High Tatras

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High Tatras
Vysoké Tatry, Tatry Wysokie
Mountain Range
Panorama of High Tatras, mountains from left to right: Gerlachovský štít, Batizovský štít, Kačací štít, Končistá, Gánok, Vysoká, and Rysy
Countries	Slovakia,  Poland
Part of	Eastern Tatras
Highest point	Gerlachovský štít
- elevation	2,655 m (8,711 ft)
- coordinates	49°10′N 20°08′E / 49.167, 20.133
Location of the High Tatras in Slovakia and Poland
Location of the High Tatras in the Western part of the Prešov Region

High Tatras or High Tatra (Slovak and Czech: Vysoké Tatry, Polish: Tatry Wysokie) are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Eastern Tatras Mountains.

Contents 1 Description 2 Peaks 2.1 Highest peaks 2.2 Notable peaks 3 Mountain lakes 3.1 Major lakes 3.2 Other lakes 4 Notable people 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Description

The High Tatras, with their 11 peaks over 2500 m AMSL, are, together with the Southern Carpathians, the only mountain ranges with an alpine character in the whole 1200 km length of the Carpathian Mountains.

The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia. The highest peak is Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m. Many rare and endemic animals and plant species are native to the High Tatras. Large predators, such as the bear, Eurasian lynx, marten, wolf and fox live there.

The area is well known for winter sports. Ski resorts include Štrbské pleso, Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica 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 národný park in Slovakia in 1948 and Tatrzański Park Narodowy in Poland in 1954.

[edit] Peaks

[edit] Highest peaks

The 15 highest peaks of the High Tatras - all located in Slovakia - are:^[1]

Peak	Elevation (m|ft)
Gerlachovský štít	2,655	8,711
Gerlachovská veža	2,642	8,668
Lomnický štít	2,633	8,638
Ľadový štít	2,627	8,619
Pyšný štít	2,623	8,605
Zadný Gerlach	2,616	8,583
Lavínový štít	2,606	8,550
Malý Ľadový štít	2,602	8,537
Kotlový štít	2,601	8,533
Lavínová veža	2,600	8,530
Malý pyšný štít	2,591	8,501
Veľká Litvorová veža	2,581	8 468
Strapatá veža	2,565	8,415
Kežmarský štít	2,556	8,386
Vysoká	2,547	8,356

[edit] Notable peaks

• Kriváň (Slovakia's "most beautiful mountain")
  
• Rysy (popular Polish−Slovak summit border crossing)

[edit] Mountain lakes

[edit] Major lakes

• Morskie Oko - 1,395 m, 51 m deep.
• Czarny Staw pod Rysami - 1,583 m, 76 m deep.
• Wielki Staw Polski - 1,664 m, 79 m deep.
• Štrbské pleso - 1,347 m, 20 m deep.
• Veľké Hincovo pleso - 1,945 m, 54 m deep.

[edit] Other lakes

• Zmrzlé pleso
• Ťažké pleso
• Ľadové pleso
• Batizovské pleso
• Veľké Spišské pleso - 2,019 m, 10 m deep.
• Veľké Žabie pleso (Mengusovské) - 1,921 m, 7 m deep
• Vysne Bielovoeske Zabie pleso - 1,699 m, 25 m deep.
• Nizne Bielovodske Zabie pleso - 1,675 m, 21 m deep.
• Czarny Staw Gąsienic - 1,624 m, 51 m deep.

[edit] Notable people

Ludwig Greiner identified Gerlachovský Peak as the summit of the Tatras, Carpathians.

[edit] See also

• Gorals
• Tatra Mountains
• Tatra National Park
• Vysoké Tatry (town)

[edit] References

• 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
• Tatry Open Directory
• Tatra Cable Railways
• High Tatras at Summitpost.org

Images:

• Various maps of the High Tatras at VysokeTatry.com
• High Tatras calamity on 19 November, 2004: villages of High Tatras after the storm