Tatra mountains or Tatras or Tatra (in Polish and Slovak Tatry, which is a plural proper noun) is a mountain range on the border of Poland and Slovakia, the highest part of the Carpathian Mountains. The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia, the largest mountain lakes can be found in Poland. The highest Tatras peak, at 2655 m, is the Gerlachovský štít, located in Slovakia, whereas Rysy, at 2499 m, is the highest Polish peak (on the Polish-Slovak border).

The area is a well-known winter sport area, with resorts such as Poprad and the town (Mesto) Vysoké Tatry in Slovakia (in English literally (Town of) High Tatras; created in 1999 and including the former separate resorts Štrbské Pleso, Starý Smokovec, and Tatranská Lomnica), or Zakopane, the "Winter Capital" of Poland.

The Tatras consists of the Western Tatras (Slovak: Západné Tatry, Polish: Tatry Zachodnie) and the Eastern Tatras (Východné Tatry, Tatry Wschodnie). The Eastern Tatras, in turn, consists of the High Tatras (Vysoké Tatry, Tatry Wysokie) and the Belianske Tatras (Belianske Tatry, Tatry Bielskie). The High Tatras, with their 24 (or 25) peaks more than 2500 m above sea level are the only mountains with an Alpine character in the whole of the 1200 km length of the Carpathian Mountain range.

The Tatras should be distinguished from another Slovak mountain range, the Low Tatras (in Slovak Nízke Tatry), situated south of the Tatras. Sometimes, however, the term Tatras freely refers to both the Tatras and the Low Tatras.

Slovak Tatra National Park (TANAP, Tatranský národný park) was founded in 1949, Polish Tatra National Park (Tatrzański Park Narodowy) was founded in 1954. Both areas were added to UNESCO Biosphere list in 1993.

On 19 November 2004, a great portion of the forest in the southern part of High Tatras was damaged by a wind blast of more than 100 mph. Three million cubic metres of wood were knocked down, 2 people died, and many villages in the High Tatras were cut off from the rest of the world.

Some peaks

• in Slovakia:
  • Gerlachov Peak
  • Kriváň
• in Poland:
  • Giewont
  • Kasprowy Wierch
• in Poland and Slovakia:
  • Rysy

Image:TatryWysokie.jpg|High Tatras, Poland Image:TatryWysokie1.jpg|Western Tatras, Poland Image:CzarnyStawZakopane.jpg|Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy, Poland

External links

• Town of High Tatras - municipal website
• Zakopane - municipal website
• TANAP - management of the Slovak Tatra National Park
• TPN - management of the Polish Tatra National Park

Commercial tourism-oriented websites

• Tatry.net - web directory (mainly Slovakian side)
• Go-Zakopane.com - travel guide (mainly Polish side)
• ezakopane.pl - travel guide (mainly Polish side)

Mountaineering

• Vysoke Tatry on Summitpost.org
• Tatry on ogdos.com - mountaineer's notes

Photography

• High Tatras photo website
• Panoramic view from the Rysy (2499m)

Art

• Tatra oil on canvas Atelier Yoyita

Biosphere reserves of Poland | Mountain ranges of Poland | Mountain ranges of Slovakia | Mountain ranges of the Carpathians | National parks of Slovakia

Татри | Tatry | Tatra (Gebirge) | Tatrad | Altaj Tatroj | Tatras | Monti Tatra | Tatrai | Tatra (gebergte) | タトラ山脈 | Tatrafjellene | Tatry | Tatry | Татре | Tatrabergen