University Alexandru Ioan Cuza

Department of Geography
Iasi, Romania

ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR GEOGRAPHERS

LECTURE 5
Daniela LARION

CONTENTS
1. Carpathian Mountains
General Presentation
Natural Resources

2. The Danube
3. IRON GATES
Hydroelectric Power System
Case Study

Vocabulary
Grammar

CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS
Location in Europe

Country

(% )

Czeck Republic

3%

Slovakia

17%

Poland

10%

Hungary

4%

Ukraine

11%

Romania

53%

Serbia

2%

The second longest mountain range in Europe (1500km)

The second largest mountain system in Europe (190,000km)

DIVISIONS OF THE CARPATHIANS

1. Outer Western Carpathians

2. Inner Western Carpathians
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Outer Eastern Carpathians

Inner Eastern Carpathians
Southern Carpathians
Western Romanian Carpathians
Transylvanian Plateau

8. Serbian Carpathians

CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS

2.

1.

Highest peak in the Carpathians Gerlach Peak (2655m)

Highest peak in Romanian Carpathians Moldoveanu Peak (2544m)
BIODIVERSITY
largest European populations of
brown bears, wolves, chamois and
lynxes
over 1/3 of all European plant
species
Europes largest unfragmented
forested area

A. NOUNS with similar singular and plural forms::

SERIES

a television series

several television series

SPECIES

a species of animals

three species of animals

MEANS

a means of transport

many means of transport

B. PLURAL form of NOUNS ending in F/FE VES

Wife wives
Life lives
Leaf leaves
Wolf wolves
Thief - thieves
Knife - knives
Half - halves

dar

Cliff - cliffs
Gulf - gulfs
Reef - reefs
Roof - roofs
Chief - chiefs
Grief - griefs
Proof - proofs

ROMANIAN CARPATHIANS

Ukraine

Hungary

Moldavia

Ukraine

Serbia

LANDFORMS IN ROMANIA
1/3 Carpathians
1/3 Plateaus and hills
1/3 Plains
Bulgaria

IMPORTANCE OF THE CARPATHIANS

Natural Resources
Forests
Water resources
Mineral resources
Biodiversity and Wilderness
Historical importance (shelter)
Touristic importance etc

Romanian Forests

FOREST COVER = 26.7%

6.38 mil ha
4.20 mil ha state property
2.17 mil ha private property
Forests Distribution:
51.9% - mountains
37.2% - hills and plateaus
10.9% - plains
Forests Composition:
30% - coniferous
32% - beech
18% - oak tree

47% of land area natural and seminatural ecosystems

250.000 ha VIRGIN FORESTS

TREES
artar

maple

brad

fir

carpen

hornbeam

castan

chestnut

fag

beech

frasin

ash

mesteacan

birch

molid

spruce

pin

pine

plop

poplar

plop tremurator

aspen

salcie

willow

salcam

acacia

stejar

oak

tei

lime tree

ulm

elm

tisa

yew

zada, larice

larch

CARPATHIAN FORESTS
of Romanian forest managed for
watershed conservation
(rather than production)

ROMANIA ONE OF THE LARGEST

AREA OF UNDISTURBED FORESTS IN
EUROPE

Romania
3700 plant species
23 natural monument
74 missing
39 endangered
171 vulnerable
1253 - rare

EVOLUTION OF FOREST AREAS IN ROMANIA

CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION
1st century - FOREST COVER

80%
Lost forest
surface

Period

Causes

2nd and 3rd centuries

Massive deforestation / Romans

10th 18th centuries

Deforestation for agricultural land

4-6mil.ha

1829 1856

Deforestation for wheat cultivation (export)

1 mil ha

1864 1914

Peasants were given land

1.3 mil ha

1918 1935

Soldiers fighting in WWI got land

1.5 mil ha

1948 - 1989

Deforestation for industrial purposes

550.000 ha

1990 - 2005

Increase of illegal deforestation (for trade)

250.000 ha

Today - FOREST COVER

26.7%
Forest management
Before 1989
After 1989

ROMANIA GETS ROOTS

President TRAIAN BASESCU

planting a tree

ROMANIA GETS ROOTS

CARPATHIAN POPULATION

Low density: under 40 inhabitants/km

Total number: 3.2 million inhabitants
64 towns (2500 rural settlements)

