Romania – Facts and figures

Location
Romania is situated in Southeastern Central Europe. Its borders are: Hungary to the northwest, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, the Black Sea to the southeast, Ukraine to the east and to the north and Republic of Moldova to the east.

Physical  features
Romania features splendid mountains (31% of territory), beautiful rolling hills (36% of territory), fertile plains (33% of territory) and numerous rivers and 3,500 lakes. The Carpathian Mountains traverse the centre of the country bordered on both sides by foothills and finally the great plains of the outer rim.
Forests cover one quarter of the country and the fauna is one of the richest in Europe including bears, deer, lynx, Chamonix and wolves.
The legendary Danube River ends its eight-country journey at the Black Sea, after forming one of the largest and most biodiverse wetlands in the world, the Danube Delta – a UNESCO Biosphere Reservation.
Romania has a surface of 237,502 sq. km (91,725 miles). The capital of Romania is Bucharest (Bucureşti).

Regions

• Transylvania – “the land beyond the forest” is located in Central Romania, surrounded by the arc of the Carpathian mountain chain;
• Banat & Crisana is located at Romania’s western border. Crisana borders Hungary in the north and banat borders Serbia in the south;
• Bucovina & Moldova is located in the northeastern Romania, between the Carpathian Mountains and the Prut River. Bucovina is situated in the northern part of the region of Moldova, bordering with Ukraine;

Note: The region of Moldova is not to be confused with the Republic of Moldova, its eastern neighbor.

• Dobrogea is located in the southeastern Romania, between the Danube River and the Black Sea;
• Maramures – located in the northwest Romania, bordering Ukraine in the north, Satu Mare county in the west.
• Walachia is located in the southern part of Romania. The Olt River divides Walachia into Muntenia in the east and Oltenia in the west.

Population
About 19.000.000 people live in Romania: 89% - Romanian; 7,5% - Hungarian; 1,9% - Gipsy; 1,6% - German, Others.

Religions
Christian Ortodox - 87%; Roman Catholic - 5%; Protestant – 5%, Jewish.

Official Language
Official Language is Romanian language – a Latin based. Ethnic minorities (Hungarian
and German) use their own languages in school and civil administration.

Currency
Romanian Leu (RON). The leu’s subdivision is the ban . (1 RON = 100 bani)
If you want to change some money, the primary option is to use ATMs. Using ATM cards is very convenient and safe. You get a better exchange rate at exchange offices, but you have to look for word “Comision” which have to be 0%. Prior to make the exchange they have to give you a receipt which you have to sign.

            Climate
In Romania, the climate is temperate with four distinct seasons, similar to northeastern USA.
Spring is pleasant with cool mornings and nights and warm days. Summer is quite warm, with extended sunny days. The hottest areas in Summer are the lowlands in southern and eastern Romania, where 350C is often reached in July and August. Temperatures are always cooler in the mountains. Autumn is dry and cool with fields and trees producing colorful foliage. Winter can be cold, especially in the mountains. While not the rule, abundant snowfalls may occur throughout  the country, from December to mid March.
There are significant regional differences of the climate between different regions of Romania.

            Government
Romania is a semi-parliamentary Republic based on a bicameral Parliament: the Chamber of Representatives (Camera Deputaţilor) and the Senate (Senat). All members of the legislature are directly elected from Romania’s 41 counties.
The head of the state is the President who is elected by universal suffrage, every five years. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister who is nominated by the President.
Romania is a NATO member and has joined the European Union, on January  1, 2007.

            Public Holidays

• January 1 and 2: - New Year
• Monday following Orthodox Easter: March, April or early May (date varies)
• May 1: - Labor Day
• Rusaliile: (Christian Orthodox Religious Holiday – celebrated 50 days after Easter)
• August 15: - Saint Mary’s Day
• December 1: - National Day
• December 25 – 26: - Christmas.