Land

Romania is a country of plains and plateaus intersected by a mountain-shaped arc of the Carpathians. Carpathians extend southward from the Ukrainian border in central Romania and then west to Serbia and Montenegro. This extension of the West, known as the Transylvanian Alps, is the wildest part of the Carpathians or is it the highest peaks. Moldoveanu, Romania's highest point, rises to 8,343 feet (2,543 m) altitude. Inside the Carpathian arc is the Transylvanian plateau and mountainous region that rises to an altitude of over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in the Bihor Mountains.

Virtually all of Romania is drained by the River Danube and its tributaries, including the largest such Somes Prut, Siret, Olt, Mures, and. Only part of the Black Sea coast is outside the 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 hydropower.

Romania has hundreds of lakes, most of which are small. Almost all are located near the eastern Iron Gate Danube, particularly in and around the delta. There are many wetlands along the lower Danube. Many mineral springs are located in the Carpathians.

Climate

Romania has a humid continental climate similar to that of most Eastern European and a little like the Midwestern United States. Winters bring cold winds from the north, many cloudy days, snow and low temperatures, especially in the mountains, where weather is often severe. Summers, dominated by westerly winds, are sunny and warm to hot range. Sometimes there are droughts. Temperatures are higher in the Danube valley and down towards the north to the mountains and east to the Black Sea. In Bucharest, the capital and largest city, in July averages about 73 º F (23 º C): January, 27 º F. (-3 º C). rainfall averages 23 inches (580 mm).