Physical Geography

Romania is a land of plateaus and plains cut by an arc-shaped mountain system—the Carpathians. the Carpathians extend southeastward from the Ukrainian border to central Romania and then westward to Serbia and Montenegro. This western extension, known as the Transylvanian Alps, is the most rugged section of the Carpathians and contains the loftiest peaks. Moldoveanu, Romania's highest peak, rises to 8,343 feet (2,543 m) above sea level. Inside the arc of the Carpathians is Transylvania, a plateau and mountainous region that rises to an elevation of more than 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in the Bihor Mountains.

Low plateaus and fertile plains stretch from the Carpathian Mountains eastward through Moldavia to Moldova and Ukraine, and southward through Walachia to Bulgaria. Along the Black Sea coast south of the Danube's delta lies Dobruja, a hilly plateau region with steep cliffs facing the sea. The Banat, a part of the rich Pannonian Plain, is a fertile area in western Romania.

Virtually all of Romania is drained by the Danube River and its tributaries, including such large ones as the Prut, Siret, Olt, Mures, and Somes. Only part of the Black Sea coast is outside the drainage basin of the Danube. Along part of the border between Romania and Serbia and Montenegro, the Danube flows through a gorge known as the Iron Gate. Here a dam, built jointly by Romania and Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro), provides flood control and hydroelectric power.

Romania has hundreds of lakes, most of which are small. Nearly all are found near the Danube east of the Iron Gate, especially in and around the delta. There is much marshy land along the Danube's lower course. Many mineral springs are found in the Carpathians.

Romania has a humid continental climate similar to that of most of eastern Europe and somewhat like that of the United States Midwest. Winters bring cold northerly winds, much cloudy weather, snow, and low temperatures, especially in the mountains, where the weather is often severe. Summers, dominated by westerly winds, are sunny and vary from warm to hot. Occasionally, there are droughts. Temperatures are highest in the Danube valley and decrease northward toward the mountains and eastward toward the black sea. In Bucharest, the capital and largest city, July averages about 73º F. (23º C); January, 27º F. (-3º C). Precipitation averages 23 inches (580 mm).

Yearly precipitation decreases from west to east and from mountains to plains, the amounts varying from as much as 50 inches (1,270 mm) in the Carpathians to as little as 15 inches (380 mm) on the Black Sea coast. Snow remains on the ground from one to three months each year.