The Prut River was named as Gerasus by Ptolemeu, Porata by Ammian, and Pyretus by the old Greeks is the second greatest river flowing through the Republic of Moldova. Its spring originates in the Ukrainian Carpathian Moun tains at an altitude of 1,600 m and flows into the Danube River near Giurgiulești Village. From a total length of 976 km, 695 km of the river stretches throughout the territory and contains within its valley two important natural reservations: the Princely Forest and the Lower Prut.