2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.9% (male 1,818,488/female 1,727,598) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 7,726,903/female 7,801,441) 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 1,342,827/female 1,912,720) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep

Airports

61 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

25 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 24 (2004 est.)

Area

land

230,340 sq km

total

237,500 sq km

water

7,160 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Oregon

Background

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 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its 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. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, 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 centrist parties. In 2000, the center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) became Romania's leading party, governing with the support of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). The opposition center-right alliance formed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Party (PD) scored a surprise victory over the ruling PSD in December 2004 presidential elections. The PNL-PD alliance maintains a parliamentary majority with the support of the UDMR, the Humanist Party (PUR), and various ethnic minority groups. Although Romania completed accession talks with the European Union (EU) in December 2004, it must continue to address rampant corruption - while invigorating lagging economic and democratic reforms - before it can achieve its hope of joining the EU, tentatively set for 2007. Romania joined NATO in March of 2004. Geography Romania

Birth rate

10.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$23.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2004 est.)

revenues

$22.1 billion

Capital

Bucharest

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Coastline

225 km

Constitution

8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Romania

local long form

none

local short form

Romania

Currency (code)

leu (ROL)

Currency code

ROL

Current account balance

$-3.631 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$24.59 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

branch office(s)

Cluj-Napoca

chief of mission

Ambassador Dr. Jack Dyer CROUCH II

embassy

Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest

FAX

[40] (21) 210-0395

mailing address

American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)

telephone

[40] (21) 210-4042

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Sorin Dumitru DUCARU

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

FAX

[1] (202) 232-4748

telephone

[1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851

Disputes - international

Romania and Ukraine have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea; Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Romania, to which Romania had objected

Distribution of family income - Gini index

28.8 (2003)

Economy - 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. In July 2004, the executive board of the IMF approved a 24-month standby agreement for $367 million. The Romanian authorities do not intend to draw on this agreement, however, viewing it simply as a precaution. Meanwhile, recent macroeconomic gains have done little to address Romania's widespread poverty, while corruption and red tape continue to handicap the business environment.

Electricity - consumption

57.5 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

3.046 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

962 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

56.53 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

62.5%

hydro

27.6%

nuclear

9.9%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Moldoveanu 2,544 m

lowest point

Black Sea 0 m

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, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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 census)

Exchange rates

lei per US dollar - 32,637 (2004), 33,200 (2003), 33,055 (2002), 29,061 (2001), 21,709 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004)

election results

percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian NASTASE 48.77%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 November 2004, with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2009 and 12 December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29 December 2004)

Exports

$23.54 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products

Exports - partners

Italy 21.4%, Germany 15%, France 8.5%, Turkey 7%, UK 6.6% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Romania

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 Romania

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

13.1%

industry

33.7%

services

53.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

8.1% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$171.5 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

46 00 N, 25 00 E

Geography - note

controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine People Romania

Government type

republic

Heliports

1 (2004 est.) Military Romania

Highways

paved

100,173 km (including 113 km of expressways)

total

198,755 km

unpaved

98,582 km (2002)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

350 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

6,500 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)

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 This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$28.43 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and products, basic metals, agricultural products

Imports - partners

Italy 17.2%, Germany 14.9%, France 7.1%, Russia 6.8%, Turkey 4.2% (2004)

Independence

9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2004 est.)

Industries

textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining

Infant mortality rate

female

23.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

29.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total

26.43 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.6% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.ro

Internet hosts

50,807 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

38 (2000)

Internet users

4 million (2003) Transportation Romania

Investment (gross fixed)

23.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

28,800 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates, a board of eleven judges and six prosecutors elected by parliament)

Labor force

9.66 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 31.6%, industry 30.7%, services 37.7% (2004)

Land boundaries

border countries

Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km

total

2,508 km

Land use

arable land

40.82%

other

56.93% (2001)

permanent crops

2.25%

Languages

Romanian (official), Hungarian, German

Legal system

former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (137 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 (332 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 37.1%, PNL-PD 31.8%, PRM 13.6%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 46, PNL 28, PD 21, PRM 21, PUR 11, UMDR 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 36.6%, PNL-PD 31.3%%, PRM 12.9%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 113, PNL 64, PD 48, PRM 48, UDMR 22, PUR 19, ethnic minorities 18

elections

Senate - last held 28 November 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 28 November 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.06 years (2005 est.)

male

67.86 years

total population

71.35 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

97.7% (2003 est.) Government Romania

male

99.1%

total population

98.4%

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine

Manpower available for military service

males age 20-49: 5,061,984 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 20-49: 3,932,579 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

172,093 (2005 est.)

Map references

Europe

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

Median age

female

37.77 years (2005 est.)

male

35.04 years

total

36.39 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 5, cargo 20, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4

foreign-owned

2 (Italy 2)

registered in other countries

39 (2005)

total

34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 395,350 GRT/510,232 DWT

Military branches

Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (AMR), Special Operations, Civil Defense (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$985 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.47% (2002) Transnational Issues Romania

Military service age and obligation

20 years of age for compulsory military service, 18 in wartime; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)

National holiday

Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Nationality

adjective

Romanian

noun

Romanian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

18.5 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

5.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

12.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

111.1 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards

earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides

Natural resources

petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower

Net migration rate

-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

253,800 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

128,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

1.055 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Conservative Party [Dan VOICULESCU], formerly Humanist Party or PUR; Democratic Party or PD [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu TARICEANU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA], formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR

Political pressure groups and leaders

various human rights and professional associations

Population

22,329,977 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

28.9% (2002)

Population growth rate

-0.12% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Braila, Constanta, Galati, Tulcea

Public debt

23.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios

7.2 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

60 km 1.524-m gauge

narrow gauge

427 km 0.760-m gauge (2004)

standard gauge

10,898 km 1.435-m gauge

total

11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)

Religions

Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$16.21 billion (2004)

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: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

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

general assessment

poor domestic service, but improving

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

4.3 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

6.9 million (2003)

Television broadcast stations

48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

5.25 million (1997)

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

Total fertility rate

1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

6.3% (2004 est.)

Waterways

1,731 km (2004)