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TRANSYLVANIAN MOUNTAINS

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 212 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TRANSYLVANIAN MOUNTAINS , the See also:

general name of the See also:mountain See also:system which surrounds the Transylvanian highland or See also:plateau on all four sides, and forms the See also:south-eastern and See also:southern continuation of the Carpathian system (q.v.). At the mouths of the Viso and the See also:Golden Bistritza. where the Eastern or Wooded Carpathians end, the range of mountains divides and sends ramifications in two directions, to the south and to the See also:west. These chains which enclose Transylvania, giving it the general aspect of a See also:great natural fortress, are the most eastern offshoots of the mountain system of central See also:Europe, and guard the approach from the See also:east to the great Hungarian See also:plain. They slope gently towards the interior of Transylvania, but rather abruptly towards See also:Rumania, and while the western See also:wall possesses several large and easy passes, the eastern and southern walls are much more difficult to See also:cross. The eastern wall of the Transylvania See also:quadrilateral is composed of two parallel ranges of mountains divided by the valleys of the Maros and Aluta. The See also:outer range is composed of the following See also:groups: the Gyergy() Mountains (including the Kelemen range) with the highest peaks Kelemenhavas (6600 ft.) and Pietrosul (6908 ft) ; the Csik Mountains with the highest peaks Nagy-Hagymas (5900 ft.) and the volcanic Biidos (3300 ft.); and the Bereczk Mountains with the highest See also:peak Lak()cza (583o ft.). The inner range is composed of the following groups: the Gorgeny Mountains with the highest peak Mezohavas (5826 ft.) ; the Hargitta Mountains with the highest peak Hargitta (5900 ft.) ; and the Barota Mountains with the highest peak Kukukhegy (5120 ft.). Near the mouths of the Maros and the Aluta are situated the celebrated Gyorgyo valley, one of the most beautiful in the whole Transylvania, and the famous Borszek valley with its See also:mineral springs. The southern wall of the Transylvanian highland is occupied by the Transylvanian See also:Alps. They have a length of 230 m., and are the highest and wildest mountain range of the whole Transylvanian system, resembling the High Tatra in their bold and high peaks, their beautiful scenery, and their See also:flora. The Transylvanian Alps rise to an See also:altitude of 7200 ft. above the level of the Danubian (Rumanian) plain, and are divided into a considerable number of groups. From east to west these groups are: the Bodza Mountains with the highest peak Csukas (Ciucas, 6424 ft.); the Burzenland Mountains with the beautiful peaks of Bucsecs (8230 ft.), See also:Konigstein (7352 ft.) and Schuler (5910 ft.); the high Forgaras See also:group, extending to the Roteturm pass, and containing Negoi (8345 ft.), the highest peak in the Transylvanian mountains, Butyan (823o ft.) and Surul (7482 ft.).

West of the Roteturm pass the Transylvanian Alps are also known under the name of the Hatszeg Mountains, and consist of the following groups: the Cibin Mountains with the highest peak Cindrel (7366 ft.); the Paringul Mountains with the highest Keak Mandra (826o ft.); the Vulkan Mountains, and the Hatszeg lountains proper with the beautiful peak Retiezat (8125 ft.). The south-western See also:

part of the Transylvanian Alps is formed by the Cserna or Ruszka Mountains with the highest peak Verfu Petri (814o ft.) whose offshoots, of a mean altitude of 3200-4700, known as the See also:Banat Mountains, fill the Banat. The southern part of the Cserna Mountains, known as the Stretinye Mountains, extend to the See also:Danube, and together with the Miroch Mountains, on the right See also:side of the Danube, and belonging, therefore, to the Bafkan system, See also:form the famous See also:gorge of the See also:Iron See also:Gate near Orsova. . The western and See also:northern wall of the Transylvanian quadrilateral do not See also:present the See also:character of an uninterrupted See also:chain of mountains, but possess many See also:low and easy passes towards the Hungarian plain. Going from south to See also:north the See also:principal groups are: the Transylvanian Ore Mountains with the basaltic See also:mass of the Detunata (3768 ft.) near Abrudbanya; the Bihar Mountains, with romantic scenery and numerous caverns, with the highest See also:peat the Cucurbeta (6045 ft.) ; to the east of this group are the Aranyos Mountains with the highest peak, the Muntelui See also:Mare (5970 ft.), to the south-west of See also:Kolozsvar; then come the Meszes group and the Kraszna Mountains. The northern wall is formed by the Lapos Mountains with the highest peak Ciblesiu (6020 ft.), and the Rodna Mountains with the highest peaks Muncsel (5835 ft.), Pietrosu (7544 ft.) and Ineu (7484 ft.). Inside this mountainous quadrilateral lies the Transylvanian highland or plateau, which has a mean See also:elevation of See also:i000-1600 ft. It is improperly called a plateau, for it does not possess anywhere extensive plains, but is formed of a network of valleys of various sizes, ravines and canons, See also:united together by numerous small mountain ranges, which usually attain a height of 500-800 ft. above the altitude of the valley. In the Transylvanian Mountains the principal passes are: the Rodna, the Borgo, the Tolgyes and the B()kas. Then come the Gyimes, the Uz and Oitoz, the Bodza or See also:Buzeu, the Tomos or Predeal pass, crossed by the railway from See also:Brass() to See also:Bucharest, the famous Roteturm pass (1115 ft.) through the narrow gorge of the Aluta, crossed by the railway from Nagy-Szeben to Bucharest, the Vulkan, the Teregova pass, and the Iron Gate pass, both crossed by the railway from See also:Temesvar to See also:Craiova. All those passes See also:lead from 'Transylvania into Rumania. From Transylvania into See also:Hungary are the See also:Banffy-Hunyad pass, crossed by the railway from Nagy-Varad to Kolozsvar, and the See also:defile of the Maros crossed by the railway from See also:Arad to Broos.

In the interior of Transylvania are the Szent-Domokos pass near Csik-Szereda leading from the valleyof the Aluta to that of the Maros (near their respective mouths) and the pass of Csik-Szereda over the Hargitta Mountains.

End of Article: TRANSYLVANIAN MOUNTAINS

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