Chornohora ridge with Mt. Hoverla (far left) — highest mountain in Ukraine

Geography of the Carpathians

Ukraine's Carpathians are part of the greater Carpathian mountain system, formed by the same forces that lifted the higher Alps to the west. The Carpathians are gentle mountains, reaching only 2061 meters above sea level (Mt. Hoverla) in Ukraine. Much of the territory of the Carpathians is made up of undulating hills under 1000 m in elevation. The further north you go in Ukraine, the gentler and lower the mountains are.

In the more central regions of the Ukrainian Carpathians there are higher and steeper ranges that rise above tree line (usually around 1400-1500 m). This is where the Chornohora ridge is located, which has all of Ukraine's peaks above 2000 m. Not far away is the Gorgany range, west of Ivano-Frankivsk, — one of the most remote and untouched parts of the Carpathians and of Europe, with virtually no human settlements. Here rocky peaks rise to over 1800 m. Other remote and nearly untouched wilderness areas are further south by the Romanian border.

The Chornohora range and many other high-altitude locations in the Carpathians are protected in nature reserves. However, hiking is allowed.

Interestingly, despite the relatively high level of precipitation, there is just a tiny handful of small lakes in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Virtually all of them are alpine ponds beneath the highest mountain peaks.

	A 'typical' coniferous forest in the Carpathians

Flora and fauna

The Carpathians are covered primarily by coniferous forests, but stands of deciduous trees are common. In Transcarpathia (to the west of the central ridge of the Carpathians) deciduous forests are much more common than on the east side of the Carpathians.

Virgin and nearly virgin forests abound in the Carpathians. Some areas were last logged 100 years ago and have returned to an almost virgin state. Other remote areas (mostly above 1300 m) have never been logged.

Wild animals are not often seen in the Carpathian Mountains and avoid people.