The Ostrava Basin (, , ) is a

lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic and

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 ...

. It is located in the

Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most ...

of the Czech Republic and in the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

of Poland.

Geomorphology

The Ostrava Basin is a mesoregion of the

Northern Outer Subcarpathia Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

within the

Outer Subcarpathia Outer Subcarpathia (; ; ; ) denotes the depression area at the outer (western, northern and eastern) base of the Carpathian arc, including foothills of the Outer Western Carpathians and Outer Eastern Carpathians. It stretches from northeaste ...

in the

Western Carpathians The Western Carpathians () are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland w ...

. The territory is heavily disturbed by

Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...

radial

tectonics Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons. These processes ...

. The relief has the character of a plain or flat uplands with rounded ridges. Extensive flat floodplains, lined with steep ale relatively low terraces, are typical. An important element of the relief are anthropogenic shapes caused by industrial and mining activities, especially

spoil tip A spoil tip (also called a boney pile, culm bank, gob pile, waste tip or bing) is a pile built of accumulated ''spoil'' – waste material removed during mining. Spoil tips are not formed of slag, but in some areas, such as England and Wales, ...

s. The basin is further subdivided into eights microregions, seven in the Czech Republic and one in Poland: Antošovice Plain, Ostrava Floodplain, Karviná Plateau, Havířov Plateau, Nová Bělá Plain, Poruba Plateau, Orlová Plateau (in the Czech Republic) and Kończyce High Plain (in Poland). The area is poor in hills. The highest peak is Kouty at above sea level, located in the territory of Sedliště.

Geography

The territory has an area of , of which in the Czech Republic and in Poland, and an average elevation of above sea level. Numerous springs are typical for the Ostrava Basin. There is a confluence of several important rivers here:

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

, Olza,

Ostravice Ostravice (, ) is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,600 inhabitants. Geography Ostravice is located about south of Frýdek-Místek and south of Ostrava ...

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

and Lučina. The territory contains mineral waters with a unique chemical composition within the Czech Republic (

Klimkovice Klimkovice () is a spa town in Ostrava-City District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,500 inhabitants. Administrative division Klimkovice consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to th ...

and

Lázně Darkov Lázně Darkov (formerly Darkov; , ) is a spa village and administrative part of Karviná in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Till 1948 it was a separate municipality. It lies on the Olza River in the historical region ...

spas). Coal deposits were discovered in the late 18th century, as a result, the area was heavily industrialized in the 19th century, and henceforth urbanized. The most populated settlements in the territory are

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

Havířov Havířov () is a city in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 69,000 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the region. Havířov was founded in 1955 and is the youngest Czech city. It is ...

Karviná Karviná (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Olza (river), Olza River in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. Karviná is known as an industrial city with t ...

Orlová Orlová (; , ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. The town is struggling with structural problems and is infamously known as the worst town to live in in the Czech ...

and

Bohumín Bohumín (; , ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Bohumín consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 202 ...

Frýdek-Místek Frýdek-Místek (, ; ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 54,000 inhabitants. The historic centres of both Frýdek and Místek are well preserved and are protected as two Cultural monument (Czech Republic) ...

is also partially located here.

References

{{commons category, Ostravská pánev, Ostrava Basin Landforms of the Czech Republic Geography of the Moravian-Silesian Region Plains of Poland