Delta

The second longest river in Europe after the Rhein, the Danube stretches over 2858 km. from its springs in The Black Forest Mountains (Germany) to the place where it flows into the Black Sea (Romania). In the place where it flows into the sea, Danube has created the youngest land in Europe. Over 40 km. of new land are formed each year.

As width, it is the third delta in Europe, after Volga and Kuban, and the 22nd in the whole world. The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve stretches over 5800 square km. and covers the delta, Razelm-Sinoe lagoons and the Danube River until the Cat Curve. The delta itself stretches over 4178 square km., of which 80% lie in Romania and the rest in Ukraine.

The delta lies around the three channels that Danube has created: Chilia, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe. Chilia is the one located in the North and it is also the most active one, having two groups of ramifications. It is 120 km. long and has formed its own micro-delta that lies mainly in Ukraine. Sulina is the straight one and also the shortest channel; it provides the best (if we could call them "best") facilities for tourist activities. It is 63.7 km. long and is generally used by ships for merchandise transportation. Sfântu Gheorghe is the oldest one and it is 69.7 km. long.

The most important landscape elements in the delta are the fluvial grinds; they are mud deposits that the river has made as it flew. The most important grinds are Letea (with the old forest reserve bearing the same name), Caraorman, Stipoc and Crasnicol.

The Danube Delta hosts 98% of the European aquatic fauna - over 3400 animal species - most of which are unique in the world. There are again 300 birds species, most of which have been declared natural monuments (pelicans, egrets, canaries, storks). Around 160 fish species are waiting for the sailors (sturgeons, sheat fish, carps, herrings, pikes). Fishing is allowed all year long, except for 60 days starting with April, when the fish lay eggs. Among the mammals, we can note the fox, the field mouse, the wild cat, the wolf and the bear. The thicket shores host turtles, vipers, water snakes and lizard colonies. The over 1150 plant species prove that the flora is very rich in these places. There is a multitude of plants: plants with floating leaves (the white water lily, the yellow water lily, addrovanda - a rare carnivore plant), river plants (the reed, the aquatic mint) and terrestrial plants (the silver willow tree, the wild cherry tree, the ash tree). Three forests have been declared natural monuments: Letea (located in North-West, it is the most impressive of them all, as it looks like an equatorial jungle), Caraorman and Erenciuc. They are all made up of oaks, willows and black poplars. The extraordinary looks are given by the fact that there are many lianas and other creeping plants.