GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY

The area of Romania is 237 500 km2, so more than Hungary and Bulgaria combined, and less than Poland. Waters from almost all over the country (the exception is the Black Sea coast, from where rivers flow straight to the sea) collects Danube, which, having sailed 2850 km through the territories of nine countries, ends the run along a vast delta, flowing into the Black Sea in the north of the Romanian coast.

The central and northern part of the country is occupied by the great arch of the Carpathians. Eastern Carpathians, covering m.in. Rodna and Kelimen Mountains, are slightly lower than the South. The latter, about landscapes reminiscent of the Alpine, consist of bands: Bucegi, Fagaras, Sibinsk Mountains, Piring and Retezat. Highest peak (Moldoveanu – 2544 m n.p.m.) is located in the Făgăraş Mountains (Fagaras), lying southeast of Sibiu (Sibiu). The arch of the Carpathians from the east and south limits the Transylvanian Highlands (Cimpia Transilvaniei), hilly area with clearly marked erosion. Outside the arc, the geographical lands are arranged in a bandy way.. Southern Podkarpacie and Multan Podkarpacie towards the south go to the Göttingen Upland and the Dobrudja Upland (beyond the Danube), and then the Wallachian Plain, whose southern border is marked by the Danube. In the east, the Moldovan Subcarpathian region passes into the Moldavian Highlands and the Moldavian Plain. To the west of the Bihorskie Mountains stretches the Tisza Plain (also called the Tisza Plain), and on the Samosh River – Samosh Highlands.

In the southern and south-western parts of the country, earthquakes occur quite often.

One third of the country's territory is occupied by the Carpathians, with characteristic alpine vegetation (m.in. mountain pine) and meadows in the upper parts and dense fir and spruce forests, and then beech and oak in the lower. About 30% are hills and plateaus full of vineyards and orchards. The remaining third part, plain, cover fertile fields, on which cereals are grown, vegetables, Cotton, Sunflowers, ricinus, rice, tobacco and other plants.

The rich fauna of Romania consists of bears, Chamois, Lynx, Wolves, foxes, wild, Deer, deer, badgers and hares. In the mountains and highlands live m.in. Hawks, woodpeckers and capercaillie, and in the steppes and agricultural plains eagles, Vultures, Eagle owls, bustards and quails. The Southern Carpathians are the kingdom of songbirds, and the Danube delta – waterfowl and marsh birds.

Unfortunately, seems, that the wonderful richness of nature is not so protected, how would it deserve it (13 National parks do not do the issue of protection throughout the country). At one time, German companies were involved in the export of toxic waste to Eastern Europe.. Since Poland has banned this type of activity in 1990 r., it was moved mainly to Albania and Romania. In the year 1992 Greenpeace environmentalists launched a fierce campaign, obliging the German government to remove it from the Sibiu region 500 tons of expired pesticides and harmful industrial substances stored there. The Danube Delta was polluted with waste by Russian and Italian companies. Appropriate legal regulations have been created, to prevent such practices. However, it is not known, whether they will prove effective.