| 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 President Nicolae
CEAUSESCU became increasingly draconian through the 1980s.
He was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former
communists dominated the government until 1996 when they
were swept from power. Much economic restructuring remains
to be carried out before Romania can achieve its hope of
joining the EU. |
| 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, Yugoslavia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362
km, Ukraine (east) 169 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth
of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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:
41%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 21%
forests and woodland: 29%
other: 6% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
31,020 sq km
(1993 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, 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, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol |
| Geography
- note: |
controls most
easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova,
and Ukraine |
| Population: |
22,364,022 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
17.95% (male 2,054,323; female 1,959,196)
15-64 years: 68.51% (male 7,605,751; female
7,715,434)
65 years and over: 13.54% (male 1,255,880;
female 1,773,438) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.21% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
10.8 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
12.28
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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 (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
19.36
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 70.16 years
male: 66.36 years
female: 74.19 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.35 children
born/woman (2001 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 7.1%, Roma 1.8%, German 0.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%,
other 0.8% (1992) |
| Religions: |
Romanian Orthodox
70%, Roman Catholic 3%, Uniate Catholic 3%, Protestant 6%,
unaffiliated 18% |
| Languages: |
Romanian,
Hungarian, German |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 95% (1992 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Romania
local long form: none
local short form: Romania |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
40 counties (judete,
singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba,
Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila,
Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj,
Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu,
Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures, Mehedinti,
Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava,
Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea |
| Independence: |
1881 (from
Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947) |
| National
holiday: |
Unification Day
(of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918) |
| Constitution: |
8 December 1991 |
| Legal
system: |
former mixture of
civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on
the constitution of France's Fifth Republic |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 December
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Adrian
NASTASE (since 29 December 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote
for a four-year term; election last held 26 November 2000,
with runoff between the top two candidates held 10 December
2000 (next to be held NA November/December 2004); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: percent of vote - Ion ILIESCU
66.84%, Corneliu Vadim TUDOR 33.16% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (140
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (345
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 November 2000
(next to be held in the fall of 2004); Chamber of Deputies -
last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of
2004)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
party - PDSR 37.1%, PRM 21.0%, PD 7.6%, PNL 7.5%, UDMR 6.9%;
seats by party - PDSR 65, PRM 37, PD 13, PNL 13, UDMR 12;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PDSR 36.6%,
PRM 19.5%, PD 7.0%, PNL, 6.9%, UDMR 6.8%; seats by party -
PDSR 155, PRM 84, PD 31, PNL 30, UDMR 27, ethnic minorities
18 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of
Justice (judges are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Democratic Party
or PD [Petre ROMAN]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in
Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL
[Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS]; Party of Social Democracy in
Romania or PDSR [Adrian NASTASE]; Romania Mare Party
(Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; The
Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
various human
rights and professional associations |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, Australia
Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM
(guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU,
WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851
FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and
New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador James C. ROSAPEPE
embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)
telephone: [40] (1) 210 40 42
FAX: [40] (1) 210 03 95
branch office(s): Cluj-Napoca |
| Flag
description: |
three equal
vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the
national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow
band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also
resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova |
| Economy
- overview: |
Romania, one of
the poorest countries in Central and Eastern Europe, began
the transition from communism in 1989 with a largely
obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to
the country's needs. Over the past decade economic
restructuring has lagged behind most other countries in the
region. Consequently, living standards have continued to
fall - real wages are down over 40%. Corruption too has
worsened. The EU ranks Romania last among enlargement
candidates, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD) rates Romania's transition progress the
region's worst. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing
three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export
markets. A new government elected in November 2000 promises
to promote economic reform. Bucharest hopes to receive
financial and technical assistance from international
financial institutions and Western governments; negotiations
over a new IMF standby agreement are to begin early in 2001.
If reform stalls, Romania's ability to borrow from both
public and private sources could quickly dry up, leading to
another financial crisis. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $132.5 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.2% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $5,900 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
13.9%
industry: 32.6%
services: 53.5% (2000) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
44.5% (2000) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
3.8%
highest 10%: 20.2% (1992) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
45.7% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
9.9 million (1999
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 40%,
industry 25%, services 35% (1998) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
11.5% (1999) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$11.7 billion
expenditures: $12.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
| Industries: |
textiles and
footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber,
construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food
processing, petroleum refining |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
8% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
49.036 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
53.99%
hydro: 36.18%
nuclear: 9.81%
other: 0.02% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
44.768 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
1.935 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
1.1 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, corn,
sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep |
| Exports: |
$11.2 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
textiles and
footwear 26%, metals and metal products 15%, machinery and
equipment 11%, minerals and fuels 6% (1999) |
| Exports
- partners: |
Italy 23%,
Germany 18%, France 6%, Turkey 5%, US (1999) |
| Imports: |
$11.9 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment 23%, fuels and minerals 12%, chemicals 9%, textile
and products 19% (1999) |
| Imports
- partners: |
Italy 20%,
Germany 19%, France 7%, Russia 6% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$9.3 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Exchange
rates: |
lei per US dollar
- 26,243.0 (January 2001), 21,708.7 (2000), 15,332.8 (1999),
8,875.6 (1998), 7,167.9 (1997), 3,084.2 (1996); note - lei
is the plural form of leu |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
3.777 million
(1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
645,500 (1999) |
| 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: 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) |
| Radios: |
7.2 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
48 (plus 392
repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
5.25 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ro |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
38 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
600,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km
narrow gauge: 487 km (1996) |
| Highways: |
total:
153,359 km
paved: 103,671 km (including 133 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 49,688 km (1998 est.) |
| Waterways: |
1,724 km (1984) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 2,800
km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Braila, Constanta,
Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
95 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 695,227 GRT/931,598
DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 71, container 1,
passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar
carrier 2, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 (2000
est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
25
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
20 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 5,899,536 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 4,962,807 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
179,951 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$720 million
(FY00) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.2% (FY00) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
important
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting
the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine
bound for Western Europe |
|
