NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Romania
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a Communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power by a fractious coalition of center-right parties. Currently, the Social Democratic Party forms a nominally minority government, which governs with the support of the opposition Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania. Much economic restructuring remains to be carried out before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the European Union. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
Location:
|
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
46 00 N, 25 00 E |
|
Map references:
|
Europe |
|
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 |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
|
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 Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 40.57%
permanent crops: 2.4% other: 57.03% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
28,800 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
|
Geography - note:
|
controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
22,317,730 (July 2002 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 17.4% (male 1,992,505; female 1,898,122)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 7,618,801; female 7,726,300) 65 years and over: 13.8% (male 1,274,881; female 1,807,121) (2002 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
-0.21% (2002 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
10.81 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
12.27 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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)/female (2002 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
18.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 70.39 years
female: 74.39 years (2002 est.) male: 66.62 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.35 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.02% (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
7,000 (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
350 (1999 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Romanian(s)
adjective: Romanian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002) |
|
Religions:
|
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%, Protestant 6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%, unaffiliated 0.2% (2002) |
|
Languages:
|
Romanian, Hungarian, German |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97% male: 98% female: 95% (1992 est.) |