Briefly about the Carpathians. Carpathians Carpathian national features

In Europe, on the territory of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Romania (55% of the area of ​​the Carpathians). It stretches for 1.5 thousand km from the Devinsky Gates (on the Danube River near the city of Bratislava) to the Iron Gates (on the Danube River), forming an arc convex to the northeast and east. The width in the northwest is about 250 km, in the northeast about 120 km, in the southeast up to 430 km. The area is about 210 thousand km 2. The prevailing heights are 800-1200 m, the highest is 2655 m (mountain Gerlakhovsky-Shtit).

Relief. The Carpathians are a complex system of echelon-shaped mountain ranges and ridges, separated by longitudinal and transverse valleys. Orographically, they are divided into the Western Carpathians (with the southwestern spur of the Lesser Carpathians, height up to 768 m), the Eastern Carpathians and the Southern Carpathians; the northern ranges of the Western and partly Eastern Carpathians form the Beskids. The Carpathians also include the Western Romanian Mountains and the Transylvanian Plateau adjacent to the Southern Carpathians from the north, and the Banat Mountains from the west (height up to 1446 m).

The mountains are characterized by rounded peaks and gentle slopes (except for the northwestern and southeastern parts). Along the outer side of the arc of the mountains stretches a strip of foothills (width 40-60 km), height 400-500 m, in the southeast up to 907 m. (with Mount Gerlachovski Shtit), Low Tatras, Rodna, Fagaras, Paryng, Retezat. The crests of the highest ranges bear traces of the Pleistocene glaciation, the most pronounced alpine landforms are expressed in the Tatra and Fagaras massifs. For many areas of the Carpathians, karst landforms are typical, especially pronounced in the massifs of the Slovak Karst (Slovak Kras) (for example, Agtelek Cave), Bukk, and others. River valleys often form canyons in limestone. A strip of volcanic massifs stretches along the inner side of the Carpathian arc. In the western part, their height usually does not exceed 1300 m (Kremnicke Vrchy, Shtiavnicke Vrchy, Vigorlat massif, etc.), sometimes they look like table mountains, in places they form sharp contours. In the east, the volcanic mountains are higher (up to 2100 m, Mount Pietros in the Caliman massif), they are separated by deep basins and river valleys. The relief of the Transylvanian Plateau (height 600-800 m) is a complex combination of hilly elevations, flat watershed surfaces and river valleys, mud volcanoes are found in its marginal parts.

The Carpathians are characterized by leveling surfaces of different heights, hollows, the bottoms of which in the foothills lie at an altitude of 200-300 m (Upper Moravian, Auschwitz, Sandomierz, etc.), in the mountains - at an altitude of 500-700 m (Dorn, Brasovskaya, etc.). Due to the relatively low height, the mountains are relatively easy to pass, especially in the central part. The main passes through which the railway and highway are laid are located mainly at an altitude of 500-1000 m (Dukljanski-Priesmik, Yablonitsky, Predyal, etc.).

Geological structure and minerals. Tectonically, the Carpathians are a fold-cover system of the Pyrenean-Elbursk branch of the Alpine-Himalayan mobile belt, which in the southeast merges with the Balkan fold system, and in the west is separated by a transverse superimposed trough of the Vienna Basin from the Alpine fold system. From the outside, the Carpathian system is bordered by the Carpathian foredeep, through which it borders on platform areas: the West European platform in the north, the East European platform in the east, and the epibaikal Moesian platform in the southeast. The forward trough is filled with Miocene molasses (in the east and southeast - Miocene Pliocene), containing strata of Middle Miocene salt rocks (evaporites). The arcuately curved fold system of the Carpathians surrounds the Pannonian (in the west) and Transylvanian (in the east) Neogene molasse depressions. At their base there are blocks of the pre-Mesozoic continental crust - Alkapa, Thissia and Dacia.

