300px, Carpathian Mountains in Romania. The Gurghiu Mountains are to the north of the center of this image. Gyergyoi-medence

The Gurghiu Mountains (Romanian: Munții Gurghiu, Hungarian: Görgény) are a range in the

Căliman-Harghita Mountains The Căliman-Harghita Mountains (in Romanian, ''Munții Căliman-Harghita'') are a group of mountain ranges in Romania. These ranges are considered part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, however, it is traditional to divide the ...

of the

Eastern Carpathians Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system. 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 Sy ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, in the

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

region. They cover an area of . The mountains are relatively low, but well-wooded and naturally beautiful. They are known for an abundance of wildlife, including deer, wild boar, wolves and bears. The highest peak, Vârful Saca Mare, is . Notable peaks include

Amza Peak Amza Peak ( ro, Vârful Amza; hu, Csomafalvi-Dél-hegy), in Harghita County, Romania, is the highest peak in the Southern Gurghiu Mountains. Its elevation is . It is part of the rim of an extinct volcanic crater A volcanic crater is an approxi ...

at , Saca Mică Peak at , and Fâncelu at . Average rainfall is about and average temperature . The Gurghiu Mountains are part of the volcanic mountain chain in the western side of the Eastern Carpathians. In the north the

Mureș River Mureș may refer to: * Mureș County, Romania * Mureș (river) in Romania and Hungary (''Maros'') * Mureș culture, a Bronze Age culture from Romania See also * Târgu Mureș, the capital of Mureș County * Ocna Mureș Ocna Mureș (; la, Salina ...

separates them from the

Călimani Mountains The Călimani Mountains ( ro, Munții Călimani, hu, Kelemen-havasok) are the largest volcanic complex of the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, Romania. Geologically they belong to the Căliman-Harghita Mountains group of the Inner Eastern Ca ...

. To the south are the

Harghita Mountains The Harghita Mountains (in Hungarian Hargita, in Romanian ''Munții Harghita'') is a volcanic mountain range of the Căliman-Harghita Mountains in Harghita County of Romania, part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians. The range is about long an ...

and the

Târnava River The Târnava (full name in ro, Râul Târnava; hu, Küküllő; german: Kokel; tr, Kokul or Kokulu) is a river in Romania. It is formed by the confluence of the Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică in the town of Blaj. The Târnava flows into the ...

Valley. The mountains were formed during a period of volcanic activity between 9.4 and 5.4 million years ago, starting in the north and moving southwards.

External links

References

Mountain ranges of Romania Mountain ranges of the Eastern Carpathians {{Romania-geo-stub