskids (area)