The Apuseni Natural Park ( ro, Parcul Natural Apuseni) is a protected area ( natural park category V IUCN) situated in

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

, in the administrative territory of counties

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...

, Bihor and

Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , le ...

Location

The Natural Park is located in western Romania in the central-northern side of the

Apuseni Mountains The Apuseni Mountains ( ro, Munții Apuseni, hu, Erdélyi-középhegység) is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Romanian Carpathians, also called ''Occidentali'' in Romanian. Their name translates from Ro ...

, comprising a part of the

Bihor Mountains Bihor Mountains ( ro, Munții Bihorului, hu, Bihar-hegység) is a mountain range in western Romania. It is part of the Apuseni Mountains, which are part of the Carpathian Mountains. The massif has a length of from the northwest to the southe ...

at south and Vlădeasa Mountains at north.

Description

The Apuseni Natural Park with an area of ha was declared natural protected area by the ''Law Number 5 of March 6, 2000'' (published in the

Monitorul Oficial ''Monitorul Oficial al României'' is the official gazette of Romania, in which all the promulgated bills, presidential decrees, governmental A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, general ...

of Romania, Number 152 of April 12, 2000) and represents a mountainous area (mountain peaks, cirques,

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

s, karst areas,

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...

s), with flora and fauna specific Western Carpathians. Natural reserves included in the park: ''Izbucul de la Cotețul Dobreștilor'' (0.20 ha), ''Izbucul Mătișești'' (2 ha), ''Izbucul Tăuzului'' (1 ha), ''Coiba Mare Cave'' (0.50 ha), ''Avenul din Hoanca Urzicarului'' (1 ha), '' Scărișoara Cave'' (1 ha) and ''Ghețarul de la Vârtop'' (1 ha) in Alba county; ''Pietrele Galbenei''(6.30 ha), ''Cetatea Rădesei Cave'' (20 ha), ''Poiana Florilor'' (1 ha), ''Platoul Carstic Padiș'' (39 ha), ''Valea Galbenei'' (70.50 ha), ''Valea Sighiștelului'' (412.60 ha), ''Vârful Biserica Moțului'' (3 ha), ''Platoul carstic Lumea Pierdută'' (39 ha), ''Cetățile Ponorului'' (14.90 ha), ''Ghețarul Focul Viu Cave'' (0.10 ha), ''Ciur Izbuc Cave'' (0.10 ha), ''Micula’s Cave'' (0.10 ha), '' Urşilor Cave'' (1 ha), ''Smeii de la Onceasa Cave'' (0.50 ha) and ''Cerbului Cave-Avenul cu Vacă'' (45 ha) in Bihor County;apmbh.anpm.ro - Agenţia pentru Protecţia Mediului Bihor
retrieved on June 14, 2012 ''Molhașul Mare de la Izbuc'' (8 ha) in Cluj county.

References

{{Protected areas of Romania Protected areas of Romania Geography of Alba County Geography of Bihor County Geography of Cluj County Tourist attractions in Alba County Tourist attractions in Bihor County Tourist attractions in Cluj County Protected areas established in 2000