VILLAGES WITH FORTIFIED CHURCHES

(Transylvania UNESCO)

Viscri

Prejmer

Biertan

Brateiu

CARPATHIANS origin place for almost all Romanian rivers

FACTORS influencing hydrography:

Central position
Orographic barrier
Vertical zonality law
Vegetation cover

Izvorul Muntelui 8000 ha

RESERVOIRS IN THE CARPATHIANS

VIDRA RESERVOIR (1038 ha)

VIDRARU RESERVOIR (895 ha)

River Lotru

River Arges

Main river: 4.5mc/s

Main river: 7.5mc/s

Other rivers: 11.3mc/s

Other rivers: 12mc/s

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ROLE OF RESERVOIRS

Water supply 120m/s drinking water for population, industry,
agriculture
Protection against floods (2.13 mil ha, 1927 localities, 3100 socio
economic units, 6100 roads and railroads)
Hydroelectric power production in a medium year: 20,749 GWh
Water source for irrigation: 3 mil ha

STRUCTURE OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION

Romania

Switzerland
Thermal and
other
5%

Other
2%

Hydro
36%

Gas
33%

Nuclear
39%

Coal
10%

Nuclear
19%

Hydro
56%

IRON GATES (PORTILE DE FIER)

Longest gorge in Europe
Largest Hydroelectric Complex in Romania
Largest Natural Park in Romania

19 countries
801,463 sq km

97.4% of Romania is
part of the Danube
River Basin
(30% of DRB)

The Danube is a river in Central and Eastern Europe, the European Unions longest and the
continents second longest (after Volga).
Classified as an international waterway, it originates in the town of Donaueschingen -which
is in the Black Forest of Germanyat the confluence of the rivers Brigach and Breg.
The Danube then flows southeast for 2,872 km, passing through four capital cities before
emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine..
Once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire, the river passes through or touches the
borders of ten countries: Romania, Hungary , Serbia, Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Slovakia,
Croatia, Ukraine, Moldova. Its drainage basin extends into nine more.

Translate the following river related terms into English:

Rau, fluviu

river

Izvor
Varsare

source
mouth

Debit

discharge

Bazin hidrografic

River basin
Water basin
Hydrographic basin
Drainage basin
Watershed
Catchement area
Divide
Water divide
Drainage divide

Cumpana de ape

Afluent

tributary

Confluenta

confluence

Lunca

Floodplain

Curs superior

Curs mijlociu

Upper course
Middle course

Curs inferior

Lower course

Cascada

Waterfall

Lac de acumulare

Reservoir

IRON GATES H.E.S. (I and II)

Joint Romanian Yugoslavian (Serbian) mega project (1964)

1972 Iron Gates I Hydroelectric Power Station
1984 Iron Gates II Hydroelectric Power Station

Uses:
Hydropower generation
Navigation
Flow regulation
Industrial water
Pisciculture
Leisure

Ambitious communist project to use the power of the Danube

IRON GATES GORGE

Length: 134km (Romania/Serbia)
Narrowest point: 150m

(Great Kazan 53m deep)

IRON GATES
COMMUNIST SUCCESS

1964 Official opening of the

Iron Gate Hydroelectric
structure construction
(Gh. Gheorghiu Dej)

1972 Official inauguration of

Iron Gate I
(N.Ceausescu)

Turn the following sentences into

the Passive voice:
They built the Iron Gates in the 70s

The Iron Gates were built...

They build a lot of schools.

A lot of schools are built...

They boy is building a sand castle.

A sand castle is being built...

The girl was building a bird house.

A bird house was being built...

They will build a hospital,

A hospital will be built...

They have built many flats.

Many flats have been built...

Had built

Had been built...

Would build

Would be built...