In the structure of the folded system of the Carpathians, the Outer and Inner megazones are distinguished. The outer megazone is mainly composed of the Upper Jurassic-Paleocene terrigenous flysch overlain by the Oligocene-Lower Miocene clayey-siliceous series. Structurally, this megazone is a package of tectonic covers displaced for many tens of kilometers in the direction of adjacent platforms. Fold-cover dislocations also extend to the inner limb of the foredeep; in the southeast, in the axial zone of the trough (on the territory of Romania), salt tectonics is manifested with the formation of salt diapirs with piercing cores. The main deformations in the Outer Megazone occurred before the Middle Miocene, and in the foredeep - in the Pliocene (in the southeast - including the Quaternary). The structure of the Inner Megazone mainly involves Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and Late Paleozoic granitoids (fragments of the Central European Hercynian folded structure), as well as shelf carbonate and carbonate-terrigenous Mesozoic strata, which, together with Paleozoic rocks, experienced tectonic movement (shaping) in the middle and end of the Early Cretaceous, and also later. In the Inner Megazone, Middle Triassic - Upper Jurassic ophiolites (relics of the crust of the ancient Tethys Ocean) have been established. On the border of the Inner and Outer megazones in the Northern Carpathians, a narrow Peninskaya (Cliff, or Klippova) zone stretches, consisting mainly of large fragments of Triassic-Cretaceous carbonate rocks surrounded by marls. The main deformations in this zone occurred at the turn of the Cretaceous and Paleogene during the Laramian epoch of tectogenesis.

The Carpathian fold system arose in the Cenozoic, mainly at the site of the marginal sea basin in the northern part of the Tethys Ocean. This basin developed starting from the middle Triassic, in connection with the formation of rifts on the margin of the ancient European continent, crossing the Hercynian basement. The formation of the folded cover structure of the Carpathians was due to the collision (collision) of the Alkapa, Tissia and Dacia microplates (“outliers” of the African lithospheric plate) with the southern margin of the Eurasian Plate, as well as the underthrust (subduction) of the oceanic crust of the marginal sea basin under the microplates. An outbreak of volcanism in the rear of the Carpathian fold system was associated with the processes of collision and subduction. The Carpathians retain tectonic mobility (especially the Eastern Carpathians), accompanied by intense seismicity (Vrancea epicentral zone in Romania). Earthquakes occurring in the Eastern Carpathians are felt in the European part of Russia (for example, in Moscow in 1978 - up to 4 points).

In the Precarpathian trough, deposits of oil and natural combustible gas, ozocerite, rock and potassium salts, and native sulfur are concentrated. Oil deposits are known in the frontal part of the Outer Megazone of the Carpathians. In the Peniny zone there are deposits of dolomites, limestones, marbles, raw materials for stone casting. Deposits of pyrite-polymetallic, copper-pyrite, barite and ferromanganese ores are confined to the metamorphic complex of the Inner Megazone of the Carpathians; deposits of mercury, gold polymetallic and barite ores, as well as alunites, perlites, kaolins, and bentonite clays are associated with volcanic rocks. In the Transylvanian intermountain basin there are deposits of combustible gas, rock and potash salts, sulfur, brown coal. A special place among the natural wealth of the Carpathians is occupied by mineral waters (including carbonic and nitrogen sulfate), brines of chloride and sulfate-chloride composition, thermal and subthermal waters of increased mineralization. There are sources of rare low-mineralized waters with a high content of organic matter (Truskavets).

The climate is temperate, transitional from maritime to continental. The average January temperature in the foothills ranges from -5°С in the north and east to -2°С in the south, at the highest peaks it drops to -10°С. In some intramountain basins, temperature inversions are observed in winter. The average temperature in July in the foothills is from 17°C in the north and east to 20°C in the south; in the upper belt of mountains it drops to 4°C. The annual precipitation in the foothills varies from 600-800 mm on the outer side of the arc of the Eastern and Southern Carpathians to 900-1000 mm in the Western Romanian Mountains and the Western Carpathians. In the alpine belt, the amount of precipitation increases to 1400 mm in the south and 2000 mm in the northeast and northwest (in the Tatras). The maximum precipitation occurs in the summer, most of it falls in the form of rain. The duration of snow cover in the foothills is 2-3 months (in some areas it is formed sporadically), in the mountains 5-7 months. Frequent snow avalanches. The snow line in the Tatras is located at an altitude of about 2300 m. There are no modern glaciers in the Carpathians.

