Language: Romanian
Currency: Leu (RON)
Calling Code: 40
Romania is a country located at the intersection
of Central and Southeast Europe, on the border with the Black Sea.
It borders Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova
to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south. With 238 391
km2, Romania is the ninth largest country in the European Union by
area, and has the seventh largest population in the European Union
with more than 19 million inhabitants. Its capital and most populous
city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the European Union.
The United Principalities arose when the principalities of
Moldova and Wallachia joined under Prince Alexandru Joan Cuza in
1859. In 1881, Charles I of Romania was crowned, forming the Kingdom
of Romania. His independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on
May 9, 1877 and was internationally recognized the following year.
At the end of the First World War, Transylvania, Bucovina and
Bessarabia were annexed by the Kingdom of Romania, a circumstance
that began what the Romanian monarchy called Great Romania. During
the 1930s the government, with John Gigurtu as prime minister,
derived from an initial position prone to the United Kingdom and
France, towards a position aligned militarily and politically with
Nazi Germany, implementing anti-Semitism officially in the country.
In 1940, the region of Bessarabia, which had joined Romania in
1918, was annexed to the Soviet Union as a result of the Soviet
occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina. During the operation
there was a confrontation of some Romanian divisions with the Red
Army, which defeated them severely, which led to the incorporation
of Bessarabia to the Soviet Union as an RSS of Moldova, including
the territory of Transnistria.
At the beginning of World War
II, the former Minister of War, Antonescu, implanted a fascist
military dictatorship, in which he aligned the Romanian army to the
Wehrmacht, allowing the cantonment of a large number of divisions
thereof, with a view to Operation Barbarrosa, of invasion of the
Soviet Union. From June 1941 to 1944, Romania participated in the
war on the side of the axis powers, under the military leadership of
Germany. In 1944, under the Soviet counteroffensive that penetrated
its territory, it changed sides and formally joined the Allies,
dropping the military dictatorship of Antonescu. At the end of the
war, some previously northeastern territories of Romania were
temporarily occupied by the Soviet Union; With Red Army units
stationed in Romanian territory, the country eventually became the
Socialist Republic of Romania and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
With the fall of the European socialist bloc and the so-called
Romanian Revolution of 1989, Romania began its transition to western
representative democracy and a capitalist market economy. After a
decade of problems due to the massive privatizations and the
so-called post-economic revolution, as well as the deterioration of
living standards that caused a massive emigration to the surrounding
countries, extensive reforms were carried out that boosted the
economic recovery. Since 2010, Romania is a relatively high-income
country, with a high human development index.
Romania joined
NATO on March 29, 2004, and the European Union on January 1, 2007.
It is also a member of the Latin Union, La Francophonie, the OSCE,
the WTO, the BSEC and the United Nations. Today, Romania is a
unitary state with a semi-presidential republic, in which the
executive branch is made up of the president and the Government.
Romania and Moldova are the only countries in Eastern Europe whose
languages are Romance.
1 Bucharest (București)
2
Brașov
3 Cluj-Napoca
4
Constanța
5 Iași
6
Sibiu
7
Sighișoara
8 Suceava
9
Timișoara
The name of the country comes from lat. romanus "Roman" and literally means "Country of the Romans".
Romania covers an area of 238,391 km² and is the
largest country in Southeast Europe by area and the 12th largest country
in all of Europe. The country is located between 43° and 49° north
latitude, and 20° and 30° east longitude.
The territory of
Romania is characterized by an approximately equal combination of
mountainous, hilly and flat areas. Through the entire territory of the
country, from the border with Ukraine to the border with Serbia, are the
Carpathians, which prevail in the center of Romania, with 14 mountain
ranges. The highest point in Romania is Mount Moldoveanu (2544 m). Oil
and polymetallic ores stand out among the minerals.
The southeast
of the country is washed by the waters of the Black Sea, where large
trading ports and naval bases of the navy are located. Ports are
connected with the interior of the country by roads and railways.
The presence of access to the sea makes international maritime trade
profitable with the countries of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Through
the Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Atlantic Ocean is carried out,
through the Suez Canal - to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Climate
Romania is located in the continental climate zone,
characterized by cold winters and warm summers. The average annual
temperature varies from 11°C in the south to 8°C in the north.
