1.
Romanian language
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Romanian is a Romance language spoken by around 24 million people as a native language, primarily in Romania and Moldova, and by another 4 million people as a second language. It has official status in Romania and the Republic of Moldova and it is one of the official languages of the European Union and the Latin Union. Romanian is a part of the Balkan-Romance group that evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin separated from the Western Romance during the 5th–8th centuries. To distinguish it within that group in comparative linguistics it is called Daco-Romanian as opposed to its closest relatives, Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian, and Istro-Romanian. Eastern Romance languages, like the branches of Romance languages, descend from Vulgar Latin. These vestiges of military usage are unique to Romanian in its language family. s. o, sat village, șes plain, a supune, tindă veranda, țară homeland a. s. o. This linguistic evidence challenges the Roeslerian theory, the vestiges from sermo castrensis particularize the Romanian language in the neolatin area, together with its isolated history. e. With Rom. māgurā and Alb. magulë etc, the Roman Empire withdrew from Dacia in 271–272 AD, leaving it to the Goths. The history of Eastern Romance between the 3rd century and the development of Proto-Romanian by the 10th century, when the area came under the influence of the Byzantine Empire, is unknown. It is a matter of debate whether Proto-Romanian developed among Romanized people who were left behind in Dacia by the Roman withdrawal or among Latin-speakers in the Balkans south of the Danube, during the Middle Ages, Romanian became influenced by the Slavic languages and to some degree by Greek. Romanian remains unattested throughout the Middle Ages, and only enters the record in the early 16th century. The use of the denomination Romanian for our language and use of the demonym Romanians for speakers of this language predates the foundation of the modern Romanian state. In 1534, Tranquillo Andronico notes, Valachi nunc se Romanos vocant, francesco della Valle writes in 1532 that Romanians are calling themselves Romans in their own language, and he subsequently quotes the expression, Știi Românește. After travelling through Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania Ferrante Capecci accounts in 1575 that the population of these regions call themselves românești. Pierre Lescalopier writes in 1574 that those who live in Moldavia, Wallachia, the Transylvanian Saxon Johann Lebel writes in 1542 that Vlachi se numeau între ei Romuini and the Polish chronicler Stanislaw Orzechowski notes in 1554 that în limba lor walachii se numesc romini. In Palia de la Orăștie stands written «, că văzum cum toate limbile au și înfluresc întru cuvintele slăvite a lui Dumnezeu numai noi românii pre limbă nu avem. și le-au dăruit voo fraților români. », nevertheless, the oldest extant document written in Romanian remains Neacșus letter and was written using Cyrillic letters. There are no records of any documents written in Romanian from before 1521
2.
Hungarian language
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Hungarian is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary it is spoken by communities of Hungarian people in neighbouring countries. Like Finnish and Estonian, it belongs to the Uralic language family, its closest relatives being Mansi and it is one of several European languages not part of the Indo-European languages, and the most widely-spoken European language that does not belong to the Indo-European family. The Hungarian name for the language is magyar or magyar nyelv, the word Magyar is used as an English and Hungarian word to refer to Hungarian people as an ethnic group. Hungarian is a member of the Uralic language family, the name of Hungary could be a result of regular sound changes of Ungrian/Ugrian, and the fact that the Eastern Slavs referred to Hungarians as Ǫgry/Ǫgrove seemed to confirm that. Current literature favors the hypothesis that it comes from the name of the Turkic tribe Onogur, there are numerous regular sound correspondences between Hungarian and the other Ugric languages. For example, Hungarian /aː/ corresponds to Khanty /o/ in certain positions, for example, Hungarian ház house vs. Khanty xot house, and Hungarian száz hundred vs. Khanty sot hundred. The distance between the Ugric and Finnic languages is greater, but the correspondences are also regular, during the later half of the 19th century, a competing hypothesis proposed a Turkic affinity of Hungarian. Following an academic debate known as Az ugor-török háború, the Finno-Ugric hypothesis was concluded the sounder of the two, foremost based on work by the German linguist Josef Budenz. The traditional view argues that the Hungarian language separated from its Ugric relatives in the first half of the 1st millennium b. c. e. in western Siberia, east of the southern Urals. The Hungarians gradually changed their lifestyle from settled hunters to nomadic pastoralists, in Hungarian, Iranian loans date back to the time immediately following the breakup of Ugric and probably span well over a millennium. Among these include tehén ‘cow’, tíz ‘ten’, tej ‘milk’, increasing archaeological evidence from present-day southern Bashkortostan found in the previous decades confirms the existence of Hungarian settlements between the Volga River and Ural Mountains. The Onogurs later had a influence on the language, especially between the 5th-9th centuries. This layer of Turkic loans is large and varied, and includes words borrowed from Oghur Turkic, e. g. borjú ‘calf’, dél ‘noon, many words related to agriculture, to state administration or even to family relations have such backgrounds. Hungarian syntax and grammar were not influenced in a dramatic way during these 300 years. After the arrival of the Hungarians into the Carpathian Basin the language came into contact with different speech communities, Turkic loans from this period come mainly from the Pechenegs and Cumanians who settled in Hungary during the 12th-13th centuries, e. g. koboz ‘cobza’, komondor ‘mop dog’. Hungarian borrowed many words from especially the neighbouring Slavic languages, in exchange, these languages also borrowed words from Hungarian, e. g. Serbo-Croatian ašov from Hung ásó ‘spade’. Approximately 1. 6% of the Romanian lexicon is of Hungarian origin, on the basis of the growing genetic evidence, the accepted origin theory is contested by geneticists too
3.
