Eastern Carpathians

The Ukrainian Carpathians are part of the Eastern Carpathians within the great Alpine-Carpathian mountain system. These are young mid-elevation mountains with typical ridge heights of about 1200-1600 m, formed during the epoch of Alpine folding and consisting of several parallel ridges that extend from the northwest to the southeast for almost 280 km. They include the Outer and Inner Eastern Carpathians. The highest area of the Ukrainian Carpathians is the Chornohora massif, with several peaks over 2000 m;

it is here that the highest peak of Ukraine, Mount Hoverla (2061 m), stands.

The Carpathian mountain system is remarkable for its unique Central European primeval forest, which has survived to this day. Many ridges are "soft" polonynas covered with alpine meadows, almost without rocky ledges.

Around 2000 m on Pip Ivan grows mountain pine; near Rakhiv there once stood a 54 m larch - then one of the tallest trees in the Carpathians - and the smallest is the blunt-leaved willow (under 15 cm) on the slopes of Blyznytsia. In spring, not far from Khust, one can see the Valley of Narcissi in bloom.

The mountain ranges have karst caves and rock-salt deposits; salt lakes above the salt beds (notably near Solotvyno) are compared for their healing properties with the Dead Sea in Israel.