High Tatras
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The High Tatra mountains, High Tatras or High Tatra (Slovak and Czech: Vysoké Tatry, Polish: Tatry Wysokie, Hungarian: Magas Tátra, German: Hohe Tatra) are a mountain range on the border of Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Eastern Tatras mountains.
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[edit] Description
The High Tatras, with their 24 (or 25) peaks over 2500 m above sea level, are, together with the Southern Carpathians, the only mountain ranges with an Alpine character in the whole 1200 km length of the Carpathian Mountain range.
The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia. The highest peak is the Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m. Many unique animals and plant species can be found in the High Tatras. Large predators, such as the bear, the lynx, the wild cat, the marten, the wolf and the fox still live here. There are more than 1,300 recognised plant species.
The area is well known for winter sports, with resorts including Štrbské pleso, Starý Smokovec, and Tatranská Lomnica (all of which were incorporated into the town of Vysoké Tatry created in 1999) in Slovakia, and Zakopane in Poland. The town of Poprad is the 'gateway' to the Slovak Tatra resorts.
The first European cross-border national park was founded here - Tatra National Park (Tatranský národny park - TANAP) in Slovakia in 1948 (the law creating it coming into effect on January 1st, 1949) and the Tatra National Park (Tatrzański Park Narodowy - TPN) in Poland in 1954.
[edit] Lakes
[edit] Major lakes
- Morskie Oko - 1395 m, 51 m deep.
- Czarny Staw pod Rysami - 1583 m, 76 m deep.
- Wielki Staw Polski - 1664 m, 79 m deep.
- Strbske pleso - 1347 m, 20 m deep.
- Velke Hincovo pleso - 1945 m, 54 m deep.
[edit] Minor lakes
- Zmrzle pleso
- Ceske pleso
- Ladove pleso
- Batizovske pleso
- Velke Spisske pleso - 2019 m, 10 m deep.
- Vysne Bielovoeske Zabie pleso - 1699 m, 25 m deep.
- Nizne Bielovodske Zabie pleso - 1675 m, 21 m deep.
- Czarny Staw Gąsienic - 1624 m, 51 m deep.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- The Tatras: High, Western, Bela's (1:50,000 hiking map) BBKart/Marco Polo 2005.
[edit] External links
- Official site of the town of High Tatras
- Official site of the Tatras National Park (TANAP)
- Tatry Open Directory
- Tatra Cable Railways
pictures
- High Tatras - photo blog Interesting photos of High Tatras. Comments in Slovak.
- Old map about the High Tatras (Originally "Detail Karte des Tátra Gebietes, in 2 Blättern")
