Jijia Plain

Jijia Plain (Romanian: Câmpia Jijiei) is a geographic area in NE Romania (most of Botoşani, and parts of Iaşi counties). Despite the name, it is not a flatland, but a region dotted with hills, part of the Moldavian Plateau. In Romania sometimes it is also called the Moldavian Plain, however one should be warned that in Moldova the latter term is used as a synonym for the Bălţi steppe plus Middle Prut Valley, which have a relief and natural vegetation identical to that of the Jijia Plain.

Jijia Plain has altitudes of cca. 200m, lower than the surrounding Suceava Plateau, Dniester Hills, and Bârlad Plateau. The surrounding hills are characterized by deep gorges, and the term plains is employed to denote the fact that the area in-between the hill formations is visibly more lean and less slant. The natural vegetation of this area of smooth hills is silvosteppe (forest-steppe). Nowadays it is intensely farmed.

Jijia River is a tributary to the river Prut.

The region is a traditional agricultural area, favored by the black earth (earth with a very high natural fertility). Crops, vegetables, technical plants (such as tobacco), fruit trees (such as apple trees), fodder for the livestock, and occasionally grapes, potatoes, and berry shrubs are cultivated. The agriculture has an overwhelming dominance over the traditional vegetation, (deciduous) forest steppes. Traditional wildlife – wolves, foxes, rabbits, boars, roes, storks, geese, ducks – are very rarely found outside a few remaining forests. A traditional horse raising area, the Moldavian Plains in the last century has specialized in livestock (horses, cows, sheep), and poultry.

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