Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-20
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

Runania's Boundaries-A succinct description of Rumania's boundaries is given in today's war geography bulletin issued by the National Geo. graphic Society. The analysis Of the southern, western and northern Iron- tiers of the largest ard most pros porous of the Balkan States is of timely interest in view of the decla- ration of war which places this coun- try in alliance with the Entent Allies against the Central powers. The bull letin says:
 The two big western jaws of Ru- mania-t5e provinces of Moldavia and Wanachia-look as if they had been set with gigantic, jagged teeth by some titan deity of war. And these great molars, the towering Car pathians, seem ready to close down upon and bite from Austria Hun gary's domain the rich region known as Pennsylvania, with an area of 21, ,000 square miles. Now that hostil- ities between Rumania, and the dual
 monarchy have been declared it is the problem Of the latter nation 10 make
 the natural fortress of east Hungary an impregnable salient jutting far ln- to the eneny's lines.
 Prom Verciorova in the southwest, where the Danube rushes through the kazan Defile out of Hungary and be-
 comes the southern boundary of Ru-
 mania, to that point in a northeast
 erly direction where the three iron
 tiers of Russia, Rumania and BuNo
 W-ina meet in 300 miles in an airline, but following the crest of the Carr
 pathians along the devious interna-
 tionaI boundary between western Ru
 mania and eastern Hungary the dis
 tance is more than 5G0 miles. This line is pierced at several points by passes and sWiftfloWing rivers which
 break through the rocky wall, but,
 generally speaking, the mountains,
 which are known as the Pennsylvania
 Alps and which at some places at
 tain an altitude of more than spec
 feet, form a great rampant for Hun
 mania are much more preciTaous than those leading westward down to
 the fertile Hungarian plain.
 'fThe most famous breaks in this mountain wall are the previously mentioned Kazan Pass, which is also the Roteturm Pass, which follows the depression of the turbulent Aluta
 River; the Borgo and Predeal Passes Railroad engineers have taken advan-
 tage of these natural gateways through the rocks, one of the most
 connects the RUmanian capital, Buch-
 arrest, with Budapest, via Temesvar. It enters Rumania through the KaZan Defle. The distance between the two capitals by this line is 546 miles, and before the war upset railroad sche- dulles the tourist could board a sleep ing car on the Orient Express in Vii
 enna at seven o'clock one evening" pass through Budapest at midnight, and arrive at Bucharest the following evening at 6:30. The usual running time from Budapest to Bucharest is 21 hours on this line and an hour longer by way of the Predeal Pass,
 the distance by the latter route being 561 miles.
 ERumania touches the northeastern 1 corner of Serbia for distance of 50
 miles below the Iron Gate, the Dan ube forming the boundary line. To the east, beyond the Serbian frontier town of Radievatz, the broad reaches of the river constitute the dividing line between Bulgaria and Rumania. The northern <Rumanian) bank of the
 great waterway is largely fen land presenting a most desolate aspect Numerous islands dot the bottom of
 the swift river whose waters turn tRe wheels of many floating waterfalls moored along the bank in this part of it's course. Some twenty miles
 northeast of the Bulgarian railroad junction city cf Rustohuk the inter-
 national boundary ceases to follow the river but breaks sharply to the southeast, reaching the Black Sea at Baltchik. This artificial line was es- tabl1Shed- to RumaniaS advantage following the Second Balkan war, Bulgaria being the loser of 2,90O square miles in this region of Dobrud- | ia. ''The northeastern boundary of Ru- 1 mania is the River Pr-uth, which rises
 in the CarpatAians beyond Czerno- i wftz and flows in a southeasterly di-
 rection into the Danube 10 miles be- low the important Rumanian city of ; Ga1atz. It separates the province of Bessarabia, a natural boundary of 3S0 ! miles. From the conf1unce of the | Pruth with the Danube the larger 1 river is the Russo -Runanian bound ary to the Black Sea. The Rumanian | frontage from north to south on this
 great island sea exceeds 160 miles,