The regions of Romania bordering Bulgaria and Hungary are some of the
most fertile in the world, but all of them are experiencing significant
declines in living standards and populations. There is an unconfirmed
opinion that in Romania, as in all of Eastern Europe, the rural
population is growing faster than the urban one, and in this regard, the
semi-nomadic population of the Balkans is underestimated, which can hide
the official population decline in the countries of Eastern Europe.
Spring is characterized by cool nights and warm days. Summers are
generally warm, the average maximum temperature in summer in Bucharest
is 28°C, the average minimum is 16°C. Winters are cold: the average
maximum temperature ranges from 2°C in the plains to -15°C in the
mountains. The absolute maximum is 44.5°C and was recorded in 1951, the
absolute minimum is -38.5°C in 1942.
On average, 750 mm of
precipitation falls annually, most of the precipitation falls in the
summer. At the same time, there are significant differences between
different regions - up to 1500 mm of precipitation per year falls in the
mountains, about 600 mm in the south and in the center in the Bucharest
region, and about 370 mm in the Danube Delta.
Environment
Forests occupy 19% of the country's territory, while Romania is one of
the largest areas of undisturbed forests in Europe. A large number of
wild animals live in the forests, including bears, wolves and others; on
the plains - foxes, hares, squirrels and badgers. The country is
inhabited by unique mammals (among which the most famous is the
Carpathian chamois), birds and reptiles. The fauna of Romania consists
of 33,792 animal species, including 33,085 invertebrates and 707
vertebrates.
Ancient history and antiquity
On the territory
of modern Romania, one of the oldest remains of the Cro-Magnon man
(Pestera cu Oase), dating to about 42 thousand years ago, was
discovered.
About 4 thousand years ago, a Neolithic culture
arose. During the Bronze Age in 1800-1000 BC, the Thracian-Phrygian
Dacian tribes arose. In the 7th century BC, Greek colonies appeared
on the territory of the modern Black Sea coast of Romania (Lesser
Scythia). The emergence of Dacian states dates back to the 3rd
century BC.
At the end of the 1st - the beginning of the 2nd
century AD, Dacia was conquered by the Romans, gold mining and the
resettlement of the colonists took place here. The beginning of
intensive Romanization and the birth of Balkan Latin dates back to
this time.
In the 270s after the uprisings, the Romans were
forced to retreat beyond the Danube.
During the period of the
“great migration of peoples,” Dacia was devastated by the migrating
tribes of the Goths, Vandals, Huns, and several others. In the VI
century, the Slavs began to settle in the territory of modern
Romania.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, the ancestors of
the Romanians lived on the territory of 3 principalities: Wallachia,
Moldavia and Transylvania.
Since the XI century, Transylvania
has autonomy within the Hungarian kingdom, and in the XVI century it
became an independent principality and remained until 1711.
In 1526, during the battle of Mojac, the Hungarian troops were
defeated, and Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania fell under the
vassalism of the Ottoman Empire, while maintaining internal autonomy
until the middle of the 19th century. This period is characterized
by the gradual withering away of the feudal system. Among the rulers
of the territories at this time, the most prominent are Stephen III
the Great, Vasily Lupu and Dmitry Kantemir in Moldova; Matei
Basarab, Vlad III Tepes (Dracula) and Konstantin Brynkovyan in
Wallachia; Janos Hunyadi and Gabor Betlen in Transylvania.
In
1600 Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania were united under the rule
of Mihai the Brave, but in 1601 Mihai was killed, and the
pro-Ottoman nobility seized real power in Wallachia and Moldova. The
whole XVII century is characterized by boyar fragmentation and
feuds.
At the beginning of the 18th century, in alliance with
Russia, the rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia tried to get rid of
Ottoman rule, but the Prut campaign of Peter I, due to the betrayal
of the Wallachian ruler Konstantin Brynkovyan, ended in failure, and
the enslavement of territories by the Ottoman Empire intensified.
