In the summer of 2011 I decided for the first time to go on a one day cruise on Danube Delta. As many of you know, if someone lives in London, maybe he never or very rare goes to visit Tower of London, this is the same with me, which is why it took me 30 years to go visit Danube Delta. I was very impressed because it is a gorgeous place. Every time I visit something I search for the WOW Sensation and for sure I’ve had it in Delta. There were a lot of foreign tourists, I have spotted some from United States, some from Belgium and the Netherlands, some from Switzerland and some Koreans only in my boat. Everyone has its camera and hope for the best photo of a pelican, egret, water lily or anything else.
The total surface is around 6000 sq-km (including the lagoons of Razim-Sinoe). The greatest part belongs to Romania and around 700 sq-km belong to Ukraine. Is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The modern Danube Delta began forming after 4,000 B.C. in a gulf of the Black Sea, when the sea rose to its present level. A sandy barrier blocked the Danube gulf where the river initially built its delta. The Danube branches into three main distributaries into the delta, Chilia, Sulina, and Sfântul Gheorghe (Saint George). The last two branches form the Tulcea channel, which continues as a single body for several kilometers after the separation from the Chilia. Situated on major migratory routes, and providing adequate conditions for nesting and hatching, the Danube Delta is a magnet for birds from six major eco-regions of the world, including the Mongolian, Arctic and Siberian. There are over 320 species of birds found in the delta during summer, of which 166 are hatching species and 159 are migratory. Over one million individuals (swans, wild ducks, bald coots, etc.) winter here.
Ecosystems of running water comprise the Danube arms, as well as a series of more important streamlets and channels. It is an environment rich in plankton, worms, mollusca, ephemerides, grubs, spongiae, with numerous species of fish, such as the carp, pike perch, sheat fish, and freshwater sturgeons (sterlet, Vyza and Danube mackerel). Ecosystem of stagnant water includes the lakes, to which various ponds, streamlets and channels are added. They are characterized by a rich floating and submerse flora. Of the fish, the most important are Tinca tinca, Abramis brama, Scardinius erytrophalmus, Carassius auratus gibelio, Silurus glanis, Perca fluviatilis, Esox lucius etc. The reed plats and floating reed islands (called plaur in Romania) are the most common and well known components of the Danube Delta. Vegetation of this ecosystem consists of common reed, sedge, Dutch rush, brook mint. The plaur is a mixture of reed roots, grass and soil, usually floating or anchored on the bottom.
The Danube Delta is perhaps the least inhabited region of temperate Europe. In the Romanian side live about 20,000 people, of which 4,600 in the port of Sulina, which gives an average density of approx. 2 inhabitants per sq-km.
In 1991, the Romanian part of the Danube Delta became part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Around 2,733 km² of the delta are strictly protected areas. In 1998, under UNESCO Programme on Man and the Biosphere, the 6264.03 km² of Danube Delta were established as Biosphere Reserve shared by Romania and Ukraine.
I am glad to dedicate this to Emmanuel Bonsie. He lives in Ghana and wanted something about Danube. I hope that he will have the chance to visit Europe and of course the Danube Delta.
The total surface is around 6000 sq-km (including the lagoons of Razim-Sinoe). The greatest part belongs to Romania and around 700 sq-km belong to Ukraine. Is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The modern Danube Delta began forming after 4,000 B.C. in a gulf of the Black Sea, when the sea rose to its present level. A sandy barrier blocked the Danube gulf where the river initially built its delta. The Danube branches into three main distributaries into the delta, Chilia, Sulina, and Sfântul Gheorghe (Saint George). The last two branches form the Tulcea channel, which continues as a single body for several kilometers after the separation from the Chilia. Situated on major migratory routes, and providing adequate conditions for nesting and hatching, the Danube Delta is a magnet for birds from six major eco-regions of the world, including the Mongolian, Arctic and Siberian. There are over 320 species of birds found in the delta during summer, of which 166 are hatching species and 159 are migratory. Over one million individuals (swans, wild ducks, bald coots, etc.) winter here.
