Romania

Republic, in south-eastern Europe, bordered on the north by Ukraine; on the east by

Moldova; on the south-east by the Black Sea; on the south by Bulgaria; on the south-west by
Serbia (part o the ederation o Serbia and Montenegro!; and on the west by "ungary# $he
total area o Ro%ania is about &'(,)** s+ k% (,-,(** s+ %i!# Bucharest is Ro%ania.s capital
and largest city#
Land and Resources
Ro%ania is roughly oval in shape, with a %a/i%u% e/tent east to west o about (0* k% (01*
%i! and north to south about 0() k% (&,) %i!# $he topography is varied# $he $ransylvanian
Basin, or 2lateau, which occupies central Ro%ania, is very hilly or the %ost part, but also has
wide valleys and e/tensive arable slopes# $he $ransylvania region is al%ost co%pletely
surrounded by %ountains# $o the north and east are the 3arpathian Mountains, and along the
south are the $ransylvanian 4lps, which continue south to the 5anube gorge at the Banat
Mountains# Moldoveanul (&,)00 %67,',) t!, the highest peak in the country, is in these 4lps# 4
s%aller group o ranges, the Bihor Mountains, is west o $ransylvania# $he re%aining areas o
Ro%ania are predo%inantly lowlands# 8n the west are the lowlands o the $is9a 2lain, which are
usually reerred to as the Banat, ad:acent to the Serbian border, and 3risana-Mara%ures,
ad:acent to "ungary# $he %ost e/tensive plains are the lowlands o ;alachia, located between
the $ransylvanian 4lps and Bulgaria, and the region o Moldova (Moldavia!, east o the
3arpathian Mountains# Bordering the Black Sea in the e/tre%e east and or%ing part o
5obru:a, or 5obrogea, is a low plateau, which continues south into Bulgaria#
$he %ost i%portant river o Ro%ania is the 5anube# 8t de%arcates the eastern part o the
boundary with Serbia, and %ost o the boundary with Bulgaria# $he valley o the lower course o
the 5anube (east o the 8ron <ate gorge near $urnu Severin! and the 5anube delta are very
swa%py# =ther i%portant rivers, all part o the 5anube syste%, are the Mure, 2rut, =lt, and
Siret# Ro%ania has %any s%all, reshwater %ountain lakes, but the largest lakes are saline
lagoons on the coast o the Black Sea; the largest o these is >ake Ra9el%#
Climate
$he $ransylvanian Basin, the 3arpathian Mountains, and the western lowlands have war%
su%%ers and cold winters with recorded te%perature e/tre%es ranging between '(#7? 3 (-**?
@! and -'-#(? 3 (-&)? @!# $he ;alachian, Moldavian, and 5obru:an lowlands have hotter
su%%ers and occasionally e/perience periods o severe cold in winter; recorded e/tre%es in
Bucharest and the lowlands are '7#,? 3 (-*&? @! and -&'#,? 3 (---? @!# Rainall averages )*7
%% (&* in! on the plains and ro% )*7 %% to -,*-1 %% (&* in to 0* in! on the %ountains and is
concentrated in the war%er hal o the year#
Natural Resources
$he principal resources o Ro%ania are agricultural, but the country also has signiicant %ineral
deposits, particularly oil, natural gas, salt, coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, bau/ite, chro%iu%,
%anganese, lead, and 9inc#
Plants and Animals
;ooded steppe, now largely cleared or agriculture, predo%inates in the plains o ;alachia and
Moldova# @ruit trees are co%%on in the oothills o the %ountains# =n the lower slopes are
ound orests o such deciduous trees as birch, beech, and oak# $he orests o the higher
altitudes are conierous, consisting largely o pine and spruce trees# 4bove the ti%berline
(appro/i%ately -,()* %6),(0* t!, the lora is alpine#
;ild ani%al lie is abundant in %ost parts o Ro%ania# $he larger ani%als, ound chiely in the
3arpathian Mountains, include the wild boar, wol, lyn/, o/, bear, cha%ois, roe deer, and goat#
8n the plains, typical ani%als are the s+uirrel, hare, badger, and polecat# Many species o birds
are abundant; the 5anube delta region, now partly a nature preserve, is a stopover point or
%igratory birds# 4%ong species o ish ound in the rivers and oshore are pike, sturgeon, carp,
lounder, sal%on, perch, and eel#
Population
Ro%anians, who constitute 7, per cent o the total population, are descendants o the peoples
inhabiting 5acia (%odern Ro%ania! at the ti%e o its con+uest (about 45 -*1! and absorption
by the Ro%ans# 8%portant %inorities are the "ungarians, who co%prise about -- per cent o
the population and are chiely settled in $ransylvania; and <er%ans, who %ake up less than -
per cent o the population and live chiely in the Banat# Ro%ania also has s%all nu%bers o
Ukrainians, Aews, Russians, Serbs, 3roats, $urks, Bulgarians, $atars, and Slovaks# Ethnic
unrest has troubled Ro%ania since the overthrow o the co%%unist regi%e# 8n -,,- organi9ed
attacks on Ro%any co%%unities caused a large nu%ber to lee to <er%any and 4ustria, but
%ost o these were orcibly returned to Ro%ania in -,,&# Unrest in $ransylvania orced the
ethnic "ungarians there to lee in -,,*, ater Ro%anian tanks had been deployed to +uell the
uprising# 4nti-Se%itis% has also been rising#
Population Characteristics
Ro%ania has a population o &&,7'),*** (-,,) oicial esti%ate!# 2opulation density is about ,1
people per s+ k% (&0, per s+ %i!# $he population is about )1 per cent urban#