Romanian state
The historical process of the creation of the
state of Romania began on the vassal Ottoman Empire lands of the
United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia in 1859, as a result
of the unification of the two principalities - Moldova and
Wallachia, by electing the prince of both principalities, Alexander
Kuza, who declared himself the prince of the united country. The
emancipation of the peasants and other reform projects provoked
strong opposition to the prince’s policies among the
ultra-conservative party. As a result of the conspiracy, which, in
turn, led to a palace coup of the pro-Russian and pro-Ottoman nobles
against his ruler, Kuza was overthrown, and the throne passed to the
Prussian protege from the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern - Karol
I (Karl Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen). Another area of the modern
Romanian state - Transylvania - was then part of Austria-Hungary.
For the first time, the independence of the United Principality
of Moldova and Wallachia was proclaimed on May 21 (May 9), 1877 with
the declaration of these lands as the Principality of Romania in
connection with the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish war; taking part
in this war, Romania, following the results of the Berlin treaty,
received northern Dobrudja with Constanta in return for the southern
regions of Bessarabia (Budjak) newly occupied by Russia. As an
independent state, Romania was recognized in the San Stefano and
Berlin treaties. The period from 1878 to 1914 is characterized by
relative stability. In 1881, on the basis of the United
Principality, the Kingdom of Romania was formed, headed by Carol I.
World War I
During the First World War, Romania initially
maintained neutrality, but then entered on August 28, 1916 on the
side of the Entente under the influence of the victories of the
Russian army.
On August 15 (28), 1916, Romanian troops
entered Transylvania. At first, the offensive was successful for
Romania, but problems with logistical support quickly affected, and
after the transfer of German troops from the Western Front, the
situation became very complicated. The forces of the Central Powers
pretty quickly defeated the relatively weak Romanian army and by the
end of 1916 occupied Dobrudja and all of Wallachia, including the
capital Bucharest. The royal family, government and parliament moved
to Iasi. The army and a large part of the civilian population
retreated to Moldova.
Romania was saved from liquidation by the Russian
Empire, which allocated an army to support it, thereby expanding the
Eastern Front to the Black Sea. Active hostilities in his Romanian
sector were resumed only in the summer of 1917, when the Romanian
army managed to recapture a small territory in the south-west of
Moldova from the enemy, however, the revolutionary events of 1917 in
Russia led to the fact that the Russian units more often refused to
fight. The territories occupied by the troops of the Central Powers
almost completely surrounded the territory of Moldova under the
jurisdiction of the Romanian government, threatening Romania in the
long term with complete elimination.
The success of the
Entente on the Western Front and the Balkans in the autumn of 1918
led to a change in the balance of power, which allowed Romania to
re-enter the war.
As a result of the war, Romania acquired
Transylvania and annexed Bessarabia, which was previously the
Bessarabian province of Russia. In 1917, Sfatul Tsarii (roman.
Sfatul Ţării “Council of the Territory, the Council of the Country”)
- the pro-Romanian state authority in Bessarabia (formerly part of
the Principality of Moldova) - proclaimed the People’s Republic of
Moldova, from March 27, 1918 - the Moldavian Democratic Republic
(not recognized one state of the world) and recognized the accession
of Bessarabia to Romania.
Between two world wars
After the
First World War, parliamentary democracy was proclaimed in the
country.
In April 1938, parliament was dissolved and a royal
dictatorship was established.
In late June - early July 1940,
Soviet troops, according to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, occupied
Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina.
By a decision of the second
Vienna arbitration held by Germany and Italy on August 30, 1940,
Romania transferred Northern Transylvania to Hungary. South
Transylvania remained in Romanian hands.
On September 7,
1940, Romania ceded the South Dobrudja region to Bulgaria and both
parties to the agreement agreed to exchange populations (minorities)
in the territories adjacent to the new border. This happened as a
result of the Craiova Peace Treaty.
The Second World War
During World War II, Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany. Romanian
troops participated in the war against the USSR. Three new provinces
were created from the Soviet territories occupied by Romania:
Bessarabia, which included the right-bank part of the Moldavian SSR,
Izmail Oblast, Transnistria, which included the left-bank part of
the MSSR and parts of the Odessa, Nikolaev and Vinnitsa regions of
the Ukrainian SSR, and Bukovina, formed by the Romanian authorities
in the occupied territory Chernivtsi region of the Ukrainian SSR of
the USSR.
Until 1944, a limited military contingent of the
Wehrmacht was located on the territory of the country. The German
air defense units created a strong air defense system to protect the
oil fields of the Ploiesti region from an air attack by anti-Hitler
coalition aircraft.