Mountain range
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A mountain range is a geographic area containing numerous geologically related mountains. A mountain system or system of ranges, sometimes is used to combine several geological features that are geographically related. Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys, individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology. They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes, for example thrust sheets, uplifted blocks, fold mountains, most geologically young mountain ranges on the Earths land surface are associated with either the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Alpide Belt. The Andes is 7,000 kilometres long and is considered the worlds longest mountain system. The Alpide belt includes Indonesia and southeast Asia, through the Himalaya, the belt also includes other European and Asian mountain ranges. The Himalayas contain the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest, mountain ranges outside of these two systems include the Arctic Cordillera, the Urals, the Appalachians, the Scandinavian Mountains, the Altai Mountains and the Hijaz Mountains. If the definition of a range is stretched to include underwater mountains. The mountain systems of the earth are characterized by a tree structure, the sub-range relationship is often expressed as a parent-child relationship. For example, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Blue Ridge Mountains are sub-ranges of the Appalachian Mountains, equivalently, the Appalachians are the parent of the White Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains, and the White Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains are children of the Appalachians. The position of mountains influences climate, such as rain or snow, when air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools producing orographic precipitation. As the air descends on the side, it warms again and is drier. Often, a shadow will affect the leeward side of a range. Mountain ranges are constantly subjected to forces which work to tear them down. Erosion is at work while the mountains are being uplifted and long after until the mountains are reduced to low hills, rivers are traditionally believed to be the principle erosive factor on mountain ranges, with their ability of bedrock incision and sediment transport. The rugged topography of a range is the product of erosion. The basins adjacent to a mountain range are filled with sediments which are buried and turned into sedimentary rock. The early Cenozoic uplift of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado provides an example and this mass of rock was removed as the range was actively undergoing uplift
4.
Transylvania
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Transylvania is a historical region located in what is today the central part of Romania. Bound on the east and south by its borders, the Carpathian mountain range. The term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the regions of Crișana, Maramureș. The region of Transylvania is known for the beauty of its Carpathian landscape. It also contains major cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, Sibiu, in the English-speaking world it has been commonly associated with vampires, due to the influence of Bram Stokers famous novel Dracula and its many film adaptations. Transylvania was first referred to in a Medieval Latin document in 1075 as ultra silvam, Transylvania, with an alternative Latin prepositional prefix, means on the other side of the woods. Hungarian historians claim that the Medieval Latin form Ultrasylvania, later Transylvania, was a translation from the Hungarian form Erdő-elve. That also was used as an name in German überwald. The German name Siebenbürgen means seven fortresses, after the seven Transylvanian Saxons cities in the region and this is also the origin of the regions name in many other languages, such as the Bulgarian Седмиградско, Polish Siedmiogród and the Ukrainian Семигород. The Hungarian form Erdély was first mentioned in the 12th-century Gesta Hungarorum as Erdeuleu or Erdő-elve, the word Erdő means forest in Hungarian, and the word Elve denotes a region in connection with this, similarly to the Hungarian name for Muntenia. Erdel, Erdil, Erdehstan, the Turkish equivalents, or the Romanian Ardeal were borrowed from this form as well, the first known written occurrence of the Romanian name Ardeal appeared in a document in 1432 as Ardeliu. Transylvania has been dominated by different peoples and countries throughout its history. It was once the nucleus of the Kingdom of Dacia, in 106 AD the Roman Empire conquered the territory, systematically exploiting its resources. After the Roman legions withdrew in 271 AD, it was overrun by a succession of tribes, bringing it under the control of the Carpi, Visigoths, Huns, Gepids, Avars. From 9th to 11th century Bulgarians ruled Transylvania, there is an ongoing scholarly debate over the ethnicity of Transylvanias population before the Hungarian conquest. The Magyars conquered much of Central Europe at the end of the 9th century, according to Gesta Hungarorum, Transylvania was ruled by the Vlach voivode Gelou before the Hungarians arrived. The Kingdom of Hungary established a control over Transylvania in 1003. Between 1003 and 1526, Transylvania was a voivodeship in the Kingdom of Hungary, after the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Transylvania became part of the Kingdom of János Szapolyai
5.
