The Romanian Carpathians () are a section of the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

, within the borders of modern

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of the Alps-Himalaya System and are further divided into "

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

" and "subprovinces". This is an overview of the geological subdivisions of the Romanian section of the Carpathian Mountains. The broadest divisions are shown in the map on the right. The last level of the division, i.e. the actual mountain ranges and basins, is usually called "units". The lowest-level detail for those units is maintained on separate pages.

Naming conventions

Traditional Romanian naming conventions differ from this list. In

, it is usual to divide the

Eastern Carpathians 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 Sy ...

in Romanian territory into three geographical groups (North, Centre, South), instead in Outer and Inner Eastern Carpathians. The

Transylvanian Plateau The Transylvanian Plateau (; ) is a plateau in central Romania. Description The plateau lies within and takes its name from the historical region of Transylvania, and is almost entirely surrounded by the Eastern Carpathians, Eastern, Southern ...

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 Outer Carpathian Depressions 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.

Romanian divisions

The Romanian Carpathians chain is classified, according to the geomorphological and geological differences, into three major morphotectonic units: * Eastern Romanian Carpathians (''Carpații Orientali'') - with 3 main groups subdivided into 40 mountain groups *

Southern Carpathians The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ; ) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and ...

(''Carpații Meridionali'') - with 4 main groups subdivided into 24 mountain groups *

Western Romanian Carpathians The Western Romanian Carpathians (, ), along with the Eastern Romanian Carpathians and the Southern Carpathians is one of the three main mountain ranges of Romania. Their name is given based on their geographical position, west, to the Transylvan ...

(''Carpații Occidentali Românești'') - with 3 main groups subdivided into 18 mountain groups

Eastern Romanian Carpathians

Romanian classification

The Eastern Carpathians are divided into three geographical groups; 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'') (North group) * MMT = Moldavian-Transylvanian Carpathians (''Munții Carpați Moldo-Transilvani'') (Centre group) * MC =

Curvature Carpathians The Curvature Carpathians (; ) are the Southernmost stretch of the Eastern Carpathians, stretching from the Trotuș River to the Prahova River. The highest peak is Ciucaș (1954 m). The Curvature Carpathians are one of the three traditio ...

(''Munții Carpați de Curbură'') (South group)

Other classification

Outer Eastern Carpathians 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 Sy ...

Moldavian-Muntenian Carpathians The Moldavian-Muntenian Carpathians are a group of mountain ranges in Romania. These ranges are considered part of the Outer Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, however, it is traditional to divide the Eastern Romanian Carpathians (in Romanian, ...

Inner Eastern Carpathians 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 S ...

** "Volcanic Ridge" (the Romanian portion of the

Vihorlat-Gutin Area The Vihorlat-Gutin Area (; ; ) is a region of mountain ranges ranging from eastern Slovakia, through western Ukraine, into northern Romania. Geologically these ranges are considered part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, howeve ...

group) **

Bistrița Mountains The Bistrița Mountains (; ) are mountain ranges in northern central Romania. Geologically these ranges are considered part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians group of the Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, however, it is traditional to divide ...

Căliman-Harghita Mountains The Căliman-Harghita Mountains (in Romanian, ''Munții Căliman-Harghita'') are a group of mountain ranges in Romania. These ranges are considered part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, however, it is traditional to divide the ...

Giurgeu-Brașov Depression The Giurgeu-Brașov Depression (in Romanian, ''Depresiunea Giurgeu-Brașovului'') is a series of intermontane basins in Romania. The basin is considered part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, however, it is traditional to divide ...

Southern Romanian Carpathians

Bucegi Mountains The Bucegi Mountains ( ) are located in central Romania, south of the city of Brașov. They are part of the Southern Carpathians group of the Carpathian Mountains. At , ''Omu Peak, Omu'' is its highest point. To the east, the Bucegi Mountains ha ...

Group *

Făgăraș Mountains group The Făgăraș mountain group is a subgroup of mountains in the Southern Carpathians. It is named after the highest of the mountains in the group, the Făgăraș Mountains. Boundaries The Făgăraș group is bounded: *in the west, by the Olt Rive ...

Parâng Mountains group The Parâng () mountain group is a subgroup of mountains in the Southern Carpathians. It is named after the highest of the mountains in the group, the Parâng Mountains. Boundaries The Parâng group is bounded: *in the east, by the Olt River *i ...

Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group The Retezat–Godeanu mountain group is a subgroup of mountains in the Southern Carpathians, Romania. It is named after the highest mountains in the group, the Retezat Mountains. Boundaries The Retezat–Godeanu group of mountains is bounded: *i ...

Western Romanian Carpathians

Apuseni Mountains The Apuseni Mountains (, "Western Mountains"; , "Transylvanian Mountains") are a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Romanian Carpathians. The highest peak is the Bihor Peak at . The Apuseni Mountains have ab ...

Poiana Ruscă Mountains The Poiana Ruscă Mountains (part of the Western Carpathians) are a Carpathian mountain range in western Romania. The mountains are situated roughly south of the Mureș River, northeast of the Timiș River, and west of the Strei River. The Beg ...

Banat Mountains Banat Mountains 01

The Banat Mountains (; ) are a number of mountai ...

Transylvanian Plateau

External links

Pictures and landscapes from the Romanian Carpathians
{{coord missing, Romania Mountain ranges of Romania Lists of landforms of Romania Mountain ranges of the Eastern Carpathians Mountain ranges of the Western Romanian Carpathians Mountain ranges of the Southern Carpathians