Throughout the war, the Ploiesti region
was the main supplier of oil for the economy of the Third German
Reich and was repeatedly subjected to aerial bombardment of the
allies of the anti-Hitler coalition and shelling from the sea by
warships of the Soviet Navy.
In August 1944, King Mihai I,
united with the anti-fascist opposition, ordered the arrest of
Antonescu and the pro-German generals and declared war on Germany.
After that, Soviet troops were brought into Bucharest, and the
allied Romanian army, together with the Soviet, fought against the
Nazi coalition on the territory of Hungary, and then in Austria.
After World War II, Romania fell into the sphere of influence of
the USSR, the Soviet system of legislative power was established in
the country, but controlled democracy was allowed in elections to
local authorities.
Post-war period
Peace treaties with
Romania were signed in 1947 by the USSR, Great Britain, the USA,
Australia, the BSSR, Czechoslovakia, India, New Zealand, the
Ukrainian SSR, the Union of South Africa, and also Canada. The
treaties established the borders of Romania as of January 1, 1938
(decisions of the Vienna Arbitrations of 1938 and 1940 were declared
non-existent); The borders of Romania were established as of January
1, 1941, with the exception of the Romanian-Hungarian border, which
was restored as of January 1, 1938 (this border was changed in
accordance with the decisions of the Vienna Arbitration of 1940).
The political provisions of the treaties coincide
mainly with the corresponding provisions of the 1947 peace treaty
with Italy (dissolution of fascist organizations, restoration of
freedoms, democracy, etc.). Military provisions of the treaties
regulate the composition of the armed forces of these states. The
agreements set the volume of reparations paid by Romania. Romania
pledged to pay reparations to the Soviet Union. The right of the
aggressed countries to restitution of property removed from their
territory was recognized, as well as the right of the Soviet Union
to all German assets in Romania (later, the Soviet Union,
contributing to the economic development of Romania, refused a
significant part of the compensation for damage caused to it).
In 1947, Mihai I abdicated, Romania was proclaimed a people's
republic. In 1948, socialist reforms began, the nationalization of
private firms and the collectivization of agriculture were carried
out.
In 1965, Nicolae Ceausescu came to power, who pursued a
more independent policy. In particular, he condemned the entry of
Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968, continued diplomatic
relations with Israel after the Six Day War of 1967, and established
diplomatic and economic relations with the Federal Republic of
Germany. In 1974, Bucharest was granted the most favored nation
treatment in trade with the United States. However, from 1977 to
1981, Romania’s foreign debt increased from $ 3 to $ 10 billion,
resulting in increased influence from international organizations
such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Austerity policies, as well as the beginning of perestroika in the
USSR, led to increased dissatisfaction with Ceausescu's policies.
Post-Socialist Romania
In December 1989, the Romanian
Revolution took place, as a result of which Ceausescu was overthrown
and shot, and the power passed into the hands of the National
Salvation Front; an interim parliament was created - the Council of
National Unity.
In May 1990, the first free presidential and
parliamentary elections were held. Since 1990, Ion Iliescu, who
retired in 2004, occupied the presidency for three terms (with a
break in 1996–2000). During this time, the country managed to
overcome the consequences of the crisis of the mid-1990s, and the
government proclaimed its accession to the EU in 2007 together with
Bulgaria as the main goal of its policy.
Romania joined NATO
on March 29, 2004, and the EU on January 1, 2007.
The population of Romania is 19,511,000; In terms of
population, Romania ranks ninth in Europe.
As with other
countries in the Eastern European region, Romania is experiencing a
declining population. The birth rate is 10.5 per 1000 people, the death
rate is 12.0 per 1000 people.
National composition
Most of the
inhabitants of Romania are Romanians (90%, according to the 2002
census). Hungarians are the second largest percentage of the total
population and make up the majority in the counties of Harghita and
Covasna. The total number of Hungarians in Romania is 1.4 million people
(6.6% of the country's population, or 19.6% of the population of
Transylvania). Roma (535,140 people, 2.5%), Ukrainians (61,098 people,
0.3%), Germans (59,764 people, 0.3%), Russians (35,795 people, 0.2%)
also live in the country. %), Gagauz (45,000 people), Turks (32,098
people, 0.2%), Crimean Tatars (23,935 people, 0.2%), Serbs (22,561
people, 0.1%), Slovaks (17 226 people, 0.08%).