Romania
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Romania is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and it has an area of 238,391 square kilometres and a temperate-continental climate. With over 19 million inhabitants, the country is the member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth-largest city in the EU, the River Danube, Europes second-longest river, rises in Germany and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km, coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romanias Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains, which cross Romania from the north to the southwest are marked by one of their tallest peaks, Moldoveanu, modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, at the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. Romania lost several territories, of which Northern Transylvania was regained after the war, following the war, Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition back towards democracy and it has been a member of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007. A strong majority of the population identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians and are speakers of Romanian. The cultural history of Romania is often referred to when dealing with artists, musicians, inventors. For similar reasons, Romania has been the subject of notable tourist attractions, Romania derives from the Latin romanus, meaning citizen of Rome. The first known use of the appellation was attested in the 16th century by Italian humanists travelling in Transylvania, Moldavia, after the abolition of serfdom in 1746, the word rumân gradually fell out of use and the spelling stabilised to the form român. Tudor Vladimirescu, a leader of the early 19th century. The use of the name Romania to refer to the homeland of all Romanians—its modern-day meaning—was first documented in the early 19th century. The name has been officially in use since 11 December 1861, in English, the name of the country was formerly spelt Rumania or Roumania. Romania became the predominant spelling around 1975, Romania is also the official English-language spelling used by the Romanian government. The Neolithic-Age Cucuteni area in northeastern Romania was the region of the earliest European civilization. Evidence from this and other sites indicates that the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture extracted salt from salt-laden spring water through the process of briquetage
6.
Western Romanian Carpathians
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The Western Romanian Carpathians, along with the Eastern Romanian Carpathians and the Southern Carpathians is one of the three main mountain ranges of Romania. The Western Carpathians is positioned between the rivers Danube, Barcău and Someș and they have a maximum altitude of 1849 m in the Bihor Mountains, Cucurbăta Mare Peak -1849 metres, also called Bihor Peak. Discontinuity is one of their basic characteristics, geographical composition is varied, with a real petrographic mosaic. From north to south, three mountain groups can be identified, separated by different river valleys. Apuseni Mountains, north of Mureș Poiana Ruscă Mountains, south of Mureș Banat Mountains, the southwest corner of Romania, south of Timiș There are 18 subgroups in total
7.
Cave
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A cave is a hollow place in the ground, specifically a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. Caves form naturally by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground, the word cave can also refer to much smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos. A cavern is a type of cave, naturally formed in soluble rock with the ability to grow speleothems. Speleology is the science of exploration and study of all aspects of caves, visiting or exploring caves for recreation may be called caving, potholing, or spelunking. The formation and development of caves is known as speleogenesis, which can occur over the course of millions of years, caves are formed by various geologic processes and can be variable sizes. These may involve a combination of processes, erosion from water, tectonic forces, microorganisms, pressure. Isotopic dating techniques can be applied to cave sediments, in order to determine the timescale when geologic events may have occurred to help form and it is estimated that the maximum depth of a cave cannot be more than 3,000 metres due to the pressure of overlying rocks. For karst caves the maximum depth is determined on the basis of the limit of karst forming processes. Most caves are formed in limestone by dissolution, solutional caves or karst caves are the most frequently occurring caves and such caves form in rock that is soluble. Most occur in limestone, but they can form in other rocks including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt. Rock is dissolved by acid in groundwater that seeps through bedding planes, faults, joints. Over geological epochs cracks expand to become caves and cave systems, the largest and most abundant solutional caves are located in limestone. Limestone dissolves under the action of rainwater and groundwater charged with H2CO3, the dissolution process produces a distinctive landform known as karst, characterized by sinkholes and underground drainage. Limestone caves are often adorned with calcium carbonate formations produced through slow precipitation and these include flowstones, stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, soda straws and columns. These secondary mineral deposits in caves are called speleothems, the portions of a solutional cave that are below the water table or the local level of the groundwater will be flooded. Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico and nearby Carlsbad Cavern are now believed to be examples of type of solutional cave. They were formed by H2S gas rising from below, where reservoirs of oil give off sulfurous fumes and this gas mixes with ground water and forms H2SO4. The acid then dissolves the limestone from below, rather than from above, caves formed at the same time as the surrounding rock are called primary caves
8.
