Romania

 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



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GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

Total area: 237,500 sq km
Land area: 230,340 sq km
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land Boundaries

Total 2,508 km, Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km (all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (south) 169 km

Coastline

225 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

International Disputes

Certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940

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
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Natural Resources

Petroleum (reserves declining)
Timber
Natural gas
Coal
Iron ore
Salt

Land Use

Arable land: 43%
Permanent crops: 3%
Meadows and pastures: 19%
Forest and woodland: 28%
Other: 7%

Irrigated Land

34,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Current issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands
Natural hazards: earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
International agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Note: Controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine

PEOPLE

Population

21,657,162 (July 1996 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

20% (male 2,180,023; female 2,088,496)

15-64 Years

68% (male 7,261,160; female 7,393,531)

65 Years and Over

12% (male 1,138,583; female 1,595,369) (July 1996 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-1.21% (1996 est.)
0.09% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

9.77 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
13.71 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

12.27 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
9.93 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-9.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-2.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

23.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
18.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 69.42 years (1996 est.), 72.24 years (1995 est.)
Male: 65.51 years (1996 est.), 69.31 years (1995 est.)
Female: 73.57 years (1996 est.), 75.35 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.25 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Romanian(s)
Adjective: Romanian

Ethnic Divisions

Romanian 89.1%
Hungarian 8.9%
German 0.4%
Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%

Religions

Romanian Orthodox 70%
Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%
Unaffiliated 18%

Languages

Romanian, Hungarian, German

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1992)

Total population: 97%
Male: 98%
Female: 95%

Labor Force

11.3 million (1992)

By occupation:

Industry 38%
Agriculture 28%
Other 34% (1989)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Romania
Local long form: none
Local short form: Romania

Digraph

Type

Republic

Capital

Bucharest

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

National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)

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 June 1990, previously President of Provisional Council of National Unity since 23 December 1989); election last held 27 September 1992, with runoff between top two candidates on 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Ion ILIESCU 61.4%, Emil CONSTANTINESCU 38.6%
Head of government: Prime Minister Nicolae VACAROIU (since November 1992)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament

Senate (Senat)

Elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - PSDR 34.3%, CDR 18.2%, DP-FSN 12.6%, others 34.9%; seats - (143 total) PSDR 49, CDR 26, DP-FSN 18, PUNR 13, UDMR 12, PRM 6, PAC 6, PDAR 5, PSM 5, PL-93 2 other 1

House of Deputies (Adunarea Deputatilor)

Elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - PSDR 34.0%, CDR 16,4%, DP-FSN 12.3%, others 37.3%; seats - (341 total) PSDR 116, CDR 56, DP-FSN 42, PUNR 29, UDMR 27, PL-93 19, PRM 15, PSM 13, PAC 5, other 19

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court of Justice, Constitutional Court

Political Parties and Leaders

Democratic Party (DP-FSN), Petre ROMAN; Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR), Adrian NASTASE; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Bela MARKO; National Liberal Party (PNL), Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS; National Peasants' Christian and Democratic Party (PNTCD), Ion DIACONESCU; Romanian National Unity Party (PUNR), Gheorghe FUNAR; Socialist Labor Party (PSM), Ilie VERDET; Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania (PDAR), Victor SURDU; The Democratic Convention (CDR), Emil CONSTANTINESCU; Romania Mare Party (PRM), Corneliu Vadim TUDOR; Civic Alliance Party (PAC), Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman; Liberal Party 1993 (PL-93

Note: Numerous other small parties exist but almost all failed to gain representation in the most recent election

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Various human rights and professional associations

Member of

ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

National Anthem

Flag

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 flags of Andorra and Chad

ECONOMY

Overview

Romania, one of the poorer East European countries moving away from the command economy, posted its third straight year of growth in 1995. Bucharest also was successful in reducing its inflation rate to 25% - less than half the 1994 rate - because of tight monetary and fiscal policies, while unemployment fell to 9% as the private sector hired more workers. Despite these successes on the economic front, Romania has lagged much of Central and Eastern Europe in the restructuring process. The private sector accounted for only 40% of GDP in 1995 with over 90% of industry remaining in state hands. Privatization is slated to pick up in 1996, but Bucharest faces other economic problems that could stall recovery, including a growing budget deficit, limited reform of the agricultural and energy sectors, and accumulated decay of the infrastructure.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $105.7 billion (1995 est.), $64.7 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

5.4% (1995 est.)
3.4% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$4,600 (1995 est.)
$2,790 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

25% (1995)
62% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

10.9% (December 1994)

Budget

Revenues: $5.35 billion
Expenditures: $6.6 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1995 est.)

Exports

$6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Textiles and Footwear 23.8%
Metals and metal products 17.3%
Mineral products 11.6%
Machinery and transport equipment 14.8%
Chemicals 7.9%
Food and Agricultural goods 6.5%
Other 18.1% (1994)

Partners:

Developing Countries 30.3%
East and Central Europe 18.4%
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OECD 57.9% (EU 50%, U.S. 3.1%) (1994)

Imports

$7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Fuels and Minerals 26.8%
Machinery and Transport equipment 25.1%
Textiles and footwear 12.3%
Food and Agricultural goods 9.3%
Chemicals 7.9%
Other 18.6% (1994)

Partners:

OECD 60% (EU 44.5%, U.S. 6.5%)
East and Central Europe 6.1%
Developing countries 16.6%
Russia 13.8%
Other 3.5% (1993)

External Debt

$4.7 billion (1995)
$4.4 billion (1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 3.3% (1994 est.), -1% (1993 est.); accounts for 45% of GDP

Electricity

Capacity: 22,180,000 kW
Production: 50.8 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 2,076 kWh (1993)

Industries

Mining
Timber
Construction materials
Metallurgy
Chemicals
Machine building
Food processing
Petroleum production and refining

Agriculture

Accounts for 18% of GDP and 28% of labor force; major wheat and corn producer; other products - sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, milk, eggs, meat, grapes

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine transiting the Balkan route

Economic Aid

Recipient: ODA, $81 million (1993)

Currency

1 leu (L) = 100 bani

Exchange Rates

Lei (L) per US$1 - 2,599.24 (January 1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993), 307.95 (1992), 76.39 (1991), 22.432 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 11,374 km
Broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge
Standard gauge: 10,887 km 1.435-m gauge (3,866 km electrified; 3,060 km double track)
Narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)

Highways

Total: 153,014 km
Paved: 78,037 km (113 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 74,977 km (1992 est.)
note: these figures are inaccurate as the romanians are very busy repairing roads nationwide

Inland Waterways

1,724 km (1984)

Pipelines

Crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)

Ports

Braila, Constanta, Galatz, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Merchant Marine

Total: 233 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,425,729 GRT/3,641,741 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 39, cargo 166, container 2, oil tanker 13, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9

Note: In addition, Romania owns 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,207,388 DWT that operate under Liberian, Maltese, Cypriot, and Bahamian registry

Airports

Total: 156
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 4
With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
With unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 17
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 108

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

About 2.3 million telephones (1990 est.); 99 telephones/1,000 persons; 89% of phone network is automatic; poor service; cable and open wire

Local: NA
Intercity: trunk network is microwave; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990)
International: 1 INTELSAT earth station; new digital international direct dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0
Radios: 4.64 million (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 13 (1990)
Televisions: 4.58 million (1992 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 5,572,383; males fit for military service 4,693,376; males reach military age (20) annually 198,125 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $885 million, 3.0% of GDP (1995), 3% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas

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