It has its spring in the Germany's Black Forest; it is Europe's second biggest river and the world's 26^th; it covers a distance of 2,860 km. through Europe; it washes the banks of four European capitals; it has a basin of over 800,000 sq. km., populated by some 80,000,000 inhabitants in eights countries: the old Danube divides itself into three arms - Chilia, Sulina and Sf. Gheorghe - affording, after such a long journey a luxuriant rest before blending its waters with those of the Black Sea.

The Danube Delta, just south of the Ukrainian border, is Europe's youngest land geologically, and a magnet for birds and birdwatchers. Considering, that at the pointed end of the Delta - a triangle similar to the Greek letter that lent its name to it - where the first branching of the arms occurs, the river's average discharge is about 6,300 cu.m/second, we will have an idea of the fact that in two minutes there flows water enough to meet a day's consumption of a city with over 1,000,000 inhabitants; the water carries some two tons of alluvia in suspension every second. Here, in the Delta, there is a continuing creation of the world: every second, every hour, brought by the untamed waters of the river alluvial deposits give birth to this young land. Each day means a new encounter with millions of creatures which live together only on board of this huge "Noah's Ark". Fish and butterflies, dragon flies, wild boars, snakes and wild dogs, or muskrats and otters, foxes and hares, sheep, goats and donkeys, bees or turtles from the fabulous Delta landscapes where the law of survival means hunger and prey. Maybe, before all, the miraculous triangle of land and water is conceived as an amazing metropolis of the winged creatures. Suffice to say that the five routes of migratory birds from Europe, Asia and Africa pass through the Danube Delta where suddenly there is an extraordinary image of this paradise.

Out of 315 species more than half make their nests here. Many of them are rarities and under protection. Among many others, the white egret, the bearded vulture, the spoonbill, the roller, the ordinary and curly pelican, the diver, the red neck goose, the swan have been declared monuments of the nature. There are more than 90 species of fish that live in the area of the Danube's mouth: sturgeons - being the caviar suppliers - migrating from the Black Sea to the Danube to lay their hard roe; the Delta marshes and canals offer to fishermen quite often such trophies as pike, perch, zander, catfish or bream. Just over 14,500 people live on the Delta.

A reservation of the biosphere, covering a surface of 5,800 sq. km., The Danube Delta is a kingdom of the waters, reed, sand banks, beautiful inner lakes, sand hills and willow forests. Traditional wooden kayaks and rowing boats are the primary means of accessing the Delta's 57 fishing villages. Ceausescu's project to reclaim 38% of the delta for fish farming, forestry and agriculture was abandoned after the revolution. Today the Danube Delta is protected, and 273,300 hectares (675,051 acres) of it are strictly forbidden zones, off limits to tourists and fishermen.