Calistrat Hogas National College

Piatra Neamt
ROMANIA
prof. Petruta Lostun Where is Romania?

Romania is located in the southeast of Europe, on the 45 degrees North Parallel, in the northern
part of the Balkanic peninsula, inside the Danube river basin opening on the Black Sea. Click
here and here to see Romania on map.
What are the geographical coordinates of Romania?
Latitude of Romania: 46º00´ North of the Equator
Longitude of Romania: 25º00´East of Greenwich

Facts and Figures

Official Name: Romania

Capital City: Bucharest (population: 2,1 million)
Languages: Romanian (official), Hungarian, German, others
Ethnic Groups: Romanian (89%), Hungarian (7,5%), Gipsy (1,9%), German, others (1,6%)
Official Currency: Leu
Religions: Christian Orthodox (87%), Roman Catholic (5%), others
Population: 22,291,000
Land Area: 230,340 sq km
Landforms: The Carpathian Mountains and the Carpatii Mountains (Transylvanian Alps) almost
encircle the central plain. Those mountains slope down into much flatter land in the south and
southeast.
The Prut River forms its eastern border with Moldova, and the Danube River forms it's southern
border with Bulgaria, then flowing north and east into the Black Sea.
Land Divisions: 40 counties, 1 municipality

Language

Romanian – a Latin based language which is a continuation of the Latin spoken in ancient times
in Dacia and Moesia – the eastern provinces of the Roman empire.
Ethnic minorities (Hungarian, German) use their own languages in school and civil
administration.
Literacy rate in Romania is 98%.
Most Romanians living in towns and citys are able to communicate in English, French, German.
In smaller villages only younger people and children speak one or more foreign languages.

National Symbols

The Flag of Romania with the National Coat of Arms - Three vertical strips: red, yellow and
blue. See the flag here.
The National Anthem of Romania: “Desteapta-te romane”. The lyrics of the national anthem
belong to Andrei Muresanu (1816-1863), a romantic poet. The music was composed by Anton
Pann a poet, a singer and a man of great culture

Geography

Romania is in South East Europe and is bordered by the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova,
Serbia and Ukraine.
Romania has six regions: Banat, Bukovina, Dobruja, Moldavia, Transylvania and Walachia. These
are divided into forty counties in addition to the capital city, Bucharest.
Romania's landscape consists of hills, mountains and plains. The Danube is the longest river
flowing through the country.
The summer is hot with both showers and thunderstorms; the winter is cold with some fog and
snow. Earthquakes occur in the southern parts of the country.

Environment

Romania has many lakes and rivers. Forests and woodland cover over a quarter of the country.
Trees include pine, spruce, beeches, birch, oaks and fruit trees. Protected Natural Areas and
National Parks were established in the 1950s.
The Danube Delta, a World Heritage site, is also listed by Ramsar as a Wetland of International
Importance.
Mount Pietrosul Mare and the Retezat Massif are UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserves.

Food

Romanian food has been influenced over the centuries by Romans, Greeks, Hungarians,
Germans and Turks.
Soups (vegetable, meat and fish) and salads (potato, cabbage and fish roe) are popular.
Mamaliga, made from cornmeal, is a staple food and can be prepared in a variety of ways.
Stuffed vine leaves and grilled minced meat (mititei and patricieni) are also popular. Pork is
eaten frequently, often with potatoes and salad.
Romania has a number of recipes for layered cakes, cheesecakes, pancakes and other desserts.
Fruits available include apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, melons, strawberries and
peaches.
Tea is a favourite drink. Beer, wine and plum brandy are produced.

History

Romania, inhabited since the Stone Age, has been controlled by various empires.
In early times, part of present-day Romania was called Dacia after its inhabitants, the Dacians.
In the seventh and sixth centuries BC Greeks settled in Dacia and later in 106 AD the Romans
made it a Roman province. The Romans left Romania around 271 AD leaving the country open
to invasion by nomadic tribes from Europe and Asia: Goths, Vandals, Huns, Slavs and Magyars.
By the eleventh century the Transylvanian region of Romania was dominated by the Magyars
(Hungarians). The principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia managed to remain independent
until the sixteenth century when they succumbed to the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire.
Following the Battle of the Mohacs (between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire in 1526)
Transylvania came under the control of the Ottomans and later, the Austrians.
From the nineteenth century until the end of the Second World War the historical principality
of Moldavia went through a number of boundary changes; sometimes it was within the borders
of Romania and other times it was partly within the borders of Russian Ukraine (The Soviet
Socialist Republic of Moldova was established in 1947).
Romania did not become a unified country until the second half of the nineteenth century. Karl
of Hohenzollern, a German prince, was chosen as the country's ruler and became King Carol I of
Romania in 1881.
During the First World War Romania remained neutral until 1916 when it aligned itself with
Britain, France and other Allies. Again, during the Second World War, Romania started off as a
neutral country. However, by 1940 territorial losses led to King Carol's abdication in favour of
his son, but passing power to Premier Ion Antonescu. Antonescu worked with Germany and
Romania was occupied by German troops. In 1944 a coup d'etat, supported by the King,
overthrew Antonescu and withdrew support from Germany. Once the Germans had been
expelled, the Romanian army helped to liberate its neighbours, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
After the war, in 1947, Romania became a communist Peoples Republic. Romania was a
satellite of the USSR but in the early 1960s overtures were made towards trade with Western
countries.
In 1965 Nicolae Ceausescu became the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party
and ruled Romania until he was overthrown and executed in 1989.
1991 saw the dissolution of the USSR and in 1993 Romania continued to look towards the West
becoming a member of the European Council. In 2007 Romania joined the European Union.

Arts

The earliest evidence of the arts in Romania date back to ten thousand year-old cave paintings
in northwest Transylvania and examples of Neolithic pottery.
Leading Romanian painters include the portrait painter Theodor Aman (1831-91) and the
landscape painter Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907). Constantin Brancusi (1876-1956), the
famous sculptor, attended the Bucharest School of Fine Arts before moving to Paris in 1904.
Well known Romanian writers include the narrative poet and dramatist Vasile Alecsandri (1821-
90), the poet Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), the novelist Mihail Sadoveanu (1880-1961) and the
playwright Eugene Ionesco (1912-1994).
Famous Romanian musicians are George Enescu (1881-1955), the violinist and composer,
known for Romanian rhapsodies, Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950), pianist and composer, and Angela
Gheorghiu, the Romanian soprano.

Sport

Football is a very popular sport with a number of international players like Gheorghe Hagi and
Gheorghe Popescu, former players of Galatasaray Istanbul.
Romania is also successful in a number of other sports at international level.
The gymnast Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score a perfect ten (1976 Montreal
Olympic Games). She also won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze - all at the age of
fourteen. Her success continued in the 1980 Moscow Olympics when she was awarded two
gold medals and two silver medals.
Ilie Nastase, the tennis player, is another internationally known Romanian sports star.
In the winter months the weather is suitable for skiing.