Languages of
Romania
The official language of Romania is Romanian, which is native
to 90% of the population. The second most common language in the country
is Hungarian, native to 6.8% of the population. In the 2007/2008
academic year, there were 1,003 Hungarian-teaching pre-school
institutions, 41,000 children attended Hungarian-language kindergartens;
47,600 children studied Hungarian in six institutions of primary
education, 44,697 students studied Hungarian in 531 gymnasiums and 398
gymnasium departments.
Religion
Romania has no official
religion, but the vast majority of the population is Orthodox Christian.
86.8% - Romanian Orthodox Church;
6.0% are Protestants;
4.7% are
Catholics;
2.4% are others (mostly Muslims).
Romania is divided into 8 development regions, which
are not directly administrative units, but serve to coordinate regional
development. The development regions are divided into 41 counties and 1
municipality. The counties are divided into 2686 communes (in rural
areas) and 256 municipalities. Communes and municipalities are the
smallest administrative divisions in Romania. The communes are divided
into villages that do not have their own administration and are not
administrative units. In total there are 13092 villages in Romania.
An exception in the administrative structure of Romania is the
municipality of Bucharest, which, unlike other municipalities, is a
second-level administrative unit. Bucharest is divided into 6 sectors,
each with its own administration.
The administrative divisions of
Romania follow the NUTS standard as follows:
NUTS level 1:
Romania;
NUTS level 2: 8 development regions (each with a population
of about 2.8 million people);
NUTS level 3: 41 counties and 1
municipality (Bucharest);
NUTS level 4: not used;
NUTS level 5:
256 cities and 2686 communes.
The current Romanian Constitution was adopted in
November 1991 and approved by popular referendum in December of that
year. According to the Constitution, Romania is a unitary state with a
republican form of government.
The head of state is the
president, who is elected by the population for a five-year term. Klaus
Iohannis has been President of Romania since 2014.
Legislature
Legislative power in the country is exercised by a bicameral parliament,
consisting of the Senate (Senate, 176 seats) and the Chamber of Deputies
(Camera Deputaţilor, 412 seats).
Senators are elected by
proportional representation.
The 412 members of the Chamber of
Deputies are elected by proportional representation with a 5% threshold
for political parties and an 8% threshold for blocs, with the remaining
seats reserved for representatives of national minorities.
The
term of office of MPs is 4 years.
The elections in 2012 were won
by a coalition of centre-right parties called the Social-Liberal Union,
which received 60.1% in the Senate and 58.63% in the Chamber of
Deputies. The coalition consisted of the Social Democratic Party, the
Centre-Right Alliance, the National Liberal Party and the Conservative
Party.
President of the Senate - Florin Chicu (PNL).
President of the Chamber of Deputies - Marcel Colacu (PSD).
Judiciary
The body of constitutional supervision is the
Constitutional Court (Curtea Constituțională); the highest court is the
High Court of Cassation of Justice (Înalta Curte de Casație și
Justiție); Courts of Appeal - Courts of Appeal (Curțile de apel din
România); courts of first instance - tribunals (Tribunal); the lowest
level of the judicial system - judicators (Judecătorie); the highest
body of prosecutorial supervision is the Prosecutor's Office of the High
Court of Cassation of Justice (Parchetul de pe lângă Înalta Curte de
Casație și Justiție), consisting of the Prosecutor General of the High
Court of Cassation of Justice, the first assistant (prim-adjunct),
assistant (adjunct) and three advisers (consilieri) ; the
Anti-Corruption Authority is the National Anti-Corruption Directorate
(Direcția Națională Anticorupție) under the Prosecutor's Office and the
General Anti-Corruption Directorate (Direcția Generală Anticorupție)
under the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.
Political parties and public organizations
Rights
"Greater
Romania" (Partidul România Mare) - nationalist party;
"National
Peasant Party - Christian Democrats" (Partidul Național Țărănesc Creștin
Democrat) - Christian Democratic Party;
"Democratic Liberal Party"
(Partidul Democrat-Liberal) - liberal democratic party;
"New
Republic" (Noua Republică) - liberal-conservative party;
The
Conservative Party (Partidul Conservator) is a social conservative
party.
