The Prut River

The Prut River is a 953 km long river in Eastern Europe. It flows from Mount Hoverla in the Ukrainian Carpathians down to the Danube River in Romania. It is a major tributary of the Danube, forming a basin of over 27,000 square kilometers. The Prut River is the last major tributary of the Danube, with its confluence just upstream of the Danube Delta. For much of its length, the Prut forms the border between Moldova and Romania.

The first section of the Prut (to Deliatyn) flows through narrow mountain valleys and is marked by rapids and waterfalls. From that point the river widens, although it still has a considerable drop. Fed by rain and meltwater, the Prut freezes over lightly from January to March.

In spite of extensive alterations and intensive human use, the Prut River area still supports a high level of biodiversity of international significance, especially migratory birds. In 1991, an area of 1,691 ha of the Prut floodplain was designated as a state reserve - Prutul de Jos Nature Reserve - under strict levels of protection and was nominated as the first Ramsar site of Moldova. In 2003, over 8,000 ha of the Romanian side were designated as a nature park - Lower Prut Nature Park.