ROMANIA - BASIC FACTS

Romania is located in South-Eastern Europe. It shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south. Romania has a stretch of sea coast along the Black Sea. It is located roughly in the lower basin of the Danube and almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory.

Romania is a semi-presidential unitary state. As a nation-state, the country was formed by the merger of Moldavia and Walachia in 1859 and it gained recognition of its independence in 1878. Later, in 1918, they were joined by Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia. At the end of World War II, parts of its territory was occupied by USSR and Romania became a member of the Warsaw Pact. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Romania started a series of political and economic reforms that allowed for Romania to join the European Union on January 1, 2007.

Romania has the 9th largest territory and the 7th largest population (with 22 million people) among the European Union member states. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the 6th largest city in the EU. In 2007, Sibiu, a large city in Transylvania, was chosen as European Capital of Culture. Romania also joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) on March 29, 2004, and is also a member of the Latin Union, of the Francophone countries, and of OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).

Romania

Map of the 8 development regions. - source

Area: 238,391 km2.

Capital city: Bucharest.

Nationality: Romanian(s).

Population: 21.6 million (December 2006).

Annual population growth rate: -0.3%.

Ethnic groups: Romanians 89%, Hungarians 7.1%, Germans 0.5%, Ukrainians, Serbs, Croats, Russians, Turks, and Roma 2.5%.

Religions: Orthodox 86.8%, Roman Catholic 5%, Reformed Protestant, Baptist, and Pentecostal 5%, Greek Catholic 1 to 3%, Muslim 0.2%, Jewish less than 0.1%.

Official language: Romanian.

Education: Years compulsory: 10. Attendance: 98%. Literacy: 98%.

Health: Infant mortality rate: 18.7/1000 (2001); 18.6/1000 (2002). Life expectancy: men 67.61 yrs., women 74.9 yrs.

Work force (June 2007): 9.4 million. Agriculture: 3.0 million, industry and construction: 2.8 million, services: 3.3 million, other: 0.3 million.

According to the 2002 census, Romania has a population of 21,698,181 and, as is the case with other countries in the region, is expected to slowly decline in the coming years as a result of below-replacement fertility rates. Romanians make up 89.5% of the population. The largest ethnic minorities are Hungarians, who make up 6.6% of the population and Roma or Gypsies, who make up 2.5% of the population. By the official census 535,250 Roma live in Romania.www.wikipedia.org - Romania

The overall population density conceals considerable regional variation. Population density is highest in the urban locations. The second highest density is in the lower plains (up to altitudes of some 700 ft). These are agricultural areas with traditionally high birth rate. The higher altitude areas of 700 to 2,000 feet have the lowest population density. The number of Romanians living abroad, including their descendants, is estimated at around 12 million.