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Romania Topography
Romania's natural landscape
(see
fig. 3) 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.
Data as of July 1989
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