Romania

Romania

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name România/Romania Area 237,500 sq km/91,698 sq mi Capital Bucharest Language Romanian (official), Hungarian, German Religion Romanian Orthodox 87%; Roman Catholic and Uniate 5%, Reformed/Lutheran 3%, Unitarian 1% Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1–2 January, 15 April, 1 May, 1, 25–26 December


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Brasov, Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, IasI, Constanta, Galati, Craiova Major ports Galati, Constanta, Braila Physical features mountains surrounding a plateau, with river plains in south and east. Carpathian Mountains, Transylvanian Alps; River Danube; Black Sea coast; mineral springs Airports eight international airports; 12 domestic airports; total passengers carried: 1.3 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 11,002 km/6,836 mi; total passenger journeys: 95.6 million (2002) Roads total road network: 198,817 km/123,539 mi, of which 30.2% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 167 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Traian Basescu from 2004 Head of government Calin Tariceanu from 2004 Political system liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 41 counties and the municipality of Bucharest Political parties Democratic Convention of Romania (DCR), centre-right coalition; Social Democratic Union (SDU), reformist; Social Democracy Party of Romania (PSDR), social democrat; Romanian National Unity Party (RNUP), Romanian nationalist, right wing, anti-Hungarian; Greater Romania Party (Romania Mare), far right, ultranationalist, anti-Semitic; Democratic Party–National Salvation Front (DP–NSF), promarket; National Salvation Front (NSF), left of centre; Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (HDUR), ethnic Hungarian; Christian Democratic–National Peasants' Party (CD–PNC), right of centre, promarket; Socialist Labour Party (SLP), ex-communist Death penalty abolished in 1989 Armed forces 97,200; plus 104,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 79,900 (2004 est) Conscription military service is compulsory for 12 months Defence spend (% GDP) 2.2 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3.5 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3.8 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency leu GDP (US$) 98.6 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 5.5 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 82.9 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 8,940 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 7.8% (2006 est) Unemployment 7.7% (2005 est) Labour force 32.1% agriculture, 30.3% industry, 37.6% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 36.4 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Italy, Germany, France, EU25 Resources brown coal, hard coal, iron ore, salt, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, methane gas, petroleum (reserves expected to be exhausted by mid- to late 1990s) Industries metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical products, timber and wood products, textiles and clothing, food processing Exports textiles and clothing, machinery and equipment, mineral products, base metals and metallic articles, foodstuffs. Principal market: Italy 19.2% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, mineral products, textiles, clothing and footwear, chemicals, plastics and rubber. Principal source: Germany 15.5% (2005) Arable land 39.5% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, maize, potatoes, sugar beet, barley, apples, grapes, sunflower seeds; wine production; forestry; fish breeding


POPULATION

Population 21,629,300 (2006 est) Population growth rate -0.4% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 91 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 55 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 16%, 15–59 65%, 60+ 19% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 89% non-Slavic ethnic Romanian; substantial Hungarian (7%), Romany (2%), German (0.5%), and Serbian minorities Life expectancy 67 (men); 76 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 20 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 98% (men); 96% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 18.9 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 6.6 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) <0.1 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 91 (urban); 16 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 20.2 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 61.5 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 358 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 893 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 11.3 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 20.8 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

106 Formed heartland of ancient region of Dacia, which was conquered by Roman Emperor Trajan and became a province of Roman Empire; Christianity introduced. 275 Taken from Rome by invading Goths, a Germanic people. 4th–10th centuries Invaded by successive waves of Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars, and Mongols. c. 1000 Transylvania, in north, became an autonomous province under Hungarian crown. mid-14th century Two Romanian principalities emerged, Wallachia in south, around Bucharest, and Moldova in northeast. 15th–16th centuries The formerly autonomous principalities of Wallachia, Moldova, and Transylvania became tributaries to Ottoman Turks, despite peasant uprisings and resistance from Vlad Tepes (‘the Impaler’), ruling prince of Wallachia. late 17th century Transylvania conquered by Austrian Habsburgs. 1829 Wallachia and Moldova brought under tsarist Russian suzerainty. 1859 Under Prince Alexandru Ion Cuza, Moldova and Wallachia united to form Romanian state. 1878 Romania's independence recognized by Great Powers in Congress of Berlin. 1881 Became kingdom under Carol I. 1916–18 Fought on Triple Entente side (Britain, France, and Russia) during World War I; acquired Transylvania and Bukovina, in north, from dismembered Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Bessarabia, in east, from Russia. This made it the largest state in Balkans. 1930 King Carol II abolished democratic institutions and established dictatorship. 1940 Romania forced to surrender Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, adjoining Black Sea, to Soviet Union, and northern Transylvania to Hungary; King Carol II abdicated, handing over power to General Ion Antonescu, who signed Axis Pact with Germany. 1941–44 Fought alongside Germany before switching sides. 1945 Occupied by Soviet Union; communist-dominated government installed. 1947 Paris Peace Treaty reclaimed Transylvania for Romania, but lost southern Dobruja to Bulgaria and northern Bukovina and Bessarabia to Soviet Union; King Michael, son of Carol II, abdicated and people's republic proclaimed. 1955 Joined Warsaw Pact. 1965 Nicolae Ceausescu became Romanian Communist Party leader, and pursued foreign policy autonomous of Moscow. 1975 Ceausescu made president. 1980s Political repression and increasing impoverishment. 1989 Bloody overthrow and execution of Ceausescu in ‘Christmas Revolution’; power assumed by former communists under Ion Iliescu as National Salvation Front. 1996 Centre-right election victory over former communists. 1997 Former King Michael returned from exile. 1998 Start of European Union (EU) membership negotiations. Sharp economic deterioration. 2000 Iliescu became president again, replacing Emil Constantinescu; social democrats won parliamentary elections. 2003 New constitution approved in referendum. 2004 Romania joined NATO. Traian Basescu and Calin Popescu-Tariceanu of the Justice and Truth Alliance became president and prime minister following elections. 2007 Romania joined EU. President Basescu survived parliamentary bid to impeach him for abuse of power.


© RM 2009. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.