Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between
Bulgaria and Ukraine
Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 25 00 E
Area:
total: 237,500 sq km
land: 230,340 sq km
water: 7,160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,508 km
border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km,
Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine
(north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km
Coastline:
225 km
Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and
fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and
thunderstorms
Terrain:
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the
Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian
Mountains and separated from the Wala
Economy - Romania
Overview:
Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989
with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern
of output unsuited to the country's needs. The country
emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession
thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Despite
the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic
activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption
have kept growth above 4%. An IMF Standby Agreement,
signed in 2001, has been accompanied by slow but
palpable gains in privatization, deficit reduction,
and the curbing of inflation. The IMF Board approved
Romania's completion of the standby agreement in
October 2003, the first time Romania has successfully
concluded an IMF agreement since the 1989 revolution.
Nonetheless, recent macroeconomic gains have d
Independence:
9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from Turkey;
independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of
Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881; republic
proclaimed 30 December 1947)
National holi
Transportation -
Romania
Railways:
total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
broad gage: 60 km 1.524-m gauge
Highways:
total: 198,603 km
paved: 98,308 km (including 113 km of expressways)
unpaved: 100,295 km (2000)
Waterways:
1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines:
gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2003)
Ports and harbors:
Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea
Merchant marine:
total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 395,350 GRT/510,232
DWT
registered in other countries: 39 (2003 est.)
foreign-owned: Greece 1, Italy 2
by type: bulk 7, cargo 26, container 1, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 4, rail car carrier 2, roll on/roll
off 4
Airports:
62 (2003 est.
Transitional
issues - Romania
Disputes - international:
has not resolved claims to Ukrainian-administered
Zmyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary
despite ongoing talks based on 1997 friendship treaty
to find a solution in two years; Hungary amended
status law extending special social and cultural
benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Romania, who had
objected to the law
Illicit drugs:
Major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin
transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin
American cocaine bound for Western Europe; although
not a significant financial center, role as a
narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering
which occurs via the banking system, currency exchange
houses, and casinos
People - Romania
Population:
22,355,551 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.2% (male 1,861,801; female 1,770,746)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,712,612; female 7,791,900)
65 years and over: 14.4% (male 1,330,994; female
1,887,498) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.1 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 37.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.11% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
10.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
11.69 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/f
Communications
- Romania
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,215,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
5,110,600 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: poor domestic service, but
improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk
network is mostly microwave radio relay, with some
fiber-optic cable; about one-third of exchange
capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages have no
service
international: country code - 40; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat; new digital, international,
direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note -
Romania is an active participant in several
international telecommunication network projects
(1999)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
48 (plus 392 r
Background -
Romania
Romania is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering
the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine.
The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for
centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman
Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united
in 1859 under the new name of Romania. The country
gained full independence in 1878. It joined the Allied
Powers in World War I and acquired new territories
following the conflict. In 1940, it allied with the
Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German
invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by
the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war
Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist
"people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the
king.
