Lesser Fatra (also
Little Fatra, ) is a
mountain rangeA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
in the
Western CarpathiansWestern Carpathians are mountain range and geomorphologycal province in the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. Mountain belt covers the territory of Moravia, Slovakia, Poland , Hungary and Austria . Area of the Western Carpathians is about 70000 km²...
in the north-west of Central
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the
Fatra-Tatra AreaThe Fatra-Tatra Area or the Tatra-Fatra Belt of core mountains is a part of the Inner Western Carpathians, a subprovince of the Western Carpathians. Most of the area lies in Slovakia with small parts reaching into Austria and Poland...
.
It is situated approximately between the cities of
Nitrianske PravnoNitrianske Pravno is a village and municipality in Prievidza District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia.-History:...
,
StrečnoStrečno is a village and municipality in the Žilina District in the Žilina Region in North Slovakia. It is located by the Váh River in the Malá Fatra Mts...
,
MartinMartin is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, under the Malá Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 59,000, which makes it the eighth largest city in Slovakia...
and
ZázriváZázrivá is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is located in the Orava region, around 35 km of Žilina and 20 km from Dolný KubínIt was first mentioned in 1555....
. Turčianska kotlina (Turiec Basin) and the Oravská vrchovina Mts. are situated to the west of the range, and Žilinská kotlina (Žilina Basin) and the Kysucká vrchovina Mts.
Lesser Fatra (also
Little Fatra, ) is a
mountain rangeA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
in the
Western CarpathiansWestern Carpathians are mountain range and geomorphologycal province in the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. Mountain belt covers the territory of Moravia, Slovakia, Poland , Hungary and Austria . Area of the Western Carpathians is about 70000 km²...
in the north-west of Central
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the
Fatra-Tatra AreaThe Fatra-Tatra Area or the Tatra-Fatra Belt of core mountains is a part of the Inner Western Carpathians, a subprovince of the Western Carpathians. Most of the area lies in Slovakia with small parts reaching into Austria and Poland...
.
It is situated approximately between the cities of
Nitrianske PravnoNitrianske Pravno is a village and municipality in Prievidza District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia.-History:...
,
StrečnoStrečno is a village and municipality in the Žilina District in the Žilina Region in North Slovakia. It is located by the Váh River in the Malá Fatra Mts...
,
MartinMartin is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, under the Malá Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 59,000, which makes it the eighth largest city in Slovakia...
and
ZázriváZázrivá is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is located in the Orava region, around 35 km of Žilina and 20 km from Dolný KubínIt was first mentioned in 1555....
. Turčianska kotlina (Turiec Basin) and the Oravská vrchovina Mts. are situated to the west of the range, and Žilinská kotlina (Žilina Basin) and the Kysucká vrchovina Mts. is located to the east.
Malá Fatra consists of two subdivisions separated by the
VáhThe Váh is the longest river entirely in Slovakia. A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is 406 km long, including its Čierny Váh branch...
river near
StrečnoStrečno is a village and municipality in the Žilina District in the Žilina Region in North Slovakia. It is located by the Váh River in the Malá Fatra Mts...
:
- Lúčanská Malá Fatra
- Krivánska Malá Fatra
The highest peak is Veľký Kriváň at 1,709 m AMSL in Krivánska Malá Fatra.
Malá Fatra is basically one big
karstKilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after a Yugoslavian geologist Karst. It will consist of about 30 individual...
object. It is made up of crystalline rocks and complexes of
MesozoicThe Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. The division of time into eras dates back to Giovanni Arduino, in the 18th century, although his original name for the era now called the "Mesozoic" was "Secondary" The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the...
strongly folded rocks.
The main peaks of Lúčanská Malá Fatra are Veľká Lúka (1,475 m), Kľak (1,351 m) and Minčol (1,364). The main peaks of the Krivánska Malá Fatra are
Veľký RozsutecVeľký Rozsutec is a mountain situated in the Malá Fatra mountain range in the Žilina Region, Slovakia. The peak is situated in the north part of Malá Fatra called Krivánska Malá Fatra and is part of the Malá Fatra National Park and Rozsutec National Nature Reserve .Veľký Rozsutec and the...
(1,610 m), Malý Rozsutec (1,343 m), Veľký Kriváň (1,709 m) and Malý Kriváň (1,671 m).
The 12 km long pass between Krivánska Malá Fatra and Lúčanská Malá Fatra separated by the Váh is called
Strečnianska tiesňava (Strečno Pass), located below the ruins of the famous
Strečno CastleThe Strečno Castle is a Gothic castle in northern Slovakia, 7 km east of Žilina.-External links:* *...
. The Dierový potok stream created a complex of canyons, waterfalls and cascades in that area.
ŠútovoŠútovo is a village and municipality in Martin District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 460 metres and covers an area of 16.639 km². It has a population of about 505 people.-External links:...
Waterfall (
Šútovský vodopád ) is the highest waterfall in Malá Fatra and has a vertical drop of 38 m.
Popular centres for winter sports are
Vrátna dolinathumb|right|Vrátna dolina as seen from the Poludňový Grúň mountainVrátna dolina or Vrátna Valley is a valley in the Malá Fatra mountain range in Slovakia. It is situated 3 kilometers from the village of Terchová in the Žilina Region. Vrátna dolina covers an area of approximately 36 km²...
and Štefanová. Other tourism centres are the villages of
TerchováTerchová is a large village and municipality in the Malá Fatra mountains in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-History:The village was established in 1580, but the area was inhabited even before its establishment...
, where the Slovak national hero
Juraj JánošíkJuraj Jánošík was a famous Slovak outlaw.Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak and Polish legends, novels, poems, and films. According to the legend, he robbed nobles and gave the loot to the poor...
was born and
ZázriváZázrivá is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is located in the Orava region, around 35 km of Žilina and 20 km from Dolný KubínIt was first mentioned in 1555....
, where the traditional Slovak sheep cheese delicacy known as
korbáčikyKorbáčiky is a type of string cheese from the Orava region of Slovakia. It is made from steamed cheese interwoven into fine brands....
is made. One of the most popular ski areas in Slovakia outside the Tatras is the Martinské hole resort situated between the Veľká lúka Mountain and the town of
MartinMartin is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, under the Malá Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 59,000, which makes it the eighth largest city in Slovakia...
.
Krivánska Malá Fatra is protected by the Malá Fatra National Park.
In addition, Malá Fatra includes the following small-scale protection areas:
- national nature reserves: Chleb, Minčol, Krivé, Šútovská dolina, Sokolec, Suchý
Suchý is a village and municipality in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 393 ....
, Starý hrad, Prípor, Šíp, Šrámková, Rozsutec, Tiesňavy, Veľká Bránica, Kľačianska Magura
- nature reserves: Dubovské lúky, Goľove mláky, Hajasová, Hrabinka, Hrádok, Kraľoviansky meander, Močiar, Paráč, Pod Rígľom, Veľká Lučivná
- natural monuments: Bôrická mláka, Domašínsky meander, Krasniansky luh, Šútovská epigenéza
- protected site: Hate
External links