This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bogdangiusca (talk | contribs) at 15:19, 6 December 2003 (more). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 15:19, 6 December 2003 by Bogdangiusca (talk | contribs) (more)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Northern half of the Danube Delta |
The Danube Delta (3446 sq km), located in Dobrogea, Romania is the largest and best preserved of European deltas.
Nature
It hosts over 1,200 varieties of plants, 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes. The Danube Delta has been entered onto the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and a reservation of the biosphere. Around 273,300 hectares of it are strictly protected areas.
This is the place where millions of birds from different places of Earth (European, Asian, African, Mediteraneean) come to lay their eggs.
Every year, the alluviam brought in by the Danube increases the width of the Delta with around 40 meters, making it extremely dynamic. The Danube is divided in three river branches before it flows in the Sea, but around 2,500 years ago, as Herodotus says, it was divided in seven branches.
Image from the Danube Delta |
Inhabitants
Around 15,000 people live in the Delta, most of them are living off fishing with their traditional wooden kayaks. It includes a community of Lippovans which are descendants of the Old Rite Followers who left Russia in 1772 to avoid religious persecutions.