Great Hungarian Plain
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It is the largest part of the Pannonian Plain. Its boundaries are the Carpathians in the north and east, the Transdanubian Mountains and Croatian mountains in the southwest and its territory is 52,000 km² within Hungary, which includes approximately 56% of the total. The highest point of the plain is Hoportyó, and the lowest point is the Tisza River, the terrain ranges from flat to rolling plains. The most important Hungarian writers inspired by and associated with the plain are Ferenc Móra and Zsigmond Móricz, as well as the poets Sándor Petőfi, the most important river of the plain is Tisza. The notable cities and towns with medicinal baths are Berekfürdő, Cserkeszőlő, Gyula, Hajdúszoboszló, Szentes, Pannonian plain in Serbia is mostly divided into 3 large geographical areas, Bačka, Banat and Srem, most of which are located in the Vojvodina province. The term is used in Croatia, and is usually associated with the geography of Hungary. Parts of Pannonian Croatia can be considered an extension of Alföld, particularly eastern Slavonia, part of the plain located in Slovakia is known as Eastern Slovak Lowland. Part of the located in Ukraine is known as Transcarpathian Lowland. In Romania, the plain includes various regions like Banat and Crişana, here, its name is Câmpia de Vest. During the prehistoric era, the Great Hungarian Plain was a place of cultural and technological changes and it is a region of great archaeological importance to major European cultural transitions. Agriculture began in the Great Hungarian Plain with the Early Neolithic Körös culture, followed 5.500 B. C. E. by the Linear Pottery culture which later became the dominant agricultural culture of Europe. The LBK was followed by the Lengyel culture in the Late Neolithic 5000-3400 BC, during the Early Bronze Age, the growing demand for metal ores in Europe resulted in the new pan-European and intercontinental trade networks. In 2014, a study of DNA from burials in the Great Hungarian Plain was published. The 5, 000-year record indicated significant genomic shifts at the beginning of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest Neolithic genome was similar to other European hunter-gatherers and surprisingly there was no evidence of lactase persistence at that period. The most recent samples, from the Iron Age, showed an eastern genomic influence contemporary with introduced Steppe burial rites, there was also a transition towards lighter pigmentation
9.
Metaliferi Mountains
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Metaliferi Mountains, meaning Ore Mountains, are located in the Carpathian Mountain Range and are a division of the Apuseni Mountains. Poieniţa Peak is located among the Metaliferi, the range also includes the Detunatele, a pair of basalt peaks with columnar jointing. The Roșia Poieni copper mine and several communities are in the area, Evolution of the lito-genetic processes, in The Geological Evolution of the Metaliferic Mountains, Editura Academiei,1969
10.
Basalt
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Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of a planet or moon. Flood basalt describes the formation in a series of basalt flows. By definition, basalt is an igneous rock with generally 45-55% silica and less than 10% feldspathoid by volume. Basalt commonly features a very fine-grained or glassy matrix interspersed with visible mineral grains, the average density is 3.0 gm/cm3. Basalt is defined by its content and texture, and physical descriptions without mineralogical context may be unreliable in some circumstances. Basalt is usually grey to black in colour, but rapidly weathers to brown or rust-red due to oxidation of its mafic minerals into hematite, although usually characterized as dark, basaltic rocks exhibit a wide range of shading due to regional geochemical processes. Due to weathering or high concentrations of plagioclase, some basalts can be quite light-coloured and these phenocrysts usually are of olivine or a calcium-rich plagioclase, which have the highest melting temperatures of the typical minerals that can crystallize from the melt. Basalt with a texture is called vesicular basalt, when the bulk of the rock is mostly solid. Gabbro is often marketed commercially as black granite and these ultramafic volcanic rocks, with silica contents below 45% are usually classified as komatiites. Agricola applied basalt to the black rock of the Schloßberg at Stolpen. Tholeiitic basalt is relatively rich in silica and poor in sodium, included in this category are most basalts of the ocean floor, most large oceanic islands, and continental flood basalts such as the Columbia River Plateau. Basalt rocks are in some cases classified after their content in High-Ti and Low-Ti varieties. High-Ti and Low-Ti basalts have been distinguished in the Paraná and Etendeka traps and it has greater than 17% alumina and is intermediate in composition between tholeiite and alkali basalt, the relatively alumina-rich composition is based on rocks without phenocrysts of plagioclase. Alkali basalt is relatively poor in silica and rich in sodium and it is silica-undersaturated and may contain feldspathoids, alkali feldspar and phlogopite. Boninite is a form of basalt that is erupted generally in back-arc basins. Ocean island basalt Lunar basalt On Earth, most basalt magmas have formed by melting of the mantle. Basalt commonly erupts on Io, the third largest moon of Jupiter, and has formed on the Moon, Mars, Venus. The crustal portions of oceanic tectonic plates are composed predominantly of basalt, produced from upwelling mantle below, the mineralogy of basalt is characterized by a preponderance of calcic plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene
11.
