Slovak Ore Mountains is an extensive mountain

Mountain

Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

ous region of Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

's Spiš and Gemer

Gemer

Gemer is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with the Kishont region to form Gömör-Kishont county . Its territory is presently in southern Slovakia and northern Hungary...

 region, and in small part in northern Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, within the Carpathians

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, the Slovenské rudohorie belongs to the Inner Western Carpathians.

The mountains are bordered by Zvolen

Zvolen

Zvolen |Slatina]] rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. With its ancient castle, the town has a historical center, which represents the seat of an okres .-History:...

 in the west, Košice

Košice

Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...

 in the east, the Hron

Hron

Hron is a 298 km long left tributary of the Danube and the second longest river in Slovakia. It flows from its source located in the Low Tatra mountains through central and southern Slovakia, pouring into the Danube near Štúrovo and Esztergom...

 River and the Hornád

Hornád

Hornád or Hernád is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary.It is a tributary to the river Sajó, which is itself a tributary to the river Tisza. The source of the Hornád is in the Low Tatra mountains under the Kráľova hoľa hill, southwest of Poprad...

 River in the north, and the Juhoslovenská kotlina and Košice Basin (Košická kotlina) in the south.

Subdivision

Geomorphologicaly Slovak Ore Mountains are grouped within the Inner Western Carpathians. The mountains do not have a central ridge - they consist of several independent sections, geomorphological regions:

• Vepor Mountains
  Vepor Mountains
  The Vepor Mountains are a mountain range in Slovakia. It is a subdivision of the Slovak Ore Mountains in Slovakia's Spiš region.-See also:* Muránska planina National Park...
  
   (Veporské vrchy)
• Spiš-Gemer Karst
  Spiš-Gemer Karst
  The Spiš-Gemer Karst is a part in the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains.It consists of these two entities, both of which have been declared national parks:...
  
   (Spišsko-gemerský kras)
• Stolické vrchy (literally Stolica Mountains)
• Revúcka vrchovina (Revúca Highlands)
• Volovské vrchy (Volovec Mountains)
• Čierna hora (Black Mountain)
• Rožňavská kotlina (Rožňava Basin)
• Slovak Karst
  Slovak Karst
  The Slovak Karst is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains in the Carpathians in southern Slovakia. It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it was a protected landscape area. On 1 March 2002 Slovak Karst National Park was declared...
  
   (Slovenský kras) and Aggtelek Karst
  Aggtelek Karst
  Aggtelek Karst is a karst area in northern Hungary.The area is especially well known for its abundance of caves, which were recorded together with those in neighboring Slovakia in 1995 to the list of World Heritage Site under the name of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst.The Aggtelek...
  
   (Hungarian: Aggteleki-karszt; lies in northern Hungary
  Hungary
  Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
  
  )

Characteristics

Basic data:

• highest peak: Stolica, 1,476 m AMSL
• length: app. 140 km
• width: app. 40 km
• area: app. 4000 km²

Since this is a very extensive geomorphological unit, no general characterization is appropriate. The geomorphological structure is varied and has crystalline, Mesozoic

Mesozoic

The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...

 and volcanic rocks.

Since time immemorial

Time immemorial

Time immemorial is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record"...

, especially in the early modern period

Early modern period

In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...

, the mountains were, as the name suggests, heavily mined but are not any more.

Protected areas

Slovenské rudohorie contains the Muránska planina National Park

Muránska planina National Park

Muránska planina National Park is one of the youngest national parks in Slovakia. It is situated in Central Slovakia, in the districts of Brezno and Revúca, in the Banská Bystrica Region...

, Slovak Karst National Park

Slovak Karst

The Slovak Karst is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains in the Carpathians in southern Slovakia. It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it was a protected landscape area. On 1 March 2002 Slovak Karst National Park was declared...

 and Slovak Paradise National Park

Slovak Paradise

Slovak Paradise is a mountain range in central Slovakia. It is a part of the Spiš-Gemer Karst, which in turn is a part of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains, a major subdivision of the Western Carpathians....

.