Zakarpattya is a land of picturesque mountain peaks, ringing mountain rivers, ancient architectural sights and folk crafts. The pristine wild nature of the Carpathians and rich fauna and flora invariably attract many lovers of tourism, extreme sports and traveling at any time of the year.
Zakarpattya Oblast is the westernmost region of Ukraine. It borders Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, and is a kind of Ukrainian «window to Europe». Four-fifths of the region’s territory is occupied by the Carpathian Mountains, the main ranges of which are the Verkhovyna, Vodorazdelny, Polonynsky and Volcanic Carpathians. Smaller but higher are the Chernogora and Gorgany mountain ranges. The Chernogora range contains the highest mountains in Ukraine, including Mount Hoverla, which is 2061m high. The northeastern slopes of the Carpathians and Transcarpathia are connected by 5 passes from 931 to 1014 meters above sea level.
The Transcarpathian lowland (up to 250 m high) occupies less than 20% of the region’s territory, but it is home to the majority of the population, whose ethnic groups are the Boyks, Lemks and Hutsuls. In the border areas the majority are Romanians, Hungarians and Slovaks. The total population is 1300000 inhabitants.
Territorially the region is divided into 13 administrative districts, the regional center is the city of Uzhgorod.
Climate of Zakarpattya is moderately continental; summer in the plains is hot and lasts 135 days, in the mountains — less than 70 days, the nature of winter depends on the altitude of the area.
Up to 10000 rivers and streams flow through the territory of the region, the largest of which is the Tisa. Among the large rivers one should mention the Borzhava, rika, Latorica, Uzh and others. There are 137 lakes in the region, the largest and deepest of which is Sinevir, called the «sea eye» of the Carpathians. Magnificent surrounding nature, crystal clear, unusual tasting lake water, availability of houses and recreation centers create excellent conditions for tourists and vacationers from Ukraine and foreign countries at any time of the year.
In 1989 in the upper reaches of Terebli River national park «Sinevir» was created, where the rarest and endangered plants are protected, as well as wild boar, lynx, red deer, brown bear and other animals.
Ukrainian National Park was established in the Eastern Carpathians mountain range by the decree of the President of Ukraine from 27.09.1999. It is a part of the only in the world tripartite Polish-Slovak-Ukrainian International Biosphere Reserve «Eastern Carpathians», protected by UNESCO. The largest nature reserve is Karpatsky Biosphere Reserve, established in 1968.
the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.
But not only the rich flora and fauna of Transcarpathia attracts many tourists and travelers. The distinctive culture of ethnographic groups of Lemki, Boyk, Hutsul, monuments of wooden architecture, architectural monuments in Baroque and Gothic style, numerous castles and military fortifications leave an indelible impression. Fans of active recreation will enjoy climbing Hoverla, hiking, horseback riding or cycling, rafting on the Tisza River, hunting tours. In winter, tourists will find wonderful ski resorts.