Detunatele
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Detunatele is a site of columnar jointing in Transylvania, Alba County, Romania. The columns are hexagonal shaped basalt and 1,258 meters tall on two peaks, Detunata Goala and Detunata Flocoasa and they are located in the Metaliferi Mountains and are a tourist attraction. They formations are shaped like humps and there are stories and legends associated with them, the Detunata Write up of a hike up Detunata Flocoasa including photos
12.
Bihor Mountains
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Bihor Mountains is a mountain range in western Romania. It is part of the Apuseni Mountains, which are part of the Carpathian Mountains, the massif has a length of 25 kilometres from the northwest to the southeast and a width of 14 kilometres. It is located east of the town Ștei, and north of the town Brad, the highest peak is Cucurbăta Mare with an elevation of 1,849 metres, also the highest of the Apuseni Mountains. Other high peaks are Buteasa, Cârligatele and Piatra Grăitoare, vlădeasa is a volcanic range extension of the Bihor Mountains to the north, reaching a maximum height of 1,836 metres
13.
Transylvanian Plateau
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The Transylvanian Plateau is a plateau in central Romania. The area includes the Transylvanian Plain, the plateau has a continental climate. Temperature varies a great deal in the course of a year, vast forests cover parts of the plateau and the mountains. The mean elevation is 300-500 m. http, //archive. soschildrensvillages. org. uk/sponsor-child/country_information_on_romania. html http, //www. globalvolunteers. org/1main/romania/romaniageography. htm
14.
Apuseni Mountains
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The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Romanian Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains of the sunset i. e. western, the highest peak is Cucurbăta Mare at 1849 metres, also called Bihor Peak. The Apuseni Mountains have about 400 caves
15.
Bihor Massif
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Bihor Mountains is a mountain range in western Romania. It is part of the Apuseni Mountains, which are part of the Carpathian Mountains, the massif has a length of 25 kilometres from the northwest to the southeast and a width of 14 kilometres. It is located east of the town Ștei, and north of the town Brad, the highest peak is Cucurbăta Mare with an elevation of 1,849 metres, also the highest of the Apuseni Mountains. Other high peaks are Buteasa, Cârligatele and Piatra Grăitoare, vlădeasa is a volcanic range extension of the Bihor Mountains to the north, reaching a maximum height of 1,836 metres
16.
Salina Turda
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Salina Turda is a salt mine located in the Durgău-Valea Sărată area of Turda, the second largest city in Cluj County, Romania. Since its opening to tourists in 1992, Salina Turda has been visited by about 2 million Romanian, Salina Turda was placed by Business Insider at the top of their list of the ten coolest underground places in the world. Likewise, Salina Turda was once ranked among the 25 hidden gems around the world that are worth the trek, salt was first extracted here during the antiquity and the mine continuously produced table salt from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The first document that speaks explicitly about the existence of a mine in Turda dates from 1 May 1271. Operating rooms were placed on the sites of current salt lakes from the mentioned above. In the seventeenth century has begun first salt mining works on the slope of Valea Valea Sărată. In a short time is open the Sfântul Anton mine, perimeter where the mining activity continues until the first half of the twentieth century, since 1992, Salina Turda has been a halotherapy center and a popular tourist attraction. The Iosif Mine can be visited through the balconies carved in salt and this mine is a conical chamber of 112 meters deep with 67 meters at the base. Because its shape and lack of communications with the major mining points this mine has a powerful sound echo. The octagonal room hosts a winch called crivac or gepel, rudimentary installation used for lifting salt rocks on the surface and this machine replaced another, smaller in size, that was installed in 1864. It is the machine of this kind in all salt mines in Romania. Salt mining in this type of room left behind underground halls of impressive dimensions,90 m height and 87 m diameter, the depth from the mouth of the shafts to the base of the mine is 112 m. A cascade of salt, a lake, stalactites and salt efflorescences complete the inert equilibrium of the giant bell. The underground lake is between 0.5 and 8 m deep and is extended on about 80% of the operating room hearth area. In the center of the lake there is a formed from residual salt deposited here after 1880. 42 meters deep,50 meters wide and 80 meters long, through the compartment of access,172 steps lead to the mine hearth. On the walls of each of the 13 floors is marked the year when the level was exploited. On the north-western ceiling formed over the years salt stalactites, some three meters long
17.
