Serbian Carpathians

Serbian Carpathians (Serbian: Karpati, Karpatske planine) is a mountain range in eastern Central Serbia. It presents an extension of proper Carpathian Mountains across the Danube, connecting them with the Balkan Mountains in the southeast. They stretch in north-south direction in the eastern Serbia, east of the Great Morava valley and west of the White Timok Valley and north of the Nišava Valley. The mountains are 800–1500 m high, and dominated by karst limestone geologic features.

Definitions

Under the strict definition (as defined by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and adopted by the Carpathian Convention), Serbian part of the Carpathian Mountains covers only 732 km², or 0.35% of the total Carpathian area. That part encompasses the southern bank of the Iron Gate and the area of Đerdap national park. In most other definitions, even that part is not included in the Carpathians, and they do not cross the Danube. The extreme points of so defined Carpathian area in Serbia are Tekija 44°43′N 22°28′E / 44.717°N 22.467°E / 44.717; 22.467 on north, 44°22′N 22°06′E / 44.367°N 22.100°E / 44.367; 22.100 on south, Golubac 44°40′N 21°36′E / 44.667°N 21.600°E / 44.667; 21.600 on west and 44°39′N 22°33′E / 44.650°N 22.550°E / 44.650; 22.550 on east (Iron Gate dam). It covers northern rims of northern Kučaj, Šomrda, Liskovac, Veliki Greben and Miroč mountains, in municipalities of Golubac, Majdanpek and Kladovo^[1]

However, in Serbian geography, the epithet "Carpathian" is traditionally also given to the whole northern part of the Carpatho-Balkan arc, which connects the Carpathians proper with the Balkan Mountains. It refers to the following mountains:^[1]

• Šomrda
• Liškovac
• Veliki Greben
• Miroč
• Homolje mountains (Homoljske planine)
• Veliki Krš
• Mali Krš
• Stol
• Deli Jovan
• Beljanica
• Kučaj mountains (Kučajske planine)
• Rtanj
• Tupižnica
• Devica
• Ozren

There are incentives to incorporate the whole wider Serbian Carpathian region into the framework of the Carpathian Convention.^[1] Serbia ratified the Convention in November 2007.^[2]

Geology

The entire part of Serbia east of the Great and South Morava rivers is referred to as "Carpatho-Balkan arc" in geotectonic terminology. The region is composed of rocks of Proterozoic to Quaternary age. Limestones and dolomites (in a lesser extent) of Jurassic (J2, J3) and Lower Cretaceous (K1+2, K3+4) age whose thickness can be more than 1,000 m. The structures are generally oriented in north-south direction, which bend on northern and southern parts, forming a C-shaped arc.^[3]

Though those mountains are related to the Carpathians from the geological point of view, they have been included to them by the scientists only at the end of the 20. century. In the past, those mountains were included by mistake to the Balkan mountains.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Eastern Serbia is one of most sparsely populated areas of the Balkans. A large portion of the population is engaged in nomadic sheep-breeding. The population is mixed of Serbs and Vlachs. It is underdeveloped, with sparse infrastructure and long distances between towns.^[4] The region is subject to further depopulation: between censuses of 1991 and 2002, municipalities of Bor and Majdanpek lost 3,500 residents each, Negotin lost 5,500, Zaječar lost 5000, and Knjaževac 6,500.^[5]

See also

• List of mountains in Serbia

References

External links

• Carpatho-Balkan Geomorphological Commission

v t e Divisions, Groups, and Ranges of the Carpathian Mountains Western Carpathians Inner Western Slovak Ore Mountains Fatra-Tatra Area Slovak Central Mountains Lučenec-Košice Depression Mátra-Slanec Area and North Hungarian Mountains Outer Western South-Moravian Carpathians Central Moravian Carpathians Slovak-Moravian Carpathians West-Beskidian Piedmont Western Beskids Central Beskids Eastern Beskids Podhale-Magura Area Eastern Carpathians Inner Eastern Vihorlat-Gutin Area Bistrița Mountains Căliman-Harghita Mountains Giurgeu-Braşov Depression Outer Eastern Central Beskidian Piedmont Low Beskids Eastern Beskids and the Ukrainian Carpathians Moldavian-Muntenian Carpathians Southern Carpathians Bucegi Mountains Făgăraş Mountains group Parâng Mountains group Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group Romanian Western Carpathians Apuseni Mountains Poiana Ruscă Mountains Banat Mountains Serbian Carpathians Homolje mountains Kučaj mountains Devica Rtanj Deli Jovan Vršački Breg Transylvanian Plateau (disputed) Outer Carpathian depressions

Coordinates: 43°23′N 22°40′E / 43.38°N 22.67°E / 43.38; 22.67