The Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains, a mountain range in central Europe. The Carpathians form a 900-mile (1,450-km) arc from Bratislava, Slovakia, to the Iron Gate on the Danube River, extending through eastern Slovakia, southern Poland, a corner of Ukraine, and Romania. The southernmost section of the range is commonly called the Transylvanian Alps.
The Carpathians are relatively low, with elevations generally ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 feet (900 to 1,500 m) above sea level. Passes and broad valleys divide the mountains into numerous subranges. The highest and most rugged sections, with many peaks exceeding 6,000 feet (1,800 m), are the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland and the Transylvanian Alps in Romania. In the Tatras, where the only permanent snowfields exist, is the highest summit, Slovakia's Gerlachovský Peak, which rises to 8,711 feet (2,655 m).