Protected areas of Romania
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This is a list of protected areas of Romania. About 5. 18% of the area of Romania has a status, including the Danube Delta. However, after protests from environmental organizations, the law was rejected by President Traian Băsescu. Nowadays, hunting is prohibited in national parks of Romania, there are 17 natural parks totaling 5,492.33 km², Natural reserves are natural areas protected by law in order to protect and conserve important habitats and natural species. The dimensions of natural reserves vary and depend on the area needed by protected natural elements, besides scientific activities, the administrations of natural reserves encourage traditional activities and ecotourism that do not affect the natural landscape. Here is not permitted to use natural resources, there are 617 natural reservations totaling 2,043.55 km². Scientific reserves are protected areas that, like the previous ones. The difference is that scientific reserves can not be visited by tourists and these areas typically contain rare plant and animal species or particular natural elements, reason why here are prohibited any human activities, excepting research and education activities. Entry without permission in scientific reserves is punishable by considerable fines, there are 55 such reservations totaling 1,112.77 km². There are 234 natural monuments totaling 77.05 km²
18.
Man and the Biosphere Programme
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As of March 2016,669 biosphere reserves in 120 countries, including 16 transboundary sites, have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems, each reserve promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. Biosphere reserves are nominated by governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. Their status is internationally recognized. The buffer zone surrounds or adjoins the core areas, and is used for activities compatible with sound ecological practices that can reinforce scientific research, monitoring, training and education. The transition area is the part of the reserve where the greatest activity is allowed, fostering economic, participating countries establish MAB National Committees that ensure maximum national participation in the international programme, defining and implementing each country’s activities. MAB currently operates through 158 National Committees established among the 195 Members States, the agenda of the MAB Programme is defined by its main governing body, the International Coordinating Council. The MAB Council consists of 34 member states elected by UNESCO’s General Conference, the council elects a chair and five vice-chairpersons from each of UNESCO’s geopolitical regions, one of which functions as a rapporteur. Its staff members draw on expertise in many and varied disciplines, the programme can grant seed funding to assist countries in developing projects and/or to secure appropriate partnership contributions. The latest World Congress of Biosphere Reserves took place in Lima, Peru and this will be the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves and it shall develop a new vision for the decade 2016–2025. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves is supported by different regional, sub-regional or thematic networks and these are as follows, The African Biosphere Reserves Network was created in 1996 and comprises 33 African countries. The ArabMAB Network was officially launched in 1997 and represents 18 Arab countries, the East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network was launched in 1994. Today, it consists of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, euroMAB is the network of biosphere reserves in Europe and North America. Created in 1987, it is the largest MAB Regional Network with 53 countries, the Ibero-American MAB Network was created in 1992. It comprises 22 countries from Latin American and the Caribbean, Spain, the Pacific Man and the Biosphere Network was created in 2006 and comprises the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. The South and Central Asia MAB Network was created in 2002 and comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, the Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserve Network was created in 1998. Today, it comprises Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, the East Atlantic Biosphere Reserve Network was created in 1994. It comprises the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Madeira and Azores, Mauritania, Morocco, Sao Tomé and Principe, the World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves was established in 2012 and comprises 22 countries. Agenda 21 Searchable list of UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves Frequently Asked Questions on Biosphere Reserve A-Z of Areas of Biodiverity Importance, Biosphere Reserves
19.
