Topography of
Romania
Romania's natural landscape is
almost evenly divided among mountains (31 percent), hills (33
percent), and plains (36 percent). These varied relief forms
spread rather symmetrically from the Carpathian Mountains, which
reach elevations of more than 2,400 meters, to the Danube Delta,
which is just a few meters above sea level.
The arc of the Carpathians
extends over 1,000 kilometers through the center of the country,
covering an area of 70,000 square kilometers. These mountains
are of low to medium altitude and are no wider than 100
kilometers. They are deeply fragmented by longitudinal and
transverse valleys and crossed by several major rivers. These
features and the fact that there are many summit passes--some at
altitudes up to 2,256 meters--have made the Carpathians less of
a barrier to movement than have other European ranges. Another
distinguishing feature is the many eroded platforms that provide
tableland at relatively high altitudes. There are permanent
settlements here at above 1,200 meters.
Romania's Carpathians are
differentiated into three ranges: the Eastern Carpathians, the
Southern Carpathians or Transylvanian Alps, and the Western
Carpathians. Each of these ranges has important distinguishing
features. The Eastern Carpathians are composed of three parallel
ridges that run from northwest to southeast. The westernmost
ridge is an extinct volcanic range with many preserved cones and
craters. The range has many large depressions, in the largest of
which the city of Brasov is situated. Important mining and
industrial centers as well as agricultural areas are found
within these depressions. The Eastern Carpathians are covered
with forests--some 32 percent of the country's woodlands are
there. They also contain important ore deposits, including gold
and silver, and their mineral water springs feed numerous health
resorts.
The Southern Carpathians offer
the highest peaks at Moldoveanu (2,544 meters) and Negoiu (2,535
meters) and more than 150 glacial lakes. They have large
grassland areas and some woodlands but few large depressions and
subsoil resources. The region was crisscrossed by an ancient
network of trans-Carpathian roads, and vestiges of the old Roman
Way are still visible. Numerous passes and the valleys of the
Olt, Jiu, and Danube rivers provide routes for roads and
railways through the mountains.
The Western Carpathians are the
lowest of the three ranges and are fragmented by many deep
structural depressions. They have historically functioned as
"gates," which allow easy passage but can be readily defended.
The most famous of these is the Iron Gate on the Danube. The
Western Carpathians are the most densely settled, and it is in
the northernmost area of this range, the Apuseni Mountains, that
permanent settlements can be found at the highest altitudes.
Enclosed within the great arc
of the Carpathians lie the undulating plains and low hills of
the Transylvanian Plateau--the largest tableland in the country
and the center of Romania. This important agricultural region
also contains large deposits of methane gas and salt. To the
south and east of the Carpathians, the Sub-Carpathians form a
fringe of rolling terrain ranging from 396 to 1,006 meters in
elevation. This terrain is matched in the west by the slightly
lower Western Hills. The symmetry of Romania's relief continues
with the Getic Tableland to the south of the SubCarpathians ,
the Moldavian Tableland in the east between the SubCarpathians
and the Prut River, and the Dobrujan Tableland in the southeast
between the Danube and the Black Sea. The Sub-Carpathians and
the tableland areas provide good conditions for human settlement
and are important areas for fruit growing, viticulture, and
other agricultural activity. They also contain large deposits of
brown coal and natural gas.
Beyond the Carpathian foothills
and tablelands, the plains spread south and west. In the
southern parts of the country, the lower Danube Plain is divided
by the Olt River; east of the river lies the Romanian Plain, and
to the west is the Oltenian or Western Plain. The land here is
rich with chernozemic soils and forms Romania's most important
farming region. Irrigation is widely used, and marshlands in the
Danube's floodplain have been diked and drained to provide
additional tillable land.
Romania's lowest land is found
on the northern edge of the Dobruja region in the Danube Delta.
The delta is a triangular swampy area of marshes, floating reed
islands, and sandbanks, where the Danube ends its trek of almost
3,000 kilometers and divides into three frayed branches before
emptying into the Black Sea. The Danube Delta provides a large
part of the country's fish production, and its reeds are used to
manufacture cellulose. The region also serves as a nature
preserve for rare species of plant and animal life including
migratory birds.
After entering the country in
the southwest at Bazias, the Danube travels some 1,000
kilometers through or along Romanian territory, forming the
southern frontier with Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. Virtually all of
the country's rivers are tributaries of the Danube, either
directly or indirectly, and by the time the Danube's course ends
in the Black Sea, they account for nearly 40 percent of the
total discharge. The most important of these rivers are the
Mures, the Olt, the Prut, the Siret, the Ialomita, the Somes,
and the Arge . Romania's rivers primarily flow east, west, and
south from the central crown of the Carpathians. They are fed by
rainfall and melting snow, which causes considerable fluctuation
in discharge and occasionally catastrophic flooding. In the
east, river waters are collected by the Siret and the Prut. In
the south, the rivers flow directly into the Danube, and in the
west, waters are collected by the Tisza on Hungarian territory.
The Danube is by far Romania's
most important river, not only for transportation, but also for
the production of hydroelectric power. One of Europe's largest
hydroelectric stations is located at the Iron Gate, where the
Danube surges through the Carpathian gorges. The Danube is an
important water route for domestic shipping, as well as
international trade. It is navigable for river vessels along its
entire Romanian course and for seagoing ships as far as the port
of Braila. An obvious problem with the use of the Danube for
inland transportation is its remoteness from most of the major
industrial centers. Moreover, marshy banks and perennial
flooding impede navigation in some areas.
Source:
U.S. Library of Congress