surface waters. The Carpathians are one of the main watersheds of Europe. Most of the rivers belong to the Danube basin (the largest are Tisza, Olt, Jiu, Siret, Prut and their tributaries), the rivers of the northern slopes belong to the Vistula and Odra basins, the rivers of the northeastern slopes belong to the Dniester basin. The rivers are fed by mixed snow and rain. Their regime is characterized by sharp fluctuations in water consumption during the year. The greatest runoff is observed in spring (due to snowmelt) and in the first half of summer (due to heavy rains). Floods and catastrophic floods, mudflows are frequent. The rivers of the Carpathians have significant reserves of electricity (cascades of hydroelectric power stations have been built), many of them are used for irrigation purposes. To combat floods, dams and canals have been built along the rivers. There are about 450 small lakes in the Carpathians, in the highlands they occupy mainly the bottoms of ancient glacial cirques.

Landscape types. The Carpathians are characterized by altitudinal zonality with a predominance of mountain forests (occupying 300 thousand hectares) and mountain-meadow landscapes. In the foothills in the past, forest-steppe, oak and beech-oak forests were common, now almost completely cut down. In their place - orchards, vineyards, arable land, secondary forests (steppe in the west). The landscapes of the basins have been greatly changed. In the mountains, natural landscapes are better preserved. The lower belt of mountains (up to a height of 500-600 m in the north and 600-800 m in the south) is occupied by oak and hornbeam-oak forests. Higher (up to 1100-1250 m in the north and 1300-1350 m in the south), they are gradually replaced by beech forests, which are most common in the Southern Carpathians, Western Romanian mountains and along the inner side of the mountain arc. In the Eastern Carpathians there are areas of beech-sycamore and beech-ash-sycamore forests. Up to a height of 1200-1300 m in the north and 1500-1550 m in the south there are mixed forests (beech, white fir and European spruce). They are especially developed along the outer side of the arc of the Carpathians, where they often descend to the foothills and often replace the landscapes of beech forests, and in the Western Carpathians. The upper border of the forest zone (up to 1500-1600 m in the north and 1700-1800 m in the south) is formed by coniferous forests (mainly from spruce, less often larch and pine), they are most developed in the Eastern Carpathians. As a result of human activities, coniferous forests in many places have been largely reduced, their upper limit has been reduced by 100-200 m compared to the natural limit. Forests in the Carpathians are formed mainly on brown soils, including podzolized ones.

The forest zone gives way to a belt of subalpine shrubs and meadows (up to a height of 1700-2000 m in the north and 2100-2200 m in the south). It is represented mainly by crooked forests - thickets of mountain (dwarf) pine, juniper, green alder - and areas of grass-forb meadows. Above (up to 2300-2400 m) there is a belt of alpine meadows and shrubs, which does not have a continuous distribution, is found mainly in the Western and Southern Carpathians, where it alternates with talus and rocks. The vegetation is represented by formations of alpine species of grasses and sedges with the participation of alpine forbs, as well as thickets of rhododendron and dwarf willows. Mountain peat-meadow soils predominate. On some peaks, rising above 2300-2400 m, there are fragments of the subnival belt with stone placers and rocks, bare or covered with lichen spots.

The Carpathians are characterized by high biodiversity and relatively well preserved ecosystems, mainly forest ones. There are 225 patches of primeval forests in the mountains (the area of ​​each is more than 10 hectares), beech and beech-spruce forests of the Carpathians are the most extensive in Europe. There are 3988 species of plants (1/3 of all species of Europe), of which 481 species are endemic (aise-like grist, Salzburg eyebright, breakstone, Kochi rhododendron, etc.). There are many rare species, especially in the subalpine and alpine zones (alpine bartsia, eight-petal dryad, alpine diphasiastrum, chestnut rush, late lloydia, alpine aster, rosea rhodiola, arrow-shaped willow, narrow-leaved narcissus, etc.).