Centrist
"National Liberal Party" (Partidul Național
Liberal) - a liberal party;
"Green Party of Romania" (Partidul Verde)
- environmental party;
The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
(Hungarian: Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség) is a party for the
defense of the Hungarian population.
Left
"Social Democratic
Party of Romania" (Partidul Social Democrat) - a social democratic
party;
"National Union for the Progress of Romania" (Uniunea
Națională pentru Progresul României) - a center-left party of former
members of the SDP and the NLP;
"People's Party - Dan Diaconescu"
(Partidul Poporului - Dan Diaconescu) - left-nationalist party;
The
Socialist Alternative Party (Partidul Alternativa Socialistă) is a
communist party.
Trade unions
The largest trade union center
is the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Romania - Brotherhood.
On December 6, 2009, the second round of presidential
elections took place in Romania, in which Traian Basescu won with a
minimal advantage (50.33% of the vote). His rival, one of the leaders of
the Social Democratic Party of Romania, Mircea Geoana, challenged the
election results in the Constitutional Court.
Băsescu, backed by
the centre-right Justice and Truth Alliance, became president in 2004
with 51.23% of the vote. His opponent was the chairman of the ruling
Social Democratic Party, 54-year-old Adrian Năstase.
The
presidential elections were considered the most violent since the fall
of the communist regime in 1989.
Justice and Truth Democracy
Alliance candidate Traian Basescu, 53, a Bucharest mayor, a former sea
captain who has also served as transport minister in several
governments, has criticized the authorities for being too slow in
implementing liberal reforms.
Romania has tensions in relations
with Moldova, these countries do not have a border treaty with each
other. In November 2013, Traian Basescu announced his desire to create a
single state with Moldova, but the Prime Minister of Moldova, Iurie
Leanca, in response to this, stated that Moldova was not ready to unite
with Romania.
From January 1, 2019, the minimum gross wage amounted
to 2080 lei and 2350 lei for qualified specialists. The Keitz index (the
ratio between the minimum and average wages in the country) in Romania
as of 2019 (average - 4532 lei, and minimum - 2080 lei) is about 46%.
From January 1, 2021, the gross minimum wage was 2300 lei and 2350 lei
for qualified specialists (€473.07 and €483.36 for qualified
specialists), and net 1386 lei and 1413 lei for qualified specialists
(€285.08 and €290.63 for qualified professionals). From January 1, 2022,
the gross minimum wage is 2550 lei (€515.61) and net 1524 lei (€308.16).
General condition, main indicators
Advantages: oil reserves,
successfully transitioned to a stable market economy. Low inflation
(3.2%). The country is a member of the EU single market. Relatively high
economic growth (above the EU average), and low public debt (below the
EU average). Still relatively cheap, and well-educated, in comparison
with the EU countries, the workforce. With the unemployment rate
plummeting and the labor shortage widening, wage growth as of 2019 is
not constrained by the economic slowdown.
Weaknesses: Poor
resource base. Strong corruption. Slowly advancing market reforms. Low
investment in infrastructure and R&D. The biggest problem (as in other
countries of the new EU members) is the increasing shortage of
able-bodied labor force every year, and the increase in the number of
pensioners, due to low birth rates and high emigration of the population
to other, richer, EU countries, which in turn forces employers to pay
more to their workers, thereby artificially raising wages, which leads
to an imbalance between productivity and wages.
One of the
largest sectors of the economy is oil production, Rompetrol occupies a
significant market share, but oil reserves are insignificant and its
production is constantly decreasing.
One of the largest
manufacturers of oil and gas equipment (80% of the production of all oil
and gas equipment) - "Plant Upetrom - May 1" in (Ploiesti); in 2008 the
plant celebrated its 100th anniversary since its founding.
Since
the mid-2000s, Romania's oil consumption has been roughly double its own
production, and this ratio also applies to oil imports and exports.
Romania has natural gas reserves and production, but in recent years
the country has had to import gas to meet its needs.
The leading
branch of agriculture is plant growing and grain farming. Developed
viticulture. In animal husbandry - breeding of sheep and cattle.
Tourism is developing. The largest resort region of the country is the
Black Sea coast of Romania.
