This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bogdangiusca (talk | contribs) at 16:51, 6 December 2003 (mentioned Snake Island). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:51, 6 December 2003 by Bogdangiusca (talk | contribs) (mentioned Snake Island)(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.
Geography
Every year, the alluviam brought in by the Danube increases the width of the Delta with around 40 meters, making it extremely dynamic. Near Tulcea, the Danube is divided in three river branches before it flows into the Sea: Chilia, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe (Saint George), but many other channels make split the Delta into areas with reed, marshes and forests, some of which are flooded during the spring and autumn.
About 44 km of the Danube Delta lies the Snake Island, a territory claimed by both Romania and Ukraine.
|
Image from the Danube Delta |
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.
Around 2,500 years ago, as Herodotus says that the Danube was divided in seven branches.
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.