Djerdap

a section of the Danube Valley above the city of Turnu-Severin that forms the border between Rumania and Yugoslavia. Length, approximately 120 km.

Within the Djerdap, the Danube Valley is narrowed to 0.6-1.5 km by the spurs of the southern Carpathians approaching from the north and by the eastern Serbian Mountains from the south. In the gorges and passes known as the Iron Gate and the Kazane defile, the valley narrows to 150 m. There are rapids in the Danube’s channel, making navigation difficult. The velocity of the river varies from 2.2 to 4.7 m per sec.

Rumania and Yugoslavia, with aid from the USSR and other socialist countries, are constructing a navigation system and a hydroelectric system near the Iron Gate.