The Jiu (; ; ; ) is a river in southern

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It is formed near

Petroșani Petroșani (; Hungarian: ''Petrozsény''; German: ''Petroschen'') is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 31,044 as of 2021. The city has been associated with mining since the 19th century. History "Pietros" m ...

by the confluence of

headwater The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

Jiul de Vest The Jiul de Vest ("Western Jiu", previously also known as ) is a headwater of the river Jiu in Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukr ...

and

Jiul de Est The Jiul de Est ("Eastern Jiu", previously also known as ) is a headwater of the river Jiu in Romania. Its source is in the Șureanu Mountains. At its confluence with the Jiul de Vest The Jiul de Vest ("Western Jiu", previously also known as ) ...

. It flows southward through the Romanian counties

Hunedoara Hunedoara (; ; ) is a municipiu, city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southwestern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boș (''Bós''), Groș (''Grós''), Hășdat (''Hosdát ...

, Gorj, Mehedinți and Dolj before flowing into the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

near Zăval, a few kilometers upstream from the

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n city of

Oryahovo Oryahovo ( ) is a port city in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vratsa Province. It is located in a hilly area on the right bank of the Danube, just east of the mouth of the river Ogosta, a few more kilometres downstream from where the Jiu flows i ...

. It is long, including its source river,

. It has a basin of .2017 Romanian Statistical Yearbook
p. 13 Its average discharge at the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

is . The upper

Jiu Valley The Jiu Valley ( , ) is a region in southwestern Transylvania, Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains. The region was heavily industrialised and the main activity ...

, around Petroșani and Lupeni, is Romania's principal coal mining region.

Towns and cities

The following towns are situated along the Jiu, from source to mouth:

(Jiul de Est),

Lupeni Lupeni (; German: ''Schylwolfsbach'', Hungarian: ''Lupény'') is a mining city in the Jiu Valley in Hunedoara County, Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. It is one of the oldest and largest cities in the Jiu Valley. It is located ...

(Jiul de Vest), Bumbești-Jiu,

Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu (, is the capital city, capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu (river), Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the ...

, Turceni, Filiași, and

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries of the Jiu (from source to mouth): *Left:

, Izvor, Polatiștea, Radul, Pârâul Alb, Păiușu, Chițiu,

Sadu Sadu (; ) is a commune in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania, at the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains, 27 km south of the county capital Sibiu, in the Mărginimea Sibiului ethnographic area. It is composed of a single village, Sadu. In ...

, Curpenoasa, Tetila, Iazu Topilelor, Hodinău, Amaradia (Gorj), Dâmbova, Cioiana,

Gilort The Gilort is a river in southern Romania, a left tributary of the river Jiu. The Gilort flows through the villages and towns Novaci, Bălcești, Bengești, Târgu Cărbunești, Jupânești, Turburea and Capu Dealului. Its length is and i ...

, Fratoștița, Cârnești, Răcari, Brădești, Amaradia (Dolj), Preajba, Lumaș, Leu, Gioroc *Right:

, Cândețu, Murga Mică, Murga Mare, Dumitra, Cerbănașu, Bratcu, Porcu, Sâmbotin, Cartiu, Pietroasa, Șușița (Gorj),

Tismana Tismana is a town in Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It administers ten villages: Celei, Costeni, Gornovița, Isvarna, Pocruia, Racoți, Sohodol, Topești, Vâlcele, and Vânăta. History During the Byzantine period, Tismana was a major center of ...

, Timișeni, Jilț, Ceplea, Șușița (Mehedinți),

Motru Motru () is a municipiu, city in Romania, Gorj County. It is situated on the river Motru (river), Motru and its tributary, the river Ploștina (river), Ploștina, in western Oltenia. The county capital Târgu Jiu is located about northeast. The ...

, Bâlta, Racovița,

Argetoaia Argetoaia is a commune in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, ...

, Raznic, Tejac, Ulm, Prodila

References

Rivers of Romania Rivers of Hunedoara County Rivers of Gorj County Rivers of Dolj County {{Hunedoara-river-stub

Towns and cities

Tributaries

See also

References