The distribution of the labor force:
about 30% - in agriculture, 23% - in industry, 47% - in the service
sector (2006).
The main articles of Romanian exports are
engineering products 29.5%, vehicles and spare parts for them 18.4% and
products of the metallurgical industry 7.8%. In 2017, the volume of
exports was estimated at 70.5 billion dollars. Imports are dominated by
engineering products, raw materials, including oil and gas, chemicals,
textiles and textile products. In 2017, the volume of imports was
estimated at $81.4 billion.
The main partners in foreign trade
are Germany, Italy, France, Hungary (2017).
Romanian Railways is a railway company that performs a
significant part of the freight and passenger transportation within the
country. The length of railways is over 11 thousand km.
A feature
of the Romanian railways is single-track, which greatly slows down the
movement of transport and goods.
1075 km of the transport network
runs along the Danube. The importance of the Romanian ports increases
with the creation of the trans-European Rhine-Danube highway.
Architecture
In the 10th-13th centuries, the
settlements consisted of rectangular dwellings built of thick logs and
hewn beams. Less often there were huts that had a wooden frame,
intertwined with branches and smeared with clay; the wooden rafters of
high overhanging roofs were covered with straw or shingles.
Stone
construction was carried out mainly by feudal lords. The houses of the
nobility were modest. Stone estates consisted mainly of 3-4 rooms with a
gallery on one of the facades (the estate in Curtea de Arges, XIII-XIV
centuries).
Religious buildings
Early churches had a
rectangular plan and an apse in the eastern part. They were built from
rough stone blocks and bricks.
The Church of St. Nicholas in
Curtea de Arges (1310-1352) is cross-domed, built of alternating rows of
stone and brick, with a dome on pillars, which indicates the influence
of Byzantine culture. Also widely known is the Kokosh Monastery in
Isaccea.
Art
From the 10th-11th centuries, during the
formation of feudal estates, art began to emerge in Romania. In
Wallachia and Moldova - under the influence of the culture of Byzantium,
Bulgaria and Serbia; in Transylvania, the cultures of Germany, the Czech
Republic, and Poland.
Painting: The largest Romanian artist and
in fact the founder of modern Romanian painting was Nicolae Grigorescu.
Music:
The largest Romanian composers are George Enescu, Horatio
Radulescu, Jancu Dumitrescu, George Stefanescu.
Radio stations: Radio România Actualități, Radio
România Cultural, Radio România Regional, Digi FM, Radio ZU, Kiss FM,
Magic FM, Radio Europa FM, Virgin Radio , "Radio Pro FM" and "Național
FM". Radio stations available on medium wave: "Radio România
Actualități", "Radio România Regional" and "Radio Antena Satelor" Radio
Antena Satelor broadcasts on 153m LW."Radio Romania Muzical"
DAB
(Bucharest): 223.936 (12A).
TV channels available via DVB-T
(formerly on analog UHF): TVR 1, TVR 2, TVR 3, Antena 1 and Pro TV.
Romania has achieved and continues to achieve the
greatest success in sports in gymnastics, rowing and athletics. The
history of gymnastics knows such outstanding Romanian women as Nadia
Comaneci (or Nadia Comanech), Simona Amanar, Yolanda Belash, Lavinia
Milosevic, Daniela Silivas, Catalina Ponor. The most famous Romanian
professional tennis player is Simona Halep, a former world number one.
Winner of two Grand Slam tournaments in singles; finalist of three Grand
Slam tournaments in singles; winner of 24 WTA tournaments.
In
football, her team reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup 94, after
4 years - in the 1/8 finals. The most prominent football players:
Gheorghe Hadji (retired), Dan Petrescu, Gheorghe Popescu (same status),
Adrian Mutu, Ciprian Marika, Cristian Chivu, Razvan Rat.
The
capital football club "Steaua" won the European Cup and the UEFA Super
Cup in the 1985/86 season, and was also a finalist in the 1988/89
season.
The Romanian rugby team is one of the strongest teams in
Europe: it has won the European Nations Cup four times, and also
participated in all seven World Cups.
Romania is also gradually
developing in winter sports - in particular, luge and bobsleigh and
biathlon.
The armed forces of Romania consist of ground forces, naval and air forces.