Britannica Web Sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Carpathian Mountains - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Next to the Alps, the Carpathian Range is the major mountain barrier of Europe. Extending about 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) across south-central Europe in a large crescent, it holds the broad and fertile Hungarian lowlands within its curve. The top of the crescent points southwestward across the narrow Danube Valley toward Vienna and the Alps beyond. From there the range curves gently to the east and south into central Romania. There the southern extension, which is often called the Transylvanian Alps, hooks sharply westward to the Iron Gate. This is a spectacular narrow gorge cut through the mountains by the Danube River on its way to the Black Sea.