The Danube Delta is perhaps the most important wildlife area in Europe. This 564,000 ha major wetland area encompasses a diversity of species and habitats, and lies at the crossroads of several major bird migration routes. The significance of the Delta's ecological role thus extends far beyond its own boundaries. More than eighty per cent of the Delta falls within Romania. Under Ceausescu, this state sought to extend and intensify the economic exploitation of the Delta in order to compensate for the failure of development policies elsewhere in the country.