Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area () is one of the
14 protected landscape areas in
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. It is situated in the
Námestovo
Námestovo (; ) is a town in northern Slovakia. It is the capital and largest town of Námestovo District in the Žilina Region. its population was 7,827.
Etymology
The name is derived from a word ''námesta'' (a representative, a deputy; like m ...
and
Tvrdošín
Tvrdošín (; ) is a town in Northern Slovakia.
Geography
The town is located at the confluence of the Orava and Oravica rivers, from the Polish borders and cca. from Dolný Kubín. It consists of the boroughs of Krásna Hôrka, Medvedzie, and ...
districts, within the
Orava region.
History
The park was created on 24 September 1979 and the law creating it was amended on 29 September 2003.
Geography, geology and biology
It is made of
Oravská Magura,
Podbeskydská vrchovina and
Oravské Beskydy mountains, and the
Orava Basin, as well as the
Orava Dam, in the northernmost Slovakia.
Much of the PLA's territory is made from sandstone mountain ranges. More than half of the area is covered by forests. Beech and fir trees grow in the area, along with strong presence of the spruce monoculture. Exceptions are the areas under
Babia hora,
Paráč and
Pilsko mountains, with old growth spruce with rowan trees being represented. A specific phenomenon of the park are the peat bogs, represented by the pine woods, providing shelter for many threatened species. The Orava Dam is a nesting place for many rare species of birds. The highest mountain is Babia hora at the border with
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
at
External links
Horná Orava PLAa
Slovakia.travelDescription of the Horná Orava PLA at The Slovak State Nature Conservancy
Protected areas of Slovakia
Protected areas established in 1979
Protected areas of the Western Carpathians
Geography of Žilina Region
Tourist attractions in Žilina Region
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