Danube Delta
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The Danube Delta is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania, while its northern part and its approximate surface area is 4,152 km2, of which 3,446 km2 is in Romania. With the lagoons of Razim–Sinoe, located south of the main delta, the Razim–Sinoe lagoon complex is geologically and ecologically related to the delta proper and the combined territory is listed as a World Heritage Site. The modern Danube Delta began to form after 4000 BCE in a bay of the Black Sea, a sandy barrier blocked the Danube bay where the river initially built its delta. Several other internal lobes were constructed in the lakes and lagoons bordering the Danube Delta to the north, geologist Liviu Giosan told The New York Times, Probably 40 percent of the Delta was built in the last 1000 years. Finding that was like a eureka moment, at present the delta suffers from a large sediment deficit, after the construction of dams on the Danube and its tributaries in the later half of the 20th century. It consists of a pattern of marshes, channels, streamlets. The average altitude is 0.52 m, with 20% of the territory below sea level, dunes on the most extensive strand plains of the delta stand higher. The largest lakes are lakes Dranov, Roșu and Gorgova, the Danube branches into three main distributaries into the delta, Chilia, Sulina, and Sfântul Gheorghe. The last two form the Tulcea channel, which continues as a single body for several kilometers after the separation from the Chilia. At the mouths of each channel gradual formation of new land takes place, main Distributaries of the Danube Chilia, in the north, the longest, youngest, and most vigorous, with two secondary internal deltas and one microdelta in full process of formation at its mouth. Sulina, the central and thus the shortest arm, which led to its extensive use for traffic. At its mouth is located the port and a single settlement with urban characteristics of the Romanian part of the delta. Because of the alluvium deposited at its mouth, a channel gradually advancing into the sea was built in order to protect navigation, Sfântul Gheorghe, in the south, is the oldest and most sparsely populated. Its alluvium has led to the creation, beginning in 1897, of the Sacalin Islands, interactive webmap of the Danube Delta The climate of the Danube Delta is continental, with strong influences from the vicinity of the Black Sea and its prevalent amphibian environment. It is the driest and sunniest region of Romania, the mean annual temperature is 11 °C, with mean precipitation between 400 mm/year and 300 mm/year, decreasing from west to east. Evaporation is around 1,000 mm/year, amplified by strong and frequent winds, the northwest winds cause frequent storms in spring and autumn. In the interior of the delta, the character of the climate is very pronounced
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Retezat National Park
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The Retezat National Park is a protected area located in the Retezat Mountains in Hunedoara county, Romania. Containing more than 60 peaks over 2,300 metres and over 100 crystal clear deep glacier lakes, in 1935 the Government of Romania set aside an area of the Retezat Mountains creating the countrys first national park. Currently the park has 380.47 km2, the area shelters one of Europes last remaining intact old-growth forest and the continents largest single area of pristine mixed forest. The highest peak of the Retezat Mountains, Vf, peleaga,2,509 metres is located in the park. The park also includes about 80 glacier lakes, in 1979 the Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO included the park in the international network of biosphere reserve. The flora consists of approximately 1190 plant species, of which 130 have the endangered or vulnerable status. Wolves, brown bear, wild boar, Eurasian lynx, European wildcat, chamois, roe deer and red deer, as well as small species such as Eurasian badger. The Gemenele scientific reserve is a protected area of the park enclosing an intact primeval forest
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Rodna Mountains
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Rodna Mountains are a subdivision of the Eastern Carpathians in Northern Romania. The name comes from the nearby Rodna Veche village, the Rodna Mountains have one of the longest continuous ridges in Romania, with over 50 km from west to east. The two highest points are Pietrosul Rodnei and Ineu peaks, with 2,303 and 2,279 meters respectively, the mountains are most suited for hiking in summer and skiing in winter, and are especially famous for having snow late into the summer months. While the ridge itself poses no difficulties, the challenge is the length of it. A complete hike on the Rodnei main ridge takes between 3 and 5 days, depending on the weather and the endurance of the hiker. The massif has some caves, notable among them being Izvorul Tăuşoarelor, the Rodna Mountains are in the region of Maramureş, in northern Romania, near the Romanian-Ukrainian border. To the north lie the city of Borşa and the village Moisei, the main ridge of the Rodna Mountains constitutes the natural border between Bistriţa-Năsăud and Maramureş counties. It contains two notable places to check in, Cabana Vio at 1,100 m, and a bit higher, up on the ridge there is no accommodation whatsoever, so tourists should bring tents. The entire Rodna Mountain is included in the Rodna National Park and this is a 567 km² reservation in Eastern Carpathians with brown bears, lynx, gray wolves, black capercaillies and eagles. Pictures and landscapes from Rodna Mountains Website about the Carpathians Mountains Website of Rodna Mountains in hungarian Tourist map of Rodna Mountains Rodna - photographs + information in Czech
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National park
