Danube on the territory of Romania

The Danube represents alongside the Carpathians and the Black Sea, one of the major components of the natural frame, the face of which we define the settlement of Romania on the mainland. It gathers almost all rivers on the territory of our country.

The Danube flows south-east on a distance of about 2860 km and flows into the Black Sea, being the only European river flowing from the west to the east.

The springs are located in the Black Forest mountains of Germany, in the form of two rivers Brigach and Breg which spring under the Kandel peak at 1241 m.

Important International River Road, Danube travels 10 countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine) has tributaries from seven other countries and passes through four state capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.

On the territory of Romania, the lower Danube course takes place within a distance of 1075 km between the towns of Bazias and Sulina.

The Danube annually carry about 60 million tonnes and 200 billion m³ of water. It presents a special importance for: sailing, hydropower, fish farming, being also an important source of water for agriculture, industry and population.

The Danube water is also used to obtain electricity by Hydroelectric Stations the Iron Gates I and II, for irrigation and for the necessities of drinking water and the housekeeper of the cities they crosses.

The Danube flows into the sea through three arms that form the Danube Delta. This represents a real paradise of fauna and especially birds and fish.

The three arms are:

• Chilia which has a length of 120 km and which takes over 58% of the flow;
• Sulina with 64 km and which takes 18% of the flow;
• St. George which is the oldest arm, with a length of 70 km and which takes 24% of the Danube flow.

Due to the fact that it crosses a multitude of natural regions, the lower Danube course is divided into five sectors: the Carparic-Gorge, the South-Pontic sector, the Oriental-Pontic sector with swamps, the pre-Dobrogean sector and the Delta sector.