Szamos

(in Rumania, Someş), a river in Rumania and Hungary, a left tributary of the Tisza. The Szamos is 418 km long and drains an area of 15,300 sq km. The upper Szamos has the characteristics of a mountain river and intersects the spurs of the Eastern Carpathians and the Bihor massif; the lower Szamos flows through the Middle Danube Plain. High water is in spring and early summer; the low-water period is in late summer and fall. The mean flow rate at Satu Mare is 114 cu m per sec. The river is covered with ice from late December to late February. The Szamos is used for floating timber. The lower course, which is regulated and canalized, is navigable. The Szamos is also used for irrigation, primarily in the lower course. Cities on the river include Cluj-Napoca and Satu Mare (Rumania).