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A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns, although individual nations designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea, the conservation of wild nature for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. An international organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although Yellowstone was not officially termed a national park in its establishing law, it was always termed such in practice and is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. The first area to use national park in its legislation was the USs Mackinac Island. Australias Royal National Park, established in 1879, was the third official national park. In 1895 ownership of Mackinac Island was transferred to the State of Michigan as a state park, as a result, Australias Royal National Park is by some considerations the second oldest national park now in existence. The largest national park in the meeting the IUCN definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park. According to the IUCN,6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006, IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park. National parks are almost always open to visitors, in 1971, these criteria were further expanded upon leading to more clear and defined benchmarks to evaluate a national park. In 1810, the English poet William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a sort of property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive. It was known as Hot Springs Reservation, but no authority was established. Federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877, John Muir is today referred to as the Father of the National Parks due to his work in Yosemite. He published two articles in The Century Magazine, which formed the base for the subsequent legislation. President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on July 1,1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley, according to this bill, private ownership of the land in this area was no longer possible. The state of California was designated to manage the park for use, resort. Leases were permitted for up to ten years and the proceeds were to be used for conservation, a public discussion followed this first legislation of its kind and there was a heated debate over whether the government had the right to create parks. The perceived mismanagement of Yosemite by the Californian state was the reason why Yellowstone at its establishment six years later was put under national control, in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the United States first national park, being also the worlds first national park. In some European countries, however, national protection and nature reserves already existed, such as Drachenfels, Yellowstone was part of a federally governed territory
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Piatra Craiului Mountains
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The Piatra Craiului Mountains are a mountain range in the Southern Carpathians in Romania. In Romanian Piatra Craiului means Princes Stone, the Piatra Craiului mountains form a narrow and saw-like ridge, which is about 25 km long. The highest elevation in the massif is the Vârful La Om at 2,238 metres, the ridge is regarded as one of the most beautiful sites in the Carpathians. The two-day north–south ridge trail is both challenging and rewarding, starting at either Plaiul Foii in the north-west or Curmătura in the north-east, walkers climb up to the ridge before following a somewhat precarious path along the narrow spine. The descent at the end leads into a karst landscape of deep gorges. The southern border is the confluence of the valleys of Dâmbovița and Dâmbovicioara rivers, the whole range is included in the national park Parcul Național Piatra Craiului. The first protection of this started in 1938 when 4.4 km2 were declared as a Nature Reserve. The Law 5/2000 enlarged this area to 148 km2, in 2003 the external limits and internal zoning were created. Since 1999 a park administration has existed and since 2005 a management plan has been in place, zărneşti is the most important town for visiting the national park. It is also a starting point for approaches in the northern part of the massif. This town lies at a distance of 28 km from the city of Braşov, by road, from Zărnești, an 11 km long road makes the connection with the comfortable chalet Plaiul Foii, which is a good starting point for climbing the ridge. Also, from Zărnești a forest road starts from the part of the town, leading through the Zărnești Gorges. In Zărnești the office of the administration of the National Park can be found, a new visitor center has been built 1 km west of the town. The traditional villages Măgura, Peştera, Ciocanu, and Şirnea are interesting starting points for the routes on the eastern slope and for getting in touch with the traditional Romanian way of life
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Nature park
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A nature park or natural park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for tourism purposes, in most countries nature parks are subject to legally regulated protection, which is part of their conservation laws. Nor is it the same as a reserve which may fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of legal protection afforded. However some nature parks have later turned into national parks. The first international nature park in Europe, the present-day Pieniny National Park was founded jointly by Poland, european Nature Parks, Cross-border plans and projects are carried out under the Europarc umbrella. They are host to nearly 20 million visitors annually, the designation of nature park is awarded by the respective state governments. To achieve this award, the 4 pillars of a nature park have to be met, conservation, recreation, education, in 1995 all the Austrian nature parks agreed to be represented by the Association of Austrian Nature Parks or VNÖ. Currently there are parks in the following states, In Belgium. In Flanders, their name is Regionale Landschappen and in Wallonia, there are 17 Regionale Landschappen in Flanders and 9 Natural Parks in Wallonia. Fédération des Parcs naturels de Wallonie Regionale Landschappen In Croatia there is a total of eight national parks and they can be established by any State Environment Protection body. The Nature park is one of the options for area-based nature conservation provided for under the Federal Nature Conservation Act, on 6 June 1956 in the former capital city of Bonn at the annual meeting of the Nature Reserve Association. Five percent of the area of the old Federal Republic of Germany was to be spared from major damage as a result. The definition of the category of park is laid down in federal law. Details, especially regard to the identification, investigation or recognition as a nature park vary in each state depending on the provisions of local conservation law. The underlying idea is a protection through usage, so the acceptance and participation of the population in the protection of the cultural landscape and nature is very important. In doing so the conservation and the needs of recreation users should be linked so that both sides benefit, sustainable tourism with respect for the value of nature and landscape is paramount. Basically all actions, interventions and projects that would be contrary to the purpose of conservation are prohibited, Nature parks are to be considered in zoning and must be represented and considered in local development plans. This is called an acquisition memorandum and they are binding and cannot be waived because of a higher common good
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