Editing Danube (section)

== History ==
Greek and Roman writers knew the lower Danube as the Ister, while the upper river was called the Danuvius. The river later formed much of the northern frontier of the Roman Empire in southeastern Europe.

During the medieval and early modern periods, the Danube carried trade between inland settlements and the Black Sea. It also formed a political frontier between the Habsburg and Ottoman spheres in parts of Central and Southeastern Europe.

International regulation of navigation expanded during the nineteenth century. The European Commission of the Danube was established in 1856 to improve navigation near the river mouth. It operated from Galați and carried out engineering work on the Sulina branch.