Editing Geography of Romania (section)

==Topography==
[[Image:Relieful României.png|thumb|left|300px|Natural landscape of Romania<ref>Florin Achim, {{in lang|ro}} ''Geografia Fizică a României'', Editura Transversal, Bucharest, 2015</ref>]]
[[Image:Romania-relief.png|thumb|right|300px|Physical map of Romania showing the [[Carpathian Mountains]]]]
[[Image:RomGeolActual.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Geology of Romania and neighbours]]
[[Image:The Fagaras Mountains from the ridge of Moldoveanu.jpg |300px|right|thumb|The [[Făgăraș Mountains]] are the tallest in Romania]]
{{main|Topography of Romania}}

Romania's natural landscape is almost evenly divided among [[mountain]]s (23 percent), [[plain]]s (39 percent), and [[hill]]s (35 percent). These varied relief forms spread rather symmetrically from the Carpathian Mountains, which reach elevations of more than 2,500 meters, to the Danube Delta, which is just a few meters above [[sea level]].<ref>Florin Achim, {{in lang|ro}} ''Geografia Fizică a României'', Editura Transversal, Bucharest, 2015</ref>

{{main|List of mountains in Romania}}
The arc of the Carpathians extends over 1,000 kilometers through the center of the country, covering an area of 71,000 square kilometers. These mountains are of low to medium altitude and are no wider than 100 kilometers. They are deeply fragmented by longitudinal and transverse valleys and crossed by several major rivers. These features and the fact that there are many summit passes—some at altitudes up to 2,256 meters—have made the Carpathians less of a barrier to movement than other European ranges. Another distinguishing feature is the many eroded platforms that provide tableland at relatively high altitudes. There are permanent settlements here at above 1,200 meters.

Romania's Carpathians are differentiated into three ranges: the [[Eastern Carpathians]], the [[Southern Carpathians]] or [[Transylvanian Alps]], and the [[Western Romanian Carpathians]]. Each of these ranges has important distinguishing features. The Eastern Carpathians are composed of three parallel ridges that run from northwest to southeast. The westernmost ridge is an extinct volcanic range with many preserved cones and craters. The range has many large depressions, in the largest of which the city of [[Brașov]] is situated. Important [[Mining industry of Romania|mining]] and industrial centers as well as agricultural areas are found within these depressions. The Eastern Carpathians are covered with forests—some 32 percent of the country's woodlands are there. They also contain important ore deposits, including gold and silver, and their mineral water springs feed numerous health resorts.
[[Image:Bucegi Sphinx, Romania.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Romanian [[Sphinx (Romania)|Sphinx]] situated on the plateau of [[Bucegi Mountains]] at 2,216 m. altitude, measures 8 meters in height and 12 meters in width]]
The Southern Carpathians offer the highest peaks at [[Moldoveanu Peak]] (2,544 m) and [[Negoiu]] (2,535 m) and more than 150 glacial lakes. They have large grassland areas and some woodlands but few large depressions and [[subsoil]] resources. At higher [[elevation]]s, the wind and rain have turned the [[rock (geology)|rock]]s into spectacular figures such as the [[Sphinx (Romania)|Sphinx]] and ''[[Babele]]''.

The region was crisscrossed by an ancient network of trans-Carpathian roads, and vestiges of the old Roman Way are still visible. Numerous passes and the valleys of the Olt, Jiu, and Danube rivers provide routes for roads and railways through the mountains.

The Western Romanian Carpathians are the lowest of the three ranges and are fragmented by many deep structural depressions. They have historically functioned as "gates," which allow easy passage but can be readily defended. The most famous of these is the [[Iron Gate (Danube)|Iron Gate]] on the Danube. The Western Romanian Carpathians are the most densely settled, and it is in the northernmost area of this range, the Apuseni Mountains, that permanent settlements can be found at the highest [[altitude]]s.

Enclosed within the great arc of the Carpathians lie the undulating plains and low hills of the [[Transylvanian Plateau]]—the largest tableland in the country and the center of Romania. This important agricultural region also contains large deposits of methane gas and salt. To the south and east of the Carpathians, the [[Outer Subcarpathia|Sub-Carpathians]] form a fringe of rolling terrain ranging from 396 to 1,006 meters in elevation. This terrain is matched in the west by the slightly lower [[Western Hills (Romania)|Western Hills]]. The symmetry of Romania's relief continues with the Getic Tableland to the south of the Sub-Carpathians, the [[Moldavian Tableland]] in the east between the Sub-Carpathians and the Prut River, and the [[Dobrujan Tableland]] in the southeast between the Danube and the Black Sea. The Sub-Carpathians and the tableland areas provide good conditions for human settlement and are important areas for fruit growing, [[viticulture]], and other agricultural activity. They also contain large deposits of [[Lignite|brown coal]] and [[natural gas]].

Beyond the Carpathian foothills and tablelands, the plains spread south and west. In the southern parts of the country, the lower Danube Plain is divided by the [[Olt River]]; east of the river lies the [[Wallachian Plain]] (including the strategically important [[Focșani Gate]]), and to the west is the [[Oltenian Plain|Oltenian or Western Plain]]. The land here is rich with [[chernozem]]ic soils and forms Romania's most important farming region. Irrigation is widely used, and marshlands in the Danube's floodplain have been diked and drained to provide additional tillable land.

Romania's lowest land is found on the northern edge of the [[Dobruja]] region in the [[Danube Delta]]. The delta is a triangular swampy area of marshes, floating reed islands, and sandbanks, where the Danube ends its trek of almost 3,000 kilometers and divides into three frayed branches before emptying into the Black Sea. The Danube Delta provides a large part of the country's fish production, and its reeds are used to manufacture cellulose. The region also serves as a nature preserve for rare species of plant and animal life including migratory birds.