Welcome to Romania!

Romania-a mellifluous, musical name, and musical too is the scenery in this lovely land on the Danube. In the forest of reeds along the river and in the delta, the great white heron and many other species of bird make their nests, while the rugged mountains are home to bears and wolves.

With 1,075 kilometers (667 miles) along the Danube, Romania has the longest stretch of the river of any country. The great river, which flows from the mountains of the Black Forest traversing Europe from west to east and forming a vital line of trade and communications, ends in one of Europe's most spectacular natural environments: the Danube delta. The delta is an area of 4,500 square kilometers (1,737 sq.mi.) of which Romania has the lion's share. Only twenty percent of the delta's area is land, the rest is made up of water, reeds and floating islands. Over 100 types of fish live in the delta's waters while more than 300 bird species make it one of the world's largest bird preserves. In this unique, natural landscape of reeds, marsh poplars, pastures and climbing plants, the continent's last pelicans, which are the delta's symbol, have found a refuge. Fishermen familiar with the delta can guide visitors through the tranquil labyrinth of meandering branches of the river, canals, and lakes aboard paddle boats and an increasing number of firms offer Danube delta holidays aboard floating hotels. This is truly a fascinating area, one which is constantly changed by the river's course, and one which visitors should take plenty of time to see at a leisurely pace. Enough time should be reserved too for Bucharest, Romania's capital. The city has been called the "Paris of the East" because of its many Belle Epoque buildings, broad avenues, and extensive parks. The Moldavian monasteries with their splendid frescoes are some of the finest examples of Byzantine art and have been declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

The International Convention Center located in the Romanian parliament building held 2002 the Eleventh Danube Travel Mart -the premiere specialized international tourist trade fair for the Danube region-from.