Râul Mureș între Morești și Ogra

The Mureș is the largest tributary on the left side of the Tisza River, flowing into it in Hungary, in the city of Segedin. In Romania, it is the second longest river, after the Danube, with a total length of 803 km, of which 761 km are on Romanian territory. Its watershed covers an area of ​​29,289 km², of which 27,890 km² are in Romania.

The Mureș River largely follows an old tectonic fracture line, which makes the hydrographic connection between the Transylvanian Plateau and the Pannonian Depression. It rises in the Hășmaș Mountains (part of the Eastern Carpathians), at an altitude of 850 m, near the village of Izvoru Mureșului. Initially, it flows in a southeast–northwest direction, crossing the Giurgeu Depression for a distance of approximately 75 km. At Toplița, it changes course to the west, crossing the Călimani and Gurghiu Mountains, through a spectacular gorge (Toplița–Deda), 50 km long and 80–100 m wide, carved into volcanic rocks (andesites and pyroclastites). This gorge, declared a nature reserve (60 km²), was transformed into a traffic corridor, being crossed by a road (built between 1881–1885) and a railway (built between 1890–1910).

After leaving the gorge, the river continues its course to the south-southwest, crossing the central area of ​​the Transylvanian Plateau, where it separates the Transylvanian Plain from the Târnave Plateau. On this route, it passes through several cities: Reghin, Târgu Mureș, Iernut, Luduș, Ocna Mureș and Aiud. Later, it separates the Trascău and Metaliferi Mountains (to the north) from the southern branches of the Cindrel, Șureanu and Poiana Ruscăi Mountains, through a corridor known as the Mureș Corridor. It includes several narrow areas and epigenetic gorges, as well as several basins – Simeria-Deva, Ilia, Căpruș. From Simeria, the river takes on an east-west direction, separating the Zarand Mountains (north) from the Lipovei Plateau (south), passing through the city of Lipova. After Păuliș, it enters the Arad Plain, where it describes numerous meanders, crosses the municipality of Arad and, near the city of Nădlac, forms the natural border between Romania and Hungary for a distance of 31 km. Here, its average flow rate is 165 m³/s.

After entering the territory of Hungary, the river continues its course until it flows into the Tisa, in the city of Segedin. Along its course, the Mureș River crosses geographically diverse regions: 25% of its route is mountainous, 55% plateau and 23% plain. The average drainage slope varies: 2.7‰ in the Giurgeu Depression, 20–25‰ in the mountainous areas, 0.5‰ in the Transylvanian Plateau and 0.3‰ in the lower plain. It transports approximately 2.7 million tons of alluvium annually. Its important tributaries include the Comlod, Luduș, Arieș, Târnava, Ampoi, Sebeș, Cugir and Strei rivers. In antiquity, the river was known as Maris or Marisia.

Sursa: romaniadategeografice.net