Environmental problems and protected natural areas. Intensive deforestation, construction of settlements, roads and recreational facilities in the Carpathians led to the appearance of secondary plantations and meadows on the site of primary forests, increased erosion, disruption of animal migration routes, an increase in the number of rare species, a decrease in biodiversity, etc. The area of ​​planting spruce forests of the same age (including in the belt of beech forests) prone to windblows and diseases has been increased. There is degradation of forests due to acid rain, the waters of large rivers are polluted, but the small rivers of the Carpathians are still among the cleanest in Europe. Protected natural areas occupy 16% of the area of ​​the Carpathians, the largest of them are the Tatra National Park (Slovakia, Poland), the Eastern Carpathians International Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland), the Low Tatras, Slovak Karst, Poloniny (Slovakia), Karpatsky biosphere reserve, Synevyr national parks, Skole Beskids, Uzhansky, Gorgani reserve, Nadsyansky landscape park (Ukraine), Retezat national park (Romania). In the Carpathians there are mountain climatic and balneological resorts. Tourism is developed; winter sports. In 2003, the countries of the Carpathian region at the 5th Conference of Ministers of Ecology "Environment for Europe" signed the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians.

Lit.: Geology of the USSR. M., 1966. T. 48: Karpaty. Part 1: Geological description; Geodynamics of the Carpathians. K., 1985; Ukrainian Carpathians. Nature. K., 1988; Nature of the Carpathian National Park. Kiev, 1993; Melnyk A.V. Ukrainian Carpathians: ecological and landscape studies. Lviv, 1999; The national parks and biosphere reserves in Carpathians: the last nature paradises. S. 1., 1999; Holt S. Ecoregion conservation in the Carpathians. S. 1., 2000; idem. The Carpathian mountains. S. 1., 2000; Khain V. E. Tectonics of continents and oceans (year 2000). M., 2001; Mosbach Webster R. The Carpathians: Kingdom of the Carnivores. WWF. Danube-Carpathian programme. Vienna, 2001.

M. N. Petrushina; V. E. Khain (geological structure and minerals).

The Ukrainian Carpathians generously reward everyone who came to these lands with a stunning picture of natural landscapes, beauty, joy, and health. Every corner of the Ukrainian Carpathians is original and unique. Gardens growing on the slopes of the mountains, forests and untouched meadows delight the eye here. In winter, the Carpathians are especially visited and attractive for lovers of active ski holidays.

Geographic reference

The huge mountain system of the Carpathian Mountains begins near Bratislava (Slovakia) and ends in the southeast of Romania. The total length of the Carpathians is approximately 1600 km. They surround the Central European Lowland from three sides with a large arc. In the northwestern section, their width is 250 km, and in the southwestern - 350 km, in the southeastern, where the Ukrainian Carpathians are located, it narrows to 100-130 km.
Depending on the location and biogeographic structure, the Carpathians are divided into Southern, Eastern, Western. The Western Carpathians are localized on the territory of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and partly in Hungary, where the highest mountain of the Carpathians - Gerlach (2665 m) is located. The northern ones are located equatorially on the territory of Romania, the eastern ones in Slovakia and Poland, as well as on the territory of Western Ukraine.
The average height of the Ukrainian Carpathians is 1000 m. The Carpathians make up 3.5% of the territory of the whole of Ukraine. They stretched from northwest to southeast for almost 290 km with an average width of 110 km.
The Carpathians are located on the territory of 4 regions of Ukraine: Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Transcarpathian, Lviv.
The Carpathians are symbolically divided into 2 parts - Transcarpathia and Prykarpattia. The Carpathians are the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi regions, the Uzhgorod region and the Transcarpathian region are Transcarpathia. The Carpathians are low, of volcanic origin, with an average height of about 1300-1500 meters. The highest mountain is located in the area of ​​​​the village of Yablunytsya - this is a mountain

Flora and fauna of the Carpathians

The Carpathians are a mountain strip notable for the fact that untouched forests, rare for Europe, have been preserved on its territory. The Carpathian Mountains are mostly "soft", without rocky outcrops, rounded mountain peaks. Grow on the plateau Somewhat lower, on the slopes of the mountains, you can often stumble upon thickets of blackberries. In warm summers, mountain landscapes are complemented by large herds, cows and sheep.
The main part of the Carpathians is covered with beech and
In addition to firs and beech, they also grow in the Carpathian Mountains.
The composition of beech forests also includes common ash, Norway maple, and mountain elm, they have almost disappeared in the Carpathian mountains, if they are found, then only in hard-to-reach places.
On the upper slopes of the Carpathian Mountains there are "alpine" meadows, rich even today with very rare species of flora. In particular, an amazing plant - the East Carpathian rhododendron. It is called "alpine rose" in the Carpathians due to its bright pink flowers. Here, high in the mountains, are the sources of many rivers in the Western region of Ukraine: the Prut and Cheremosh are rightfully considered one of the cleanest rivers in Eastern Europe.
In the mountains of the Carpathians many thousands of years ago, salt caves were formed, as well as dense deposits of rock salt. As a rule, salt lakes are located above such caves, chemically similar to the "Dead Sea" in Israel. These lakes are much smaller in area, but they are not inferior in healing properties.

Ukrainian Carpathians is very diverse. The main separation factor is a sharp change in mountain heights - from 160 m to 2081 m. In parallel with the height, the temperature regime and humidity regime change.
The climate is mainly temperate continental, warm, with cyclonic interventions of the Atlantic air. The average temperature of the warmest month (July) in the foothills is from +19 to +22°C, in the high mountain zone from +9 to +12°C, the coldest in January is from -5 to -15°C.
in the summer, out of every seven days, two are rainy. In general, the Carpathian Mountains are characterized by an unstable spring, not very hot summers, warm, dry autumns and mild winters. Figuratively, the Carpathians can be divided into a number of mountainous climatic zones:
The Highland zone is a zone of rather cold and very humid climate.
The Middle Mountains zone is a zone of moderately cold, humid climate.
The Carpathian zone is a zone of warm and moderately humid climate.
The Lowland zone is a zone of very humid climate.
The zone of Transcarpathia is a zone of fairly warm, moderately humid climate.
The climate within the described zones is uniform everywhere. From west to east, its continentality intensifies.
In Transcarpathia, the southern region stands out rather sharply against the general temperature background. Summer here is often hot. Droughts happen frequently. Mountainous relief strongly influences the climate. Each river valley, mountain slopes often have their own special individual microclimate.

Population of the Carpathians

Lemkos live on the slopes, between the Syan and Poprad rivers, in the Perechyn and Velikobereznyansky regions of Transcarpathia. The first mention of them in written sources appears in the sixth century BC. Boiki live in Lviv, Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
The "Russian Trinity" - Yakov Golovatsky, Ivan Vagilevich, Markian Shashkevich considered the Boikos to be the offspring of the Celtic tribes who lived in Central Europe from the sixth century BC, and moved to the Balkans closer to the first century.
Hutsuls live in Transcarpathian, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk.
In the 17-18 century, there were many rebels among the Hutsuls, oprishki - people's avengers.

Culture of the Carpathians

Even for a long time, being in the structure of different states, although they could not protect themselves from merging with the Poles, Hungarians, and Slovaks. It was the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of the Carpathians who preserved the most archaic features of culture, which, at least a little, but differed from the Polissya.
It seems that in the mountains, almost every person is a singer, an artist, a bright creative person. And it was the hands of such people that the most beautiful wooden temples were built in the mountains, which were built without a single nail ... The main decoration of these temples were unique icons painted on glass.
Most of them, today, are stored in museum collections.
Today, like many hundreds of years ago, the people of the Carpathians decorate their clothes with bright embroideries.
Bukovinian, Pokutsk, Transcarpathian, ... Any of them is inimitable and unique, and they all look like a bright flower garden.
It blooms with beautiful patterns on pillows, towels, shirts.
In the Carpathians, the ancient art of pysankar (the ritual painting of Easter eggs) is also passed down from generation to generation. People in the Carpathians know that Easter eggs help in various life situations: their signs-symbols bring prosperity, health and love to people, and fertility to the land of the Carpathians.

