1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Boundary disputes
none; Transylvania question with Hungary; Bessarabia question with USSR
Climate
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Coastline
225 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Oregon
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Environment
frequent earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Ethnic divisions
89.1% Romanian; 7.8% Hungarian; 1.5% German; 1.6% Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy
Extended economic zone
200 nm
Infant mortality rate
25.6/1,000 (1985)
Labor force
10.6 million; 37.1% industry, 28.9% agriculture, 34.0% other nonagricultural (1985)
Land boundaries
2,969 km total
Land use
43% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 28% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 11% irrigated
Language
Romanian, Hungarian, German
Life expectancy
men 67.0, women 72.6
Literacy
98%
Nationality
noun — Romanian(s); adjective— Romanian
Population
22,936,503 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.44%
Religion
80% Romanian Orthodox; 6% Roman Catholic; 4% Calvinist, Lutheran, Jewish, Baptist
Special notes
controls most easily traversable land route between Balkans and western USSR
Terrain
mostly flat to undulating plains; some hills and mountains
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
237,500 km2; land area: 230,340 km2
Total area
20O fcm Sec regional map V
Government
Administrative divisions
40 counties; city of Bucharest has administrative status equal to a county
Branches
Presidency; Council of Ministers; Grand National Assembly, under which is Office of Prosecutor General and Supreme Court; Council of State
Capital
Bucharest
Communists
3,400,000 (November 1984)
Elections
elections held every five years for Grand National Assembly deputies and local people's councils; last election held March 1985 Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Romania only functioning party, Nicolae Ceaujescu, Secretary General (since March 1965)
Government leaders
Nicolae CEAUS.ESCU, President of the Socialist Republic (head of state; since 1967); Constantin DASCALESCU, Prime Minister (since May 1982)
Legal system
mixture of civil law system and Communist legal theory that increasingly reflects Romanian traditions; constitution adopted 1965; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
CEMA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Liberation Day, 23 August
Official name
Socialist Republic of Romania
Suffrage
universal and compulsory over age 18
Type
Communist state
Voting strength
(1985 election) overall participation reached 99.99%; of those registered to vote (15,733,060), 97.73% voted for party candidates
Economy
Agriculture
net exporter; main crops — corn, wheat, oilseed; livestock- — cattle, hogs, sheep; consumer and food supplies weak
Crude steel
13.8 million metric tons produced, 608 kg per capita (1985)
Electric power
20,899,000 kW capacity; 72,500 million kWh produced, 3,160 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1985); 32.0% machinery and equipment; 28.0% fuels, minerals, and metals; 16.0% manufactured consumer goods; 12.0% agricultural materials and forestry products; 12.0% other (1984)
Fishing
catch 243,000 metric tons (1983)
GNP
$123.7 billion (1985), $5,450 per capita; real growth rate, 1.8% (1985)
Imports
$10.4 billion (f.o.b. 1985); 24.7% machinery and equipment; 52.6% fuels, minerals, and metals; 10.8% agricultural and forestry products; 4.2% manufactured consumer goods; 7.7% other (1984)
Major industries
mining, forestry, construction materials, metal production and processing, chemicals, machine-building, food processing
Major trade partners
$22.6 billion in 1984; 40% non-Communist countries, 60% Communist countries (1984)
Natural resources
oil, timber, natural gas, coal
Shortages
energy, iron ore, coking coal, metallurgical coke, cotton fibers, natural rubber