The Danube River drains the whole of Romania except the Black Sea coast and completes its 2850-km course through eight countries here in Romania's Danube Delta. South of the delta is the Black Sea coast and west of it, along the Bulgarian border, strech the Danube lowlands. Most of central and northern Romania is taken up by the U-shaped Carpathian Mountains. The highest point in the Romanian Carpatians is Mt Moldoveanu at 2544 metres in the Fagaras Mountains south-east of Sibiu. The Transylvanyan plateau occupies the centre of the U, and the Moldavian plateau lies to the east.
Earthquakes are common in the south and south-west.
The Carpathian Mountains account for about a third of the country's area with alpine pastures above and thick forests below. Another third of Romania is covered by hills and tablelands full of orchards and vineyards. The final third is a fertile plain where cereals, vegetables, herbs and other crops are grown. Eleven per cent of the land is irrigated. Climate Romania's warm summers and cold winters define a transitional temperate-continental type of climate.