is separated from the rest of Silesia (and Upper Silesia in particular) by the Vistula River (the part beginning in Strumień) and from the region of Lesser Poland by the Biała River and Barania Góra mountain, the highest peak of the Polish part of the region at . The highest peak of the region is Lysá hora () in the Czech part. The region also borders Slovakia, along the Polom mountain range and Jablunkov Pass at Mosty u Jablunkova, and Moravia across the rivers Ostravice and Oder. Geomorphologically, the area of Cieszyn Silesia is located in the Western Carpathians and extends into the mesoregions: Ostrava Basin Moravian-Silesian Foothills Moravian-Silesian Beskids Jablunkov Furrow Jablunkov Intermontane Silesian Beskids Silesian Foothills Oświęcim Basin Major towns of the Polish part of the region include Cieszyn, Bielsko (western part of Bielsko-Biała), Czechowice-Dziedzice, Skoczów, Strumień, Ustroń and Wisła. The Czech part of the region includes the eastern part of Ostrava (called Slezská Ostrava), Bohumín, Český Těšín, Frýdek (the eastern part of Frýdek-Místek), Havířov, Karviná, Orlová and Třinec. Historically Duchy of Teschen and therefore Cieszyn Silesia formed a part of Upper Silesia. After Silesian Wars in the 18th century it was separated from the rest of Silesia, which began the process of forming its own specificity, to the extent that some contemporary authors claim that Cieszyn Silesia and Upper Silesia are separate regions. Culture, language and religion Cieszyn Silesia as a region consolidated in the 19th century, which later became a discrete eastern part of Austrian Silesia, crownland of the Cisleithanian part of Austria-Hungary, which helped to form a distinct local identity based on language, religious and ethnic pluralism, and distinctiveness from other parts of Silesia. The region was inhabited by several ethnic groups. Most numerous were Poles (historically called also Wasserpolaks), Czechs (mainly in the western part of the region), Germans (especially in the German language island of Bielsko-Biała) and Jews. The northern part, strongly industrialised and urbanised, is more densely populated than the southern part, which is more mountainous. The population density of Cieszyn Silesia is about 360/km2 (932/mi2). The southern, mountainous part of the region is home to the Silesian Gorals , the indigenous people of the region. They have their own distinct culture which has influenced the culture of whole region. Cieszyn Silesia is known for its religious pluralism. The most widespread religions are Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism. The region is distinct in