Ecosystems of running water comprise the Danube arms, as well as a series of more important streamlets and channels. It is an environment rich in plankton, worms, mollusca, ephemerides, grubs, spongiae, with numerous species of fish, such as the carp, pike perch, sheat fish, and freshwater sturgeons (sterlet, Vyza and Danube mackerel). Ecosystem of stagnant water includes the lakes, to which various ponds, streamlets and channels are added. They are characterized by a rich floating and submerse flora. Of the fish, the most important are Tinca tinca, Abramis brama, Scardinius erytrophalmus, Carassius auratus gibelio, Silurus glanis, Perca fluviatilis, Esox lucius etc. The reed plats and floating reed islands (called plaur in Romania) are the most common and well known components of the Danube Delta. Vegetation of this ecosystem consists of common reed, sedge, Dutch rush, brook mint. The plaur is a mixture of reed roots, grass and soil, usually floating or anchored on the bottom.
The Danube Delta is perhaps the least inhabited region of temperate Europe. In the Romanian side live about 20,000 people, of which 4,600 in the port of Sulina, which gives an average density of approx. 2 inhabitants per sq-km.
In 1991, the Romanian part of the Danube Delta became part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Around 2,733 km² of the delta are strictly protected areas. In 1998, under UNESCO Programme on Man and the Biosphere, the 6264.03 km² of Danube Delta were established as Biosphere Reserve shared by Romania and Ukraine.
I am glad to dedicate this to Emmanuel Bonsie. He lives in Ghana and wanted something about Danube. I hope that he will have the chance to visit Europe and of course the Danube Delta.
Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.
Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Romania Ukraine For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.
Romania Ukraine For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.
În vara lui 2011, într-o zi infernal de caldă, aveam programată o croazieră de o zi în Delta Dunării. Am plecat cu vaporul din portul oraşului Tulcea şi deşi era cod portocaliu de caniculă, m-am simţit foarte bine. Nu mă aşteptam să fie atât de mulţi turişti, mai ales străini, dar parcă eram într-un loc foarte vizitat din Paris, de exemplu. Am văzut elveţieni, olandezi şi belgieni, coreeni, americani, toţi pregătiţi cu aparatele foto să prindă în poze păsările şi nuferii şi peisajele unice. Delta nu mai este aşa de murdară şi plină de peturi cum era, dar încă trebuie să se facă multe lucruri: pescuitul este interzis dar toţi pescuiesc, muzica tare a turiştilor, bărcile de mare viteză, etc. Cea mai mare parte a deltei aparţine României. Suprafaţa totală este de aproximativ 5000 kmp, din care aproximativ 700 kmp aparţin Ucrainei. Dunărea ajunsă în judeţul Tulcea se bifurcă în braţul Chilia, el reprezintă şi graniţa cu Ucraina, şi braţul Tulcea; apoi braţul Tulcea se împarte şi el în braţul Sulina şi braţul Sfântul Gheorghe. Vegetaţia deltei este reprezentată în mare parte de o vegetație specifică mlaștinilor (stuf, papură, rogoz, în amestec cu salcie pitică) şi ocupă 78% din totalul suprafeţei. Zăvoaiele ocupă 6% din suprafaţa deltei, fiind păduri de salcie, frasin, arin, plop, care cresc pe grindurile fluviatile. Ochiurile de apă sunt acoperite de o vegetaţie acvatică şi plutitoare, ocupând 2% din suprafața deltei. De asemenea, există păduri pe câmpurile Letea şi Caraorman şi sunt alcătuite din stejar brumăriu, stejar pedunculat, frasin, plop tremurător, ulm, plante agăţătoare. În deltă există 320 de specii de păsări și 45 de specii de peşte de apă dulce. Acesta este locul unde milioane de păsări din diferite colţuri ale Terrei vin să cuibărească. Speciile majore de peşti în cadrul Deltei Dunării sunt ştiuca şi somnul. Din 1991 este înscrisă în Patrimoniul UNESCO.