Political Divisions and Principal Cities
@or ad%inistrative purposes, the country is divided into 0* counties and the %unicipality o
Bucharest# Bucharest has a population o &,*7*,'1' (-,,0!, and it is also the pri%e industrial and
co%%ercial centre o the country# =ther %a:or cities are 3onstana ('07,)()!, the only Ro%anian
port on the Black Sea; Braov ('&0,&-*!, noted or the %anuacture o te/tiles, che%icals, and
%etal products; $i%ioara ('&(,7'*!, an industrial centre; 8ai ('',,77,!, a co%%ercial centre;
3lu:-Bapoca ('&1,*-(!, a co%%ercial and industrial centre; <alai ('&1,(&7!, a naval and
%etallurgical centre; 3raiova ('*1,7&)!, a te/tile, electrical, and che%ical centre; and 2loieti
(&)0,0*7!, hub o the oil industry#
Religion and Language
$he largest religious organi9ation o Ro%ania is the Ro%anian =rthodo/ 3hurch, to which
about 7) per cent o Ro%anians adhere# 8n addition, the country has substantial nu%bers o
Ro%an 3atholics, predo%inantly the "ungarian, Swabian, and <er%an %inorities o
$ransylvania and Banat; 2rotestants o various deno%inations; Aews, pri%arily in Bucharest;
and Musli%s, %ainly a%ong the $atar and $urkish %inorities in the 5obru:a region#
$he oicial language is Ro%anian, one o the Ro%ance languages, spoken by nearly all the
population# =ther languages spoken include "ungarian, <er%an, $urkish, Serbo-3roatian,
Ro%any, and Ciddish#
History
$he territory that is %odern Ro%ania irst appeared in history as the greater part o the Ro%an
province o 5acia, con+uered by E%peror $ra:an in around 45 -*1# Most o its inhabitants,
known as the 5aci, had originally e%igrated ro% $hrace in northern <reece# Ro%an colonists
were sent into the province, and Ro%e developed the area considerably, building roads,
bridges, and a great wall, its ruins still visible, ro% the present Black Sea port o 3onstana
across the 5obru:a (5obrogea! region to the River 5anube# 5uring the 'rd century 45, raids by
the <oths beca%e so grave a %enace that the Ro%an legions were withdrawn across the
5anube# ;hile successive waves o invaders, including <oths, "uns, Slavs, and Bulgars, %ade
5acia a battleground, the Ro%ani9ed population preserved a >atin speech and identity#
<radually, through inter%arriage and assi%ilation with Slavonic tribes, these people developed
into a distinct ethnic group, called ;alachians or, in Slavonic, Dlachs, whose no%adic and
warlike custo%s beca%e a constant threat to the neighbouring By9antine E%pire# Under
Bulgarian rule, in the ,th century, the =rthodo/ or% o 3hristianity was introduced#
4bout the end o the -'th century "ungarian e/pansion by Magyars drove %any o the people
ro% the western provinces to settle south and east o the 3arpathians# "ere they established
the principalities o ;alachia and later that o Moldavia, each ruled by native princes, or
voivodes (Russian, voevoda, Eleader o an ar%yF!, %any o who% acknowledged the su9erainty
o the kings o "ungary or 2oland# ;ith the deeat o the "ungarians by the =tto%an E%pire at
the Battle o MohGcs in -)&1, Moldavia and ;alachia ca%e under $urkish rule, which lasted or
three centuries# 4t the close o the -1th century Moldavia, $ransylvania, and ;alachia were
te%porarily united by 2rince Michael o ;alachia, who %ade continual war on the $urkish
sultan in an atte%pt to gain and %aintain independence# @or a ti%e Michael successully
opposed the =tto%ans; he con+uered $ransylvania in -),, and Moldavia in -1**, but he was
assassinated the ollowing year, and the spirit o independence waned#
$he =tto%ans restored their control o the principalities ater Michael.s death, i%posing severe
political restrictions# @inally the Ro%anians turned to Russia, which had oered to protect ellow
=rthodo/ 3hristians, or help# 8n an eort to end o the growing inluence o Russia in the early
-7th century, the =tto%an govern%ent established the so-called 2hanariot syste%# Moldavia
and ;alachia were ruled through $urkish-appointed hospodars (=ld Slav gospod, ElordF!,
usually %e%bers o <reek a%ilies ro% the 2hanar district o 3onstantinople# Many Ro%anian
boyars, or nobles, allied the%selves with ruling <reek a%ilies, and <reek beca%e the oicial
language#
Russian inluence beca%e pre-e%inent ater -()* and re%ained so or a century# 8n -((0
Russia deeated $urkey, which was then orced to pro%ise lenient treat%ent o Moldavia and
;alachia# 8n -7*& Russia obtained a voice in the appoint%ent o hospodars, and in -7-&,
having again deeated $urkey in the Russo-$urkish ;ar o -7*1--7-&, obtained Bessarabia,
which had previously been part o the principality o Moldavia# $he weakening o $urkish
inluence beca%e %ore evident ater the start o the <reek ;ar o 8ndependence in -7&-# By
the $reaty o 4drianople, which ended the <reek war in -7&,, Moldavia and ;alachia, although
re%aining no%inally under $urkish control, beca%e %ore autono%ous# $he 2hanariot syste%
was ended, and Russia beca%e the unacknowledged su9erain o the two states, a situation
disapproved o by the great European powers, which had begun to intervene in Balkan aairs
during the <reek war#
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