North Hungarian Mountains



The North Hungarian Mountains is the northern, mountainous part of Hungary. It forms a geographical unity with the Mátra-Slanec Area, the adjacent parts of Slovakia. It is a separate geomorphological area within the Western Carpathians. The mountains run along in Northeast Hungary, and along with the eastern parts of the Hungarian-Slovak border in broadband from the Danube Bend to the town of Prešov.

Subdivisions

The area consists of the following geomorphological units:
Ranges of the adjacent Mátra-Slanec Area in Slovakia:
The North Hungarian Mountains begin with the mountain range of Börzsöny, adjacent to the Danube Bend, where it meets the Transdanubian Mountains.
The Börzsöny range is about 600 km² in area, and mainly of volcanic origin. The highest peak is the Csóványos.
The next range towards the east is the Cserhát, with the same geological composition as the Börzsöny. Erosion here was more severe: these are mere hills and comprise the lowest part of the North Hungarian Mountains. The highest point is Naszály.
Kékes, the country's highest peak at 1014 meters, is located in the next range, Mátra. However, the range's average height is only 600 meters, less than that of the neighboring Bükk. Mátra is also of volcanic origin.

The Bükk is a limestone range; it has the highest average height in Hungary. It is rich in caves, some of which were inhabited in ancient times.
The Aggtelek Karst area is a geologic formation spanning the Hungarian-Slovakian border, and the reason for the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst World Heritage Site, and the Hungarian Aggtelek National Park. Hungary's a most popular cave, the Baradla, is located there.
The Zemplén Mountains are again of volcanic origin; the soil's high-quality favors viticulture.

Natural resources


Protected areas