Carpathian national features

In the mountainous Carpathian area, there are seeing off the shepherds to the mountain valley, the Carpathian wedding and religious, church holidays, for example, Christmas with Christmas carols and shchedrivkas, "Vasily" (Old New Year), "Water Baptism", "Melanki", and, of course, Easter with Easter haivkas.
A big holiday - a carnival for the local Carpathians is on distant mountain meadows for grazing. Grazing occurs from the beginning of May and lasts until mid-September. The living conditions of the shepherds in the mountain valley are difficult,
they work from dawn to dusk, and yet every Carpathian resident does not mind becoming a mountain shepherd.
Three details that characterize the life of the Carpathian shepherds are Vatra, Trembita and Cheese. like a fairy tale.
Even today, the inhabitants of the Carpathians adhere to their traditions. Until now, they dress up in national embroidered clothes, decorate their horses. The wedding is full of fun and colorful fun, dances, songs, games, witticisms, jokes. None of the weddings is complete without rolls and loaves, embroidered, hand-woven towels, bouquets.
Preparations for start early.
All Carpathian housewives in the early morning of January 6 light a "live fire" from twelve logs in the ovens and cook
Among the dishes of the Holy Christmas Dinner, kutia is at the forefront
(boiled wheat with honey, poppy seeds and nuts.)
The Easter holiday in the Carpathians is distinguished by an abundance of ritual customs and actions. On Palm Sunday, the inhabitants of the Carpathians bring a consecrated palm branch (a joke) from the church and lightly hit each member of their family with it, saying: “It’s not me who beats you, it’s a joke that beats - from now on, it’s Easter in a week!”
The consecrated willow branch in the concept of the ancestors of the Carpathian inhabitants has healing properties. The end of the Great Lent is the time for painting krashankas. Each Carpathian village has its own unique craftsmen.

Carpathian cuisine

There are three features: natural, satisfying, tasty. It should be used at least for a vacation in the Carpathians. Residents of the Carpathians, who eat natural organic products, live a very long time. Milk from the Carpathian alpine meadows is no worse than the Alpine one. with porcini mushrooms, various porridges have been cooked here for several hundred years and, of course, they have mastered this culinary art to perfection. After a Carpathian breakfast, you will have enough strength even for a long mountain hike. Most of the traditional Carpathian dishes are in perfect harmony with home-made moonshine, however, as well as with expensive alcoholic drinks.
The ancient intoxicating Carpathian drinks deserve special attention, for example
They are still widely used in the national Carpathian cuisine.

All restaurants and cafes in the Carpathians will definitely offer you traditional dishes of the Carpathian cuisine: pancakes, borscht, potato pancakes,. Of course, they will also offer a wide range of dishes of European cuisines.
Carpathian dishes are original and at the same time very easy to prepare. The main ingredients of the Carpathian cuisine are wheat and corn flour, potatoes, mushrooms, pork or beef meat, and fish.
has long been known for its abundance of homemade smoked meats.
An epoch-making dwelling of Carpathian shepherds on summer pastures is a kolyba - an original wooden building, usually round in shape, as a rule, with a high roof, usually in the shape of a cone or triangle. Today, every tourist will be able to visit the kolyba without even climbing high into the Carpathians, since today kolyba are, as a rule, small private restaurants and shops built, often near the road.

Safety and rules of conduct

1. Gently kindle and carefully monitor the kindling of camping stoves and bonfires.
It is always necessary to dig in a campfire site so that sparks do not fall into the dry grass around. When leaving the parking lot, do not forget to fill the place where the fire was with water. Often in popular places of tourist camps there are already prepared places where it is possible and desirable to build a fire. It is always better to look for such a place first if possible.
Moreover, as a rule, these are ideal places for parking.
. It is better to look for dry branches.
3. If after a rest, parking you have left unnecessary plastic bags and paper - burn them in a fire.
4. Remaining after resting in the Carpathians and eating, tin containers and cans - it is better to burn them in a fire to black, crush them with an ax or a stone, and then be sure to bury them, on the surface of the earth they can cause serious injuries.
5. Never leave trash after your vacation in the Carpathians.
6. Never destroy places for rest or drinking water built by someone before you.
7. Do not pollute streams, springs, mineral springs. You and other of them drink.
8. Do not pick berries and flowers unnecessarily, do not break branches of green living trees.
9. Do not scare grazing cows, sheep, goats
10. The healing natural resources of the Carpathians and the modern medical and technical base allow you to get a significant effect in the treatment of diseases of the liver and biliary tract, gastrointestinal tract, metabolic disorders, defects in the musculoskeletal system, disorders of the cardiovascular and nervous activity.