TO BE (conjugat la timpul respectiv) + Forma a III a a verbului (Past Participle)

WORKING AT IRON GATES

Workers: came from all over Romania (mainly east and center)
Excellent salaries
Places to live (including furniture); families/social life
Number of employees: 10.000 (maximum)

SACRIFICES FOR BUILDING THE HYDROELECTRIC STRUCTURES

Romania:
Relocation of 12 settlements
(Orsova..)
Relocation of 15.000 people
A lost island (Ada Kaleh)
Human loss: 100
Loss of ecosystems, habitat,
plant species, soil
(flooded)

Serbia:
Relocation of 7 settlements

ORSOVA (Roman DIERNA)

1940

ADA KALEH ISLAND LOST PARADISE

Length: 1.7km
Width: 0.5km
Strategic position: Gibraltar of the Danube
Military importance for centuries

ADA KALEH
Inhabited since Antiquity (Herodot)

ADA KALEH = FORTRESS ISLAND

ADA KALEH FORTRESS

ADA KALEH MOSQUE

ADA KALEH
Paradise Island
Mediteranean vegetation

ADA KALEH
1000 inhabitants (Turks)

ADA KALEH
Bazar

ADA KALEH
Turkish products:
Coffee
Lemonade
Sweets
Ice-cream
Tobacco
Jewels

ADA KALEH PARADISE FOR TOURISTS

1969 DESTRUCTION OF THE ISLAND

(ORIENT UNDER WATERS - 40m of water)

Vegetation was cut

Buildings were dynamited
People resettled (Dobruja, Bucharest, neighbouring towns, Turkey)
Not enough compensations

SIMIAN ISLAND (Desolation Island)

Project to transform this island into the
PEARL OF THE DANUBE
(10 mil Euro)

Ada Kaleh Fortress

What was saved from Ada Kaleh?

The Fortress (Simian Island)
The graveyard (Simian Island)
Carpet from the Mosque (144m, 480kg)
Mosque in Constanta
Artifacts Iron Gates Museum

IRON GATES LARGEST HYDROELECTRIC POWER

SYSTEM ON THE DANUBE
LARGEST IN ROMANIA

IRON GATES HYDROELECTRIC

SYSTEM

IRON GATES I

IRON GATES II

Construction began - 1964

Construction began - 1977

Opening date - 1972

Opening date - 1984

Dam:

Dam:

Height 60m
Length 1278m

Height 35m
Length 412m

Reservoir: 2.1 km

Reservoir: 0.6 km

Power station:

Power station:

Surface area: 104.41km

Installed capacity: 2,192MW

Surface area: 52km

Installed capacity: 591MW

IRON GATES I

IRON GATES I and II 10% of total electricity in Romania

IRON GATES I

NAVIGATION GATES

THE BLOODIEST FRONTIER IN EUROPE

(during Ceausescus regime)

1980-1989 16.000 attempts to illegally cross the border

12.000 were caught
4000 - disappeared

From Romania to Romania

- large gulf
- strong currents
- banks configuration
Romania

Romania

IRON GATES REZERVOIRS

EFFECTS

(local, national, transboundary)

Sediments dynamics
(20 mil t trapped/year)
-nutrient sink
-retention of pollutants
Erosion problems
Reduction in flow velocity

Raised groundwater tables in

the Serbian lowland
Impact on aquatic biocenosis
Reduction of the migration
route of sturgeons
Sudden modifications of water
level

Protected
areas in
Romania
5%
10.000km

IRON GATES NATURAL PARK

The largest in Romania (115.655 ha)

IRON GATES NATURAL PARK

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
BIODIVERSITY
IN THE PARK
(endemisms)
Agriculture (animal breeding)
Fishing
Mining
Industry
Transport
(No significant impact to the environment)

AREAS WITH PROTECTION STATUS

Flora and fauna
Geomorphological and Geological
aspects

IRON GATES NATURAL PARK

IRON GATES NATURAL PARK

IRON GATES historical place

Ruins of Trajans Bridge

(beginning of the 20th Century)

Statue of DECEBALUS 55m highest rock sculpture in Europe

"DECEBALUS REX - DRAGAN FECIT"

("King Decebalus - Made by Drgan").

Switzerland is like a garden as

compared to Carpathia

CARPATHIANS Europes last untamed wilderness

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND PARTICIPATION

IN THIS CLASS!