Map of the main divisions of the Carpathians.
1. Outer Western Carpathians
2. Inner Western Carpathians
3. Outer Eastern Carpathians
4. Inner Eastern Carpathians
5. Southern Carpathians
6. Western Romanian Carpathians
7. Transylvanian Plateau
8. Serbian Carpathians
Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya System that stretches from western Europe all the way to southern Asia, and are further divided into "provinces" and "subprovinces". The last level of the division, i.e. the actual mountain ranges and basins, is usually classified as "units". The main divisions are shown in the map on the right.
To generalize, there are three major provinces (regions): Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, and the Southern Carpathians.
The division is largely (with many exceptions) undisputed at the lowest level (except for the Ukrainian part), but various divisions are given for the higher levels, especially for the penultimate level. A geomorphological division has been used as much as the data was available; other new physiogeographic divisions were used in other cases. Where the classification of a higher level "title" is known/sure, it is added at the end of the name in brackets, e.g. "(subprovince)".
The most confusing and diverse is the classification of the Beskids, including the Western Beskids, the Central Beskids and the Eastern Beskids. Their geologic features are fairly distinct, but multiple traditions, languages, and nationalities have developed overlapping variants for the divisions and names of these ranges.
In Romania, it is usual to divide the Eastern Carpathians in Romanian territory into three formal groups (northern, central, southern), instead in Outer and Inner sections of Eastern Carpathians. The Romanian approach is shown by adding the following abbreviations to the names of units within Romania:
MMB = Maramureș-Bukovinian Carpathians (Munții Carpați ai Maramureșului și Bucovinei)
A similar standard (grouping of outer and inner sections) is traditionally applied within broader use of the term "Wooded Carpathians", that encompasses all mountain ranges within the central section of Outer Eastern Carpathians, including Eastern Beskids with Polonynian Mountains, and also all mountains within the northern section of Inner Eastern Carpathians, including Vihorlat-Gutin Area and Maramureș-Rodna Area.
The Transylvanian Plateau is encircled by, and geologically a part of, the Carpathians. But it is not a mountainous region and its inclusion is disputed in some sources. Its features are included below.
The Serbian Carpathians are sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians (together with the Banat Mountains), sometimes not considered part of the Carpathians at all. They're included below.
The regions of Outer Subcarpathia lay outside the broad arc of the entire formation and are usually listed as part of the individual divisions of the Carpathian Mountains, i.e. of Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, etc. With the difficulty of finding their exact subdivisions, they are given only as a list of the final units (mountains etc.) from the west to the east and south, in a separate listing at the end.
Orava Beskids (SK: Oravské Beskydy) + Żywiec Beskids (PL: Beskid Żywiecki) (the older SK equivalent of Beskid Zywiecki is "Slovenské Beskydy"- Slovak Beskids or "Kysucko-oravské Beskydy"- Kysuce-Orava Beskids; the older polish equivalent is "Beskid Wysoki" - High Beskids)
Kysuce Beskids (SK: Kysucké Beskydy) +Żywiec Beskids (PL: Beskid Żywiecki) (the older SK equivalent of Beskid Zywiecki is "Slovenské Beskydy" or "Kysucko-oravské Beskydy"; the older polish equivalent is "Beskid Wysoki" - High Beskids)
Clarification: In Ukraine sometimes is denoted as "Eastern Carpathians" only the part basically on their territory (i.e.to the north of the Prislop Pass), while in Romania sometimes use to call "Eastern Carpathians" (Carpații Orientali) only the other part, which lies on their territory (i.e. from the Ukrainian border or from the Prislop Pass to the south). In some Polish classifications, Central Beskids and Central Beskidian Piedmont belongs to Western Carpathians province and Outer Western Carpathians subprovince.
PL: Beskidy Wschodnie; UA: Східні Бескиди. There are several variants of names and divisions of these ranges, that include the southeastern corner of Poland, far northeastern corner of Slovakia, and all of the Ukrainian Carpathians. They are commonly divided into two parallel ridges: Wooded Beskids and Polonynian Beskids.
Western Bieszczady (Polish: Bieszczady Zachodnie; Ukrainian: Західні Бещади) mainly in Poland and Slovakia, including the Bukovec Mountains (Slovak: Bukovské vrchy)
Teleajen-Doftana Mountains (RO: Munții Teleajenului și Doftanei, i.e. Masivul Ciucaș-Muntele Roșu, Munții Grohotiș, Munții Baiului, Munții Gârbovei) MC
Inner Eastern Carpathians (subprovince)
Map of Inner Eastern and Outer Eastern Carpathians (RO: Carpații Orientali) within Romania
Bistrița Mountains (Munții Bistriței) sensu stricto, i.e. Pietrosul Massif (Masivul Pietrosul; literally: Rocky Massif) + Budacul Massif (Masivul Budacul) + Ceahlău Massif (Masivul Ceahlău), the latter being considered a separate range sometimes, MMT
Someș Plateau (Podișul Someșan or Podișul Someșelor)
Serbian: Karpatske planine, i.e. "Carpathian Mountains". Sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians (together with the Banat Mountains), sometimes not considered part of the Carpathians at all.
The Outer Subcarpathian regions are divided into Western, Northern, etc. and are usually treated as part of the individual parts of the Carpathian Mountains, i.e. of Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, etc. Since, however, it was impossible to find their exact subdivision, they are given only as a list of the final units (mountains, etc.) from the west to the east and south here:
Földvary, G. Z., ed. (1988). Geology of the Carpathian Region, pp. 106, 108, 109, 172, 554, etc., World Scientific Publishing, Singapore. ISBN9971-50-344-1.
The Tatransko-fatranská oblasť and the Podhôrno-magurská oblasť, sometimes together with the units Vtáčnik, Kremnické vrchy, Pohronský Inovec and parts of Považské podolie, are known as "Central Western Carpathians" in some non-geomorphological systems.
