The Newest Land in Romania and Europe

Sacalin Island at the Confluence of the Danube with the Black Sea

Sacalin Island in the Danube Delta

Sacalin Island in the Danube Delta has been classified as a reserve of the Danube Delta Biosphere since 1938 and is renowned, alongside the beach at Sfântu Gheorghe, for having the finest sand on the Romanian Black Sea coast. Sacalin Island is the newest land in Romania, a new island formed in 1897 in the Black Sea, a short distance from the coast. The island is located opposite the Sfântu Gheorghe Branch and stretches out as a strip of land approximately 19 km long.

The newest land in Europe, Sacalin Island is constantly evolving. Its territory is rich in halophytic plants, also known as salt-tolerant plants, adapted to retain water in poor soil with an excess of mineral salts. Among the rare plants that grow on the island, we mention sea kale (a halophytic species that grows in saline soils) and the swamp canary. At certain times of the year, when the waters recede, the northeastern part of the island attaches to the mainland of the Delta, transforming it into a peninsula.

Biodiversity on Sacalin Island

To protect the remarkable biodiversity of Sacalin Island, tourist access is strictly forbidden. Observing Sacalin Island and its rich fauna is done from the water, at a distance. The enthusiasm and delight of visitors remain undiminished – at the sight of a variety of over 200 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles. Exceptionally, according to statements from representatives of INCDDD Tulcea (National Institute for Research and Development of the Danube Delta) to Agerpres, after more than 30 years, Sacalin Island has once again become a habitat for the Black Sea seal at Sfântu Gheorghe.

Top Destination in the Danube Delta

Recommended as a top destination for exploring the Danube Delta in Tulcea County, both by tour guides and locals of the Sfântu Gheorghe area, Sacalin Island hosts a wide variety of birds. These are part of the Danube Delta ecosystem on the Sfântu Gheorghe branch. Sacalin Island brings together colonies of 14 bird species, providing nesting grounds – with approximately another 100 bird species for which it serves as a pre-migration and migration location.

Sacalin Island is the nesting, feeding, and wintering ground for the largest colonies in Romania of Dalmatian pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) and Sandwich terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis). The island is home to 229 bird species, and its waters shelter rare fish, such as sturgeons, mullets, and gray mullets.

History of Sacalin Island

The first mention of Sacalin Island is documented in 1771 on a Russian map, at a time when it had a single nucleus. A new map from 1856 showed the island with two submerged nuclei (completely submerged in water). In 1924, Sacalin Island measured 10 km in length, and by 2015 it had reached 19 km (with minor breaks), according to measurements by Romanian researchers.

Sacalin Zătoane Complex

The Sacalin Zătoane Complex has been a nationally protected area since 2000, part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. The Sacalin Zătoane area is located in the southern part of the Sfântu Gheorghe commune in Tulcea County, in the southern region of the Danube Delta, near the mouth of the Sfântu Gheorghe branch into the Black Sea. The Sacalin Zătoane Reserve spans a sandy territory of 21,410 hectares, consisting of ridges, sand dunes, marshes, lakes, pools, channels, and reed beds.

The protected area of Sacalin Zătoane is a nesting, feeding, and resting habitat for nesting bird species (migratory or sedentary) and passage species: whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus), great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Dalmatian pelicans (Pelecanus crispus), squacco herons (Ardeola ralloides), glossy ibises (Plegadis falcinellus), purple herons (Ardea purpurea), and Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia).