Geography
Area: 237,499 sq. km. (91,699 sq. mi.); somewhat smaller than New
York and Pennsylvania combined.
Cities: Capital--Bucharest (pop. 2.02 million). Other
cities--Iasi (350,000), Constanta (344,000), Timisoara
(327,000), Cluj-Napoca (334,000), Galati (331,000), Brasov
(316,000).
Terrain: Consists mainly of rolling, fertile plains; hilly in the
eastern regions of the middle Danube basin; and major mountain
ranges running north and west in the center of the country, which
collectively are known as the Carpathians.
Climate: Moderate.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Romanian(s).
Population: 21.7 million (March 2004).
Annual population growth rate: -0.3
Ethnic groups: Romanians 89%, Hungarians 7.1%, Germans 0.5%,
Ukrainians, Serbs, Croats, Russians, Turks, and Roma 2.5%.
Religions: Orthodox 86.8%, Roman Catholic 5%, Reformed Protestant,
Baptist, and Pentecostal 5%, Greek Catholic (Uniate) 1 to 3%, Muslim
0.2%, Jewish less than 0.1%.
Languages: Romanian (official). Other languages--Hungarian,
German.
Education: Years compulsory--10. Attendance--98%.
Literacy--98%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--18.7/1000 (2001); 18.6/1,000
(2002). Life expectancy--men 67.61 yrs., women 74.9 yrs.
Work force: 9.1 million (December 2004). Agriculture--2.75
million (December 2004); industry and commerce--3.34
million (December 2004); services--2.89 million (December
2004).
Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: December 8, 1991, amended by referendum October 18-19,
2003.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime
minister (head of government), Council of Ministers. Legislative--bicameral
Parliament. Judicial--Constitutional Court, High Court of
Cassation and Justice, and lower courts.
Subdivisions: 41 counties plus the city of Bucharest.
Political parties: Political parties represented in the Parliament
are the Social Democratic Party (PSD); the National Liberal Party (PNL);
the Democratic Party (PD); the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania
(UDMR); the Romanian Conservative Party (PC); the Greater Romania
Party (PRM). Other political parties include National Democratic
Christian Peasant Party (PNTCD), the Party of the Romanian National
Unity (PUNR), as well as political organizations of minorities.
Suffrage: Universal from age 18.
Defense: 2.4% of GDP.
Economy
GDP: $34.0 billion (1999); $36.7 billion (2000); $45.76 billion
(2002); $56.9 billion (2003); $73.2 billion (2004).
Annual GDP growth rate: -3.2% (1999); 1.8% (2000); 5.3% (2001); 4.9%
(2002); 4.9% (2003); 8.3% (2004).
Per capita GDP: $1,585 (1999); $1,645 (2000); $1,772.90 (2001);
$2,120 (2002); $2,623 (2003); $3,389 (2004).
Natural resources: Oil, timber, natural gas, coal, salt, iron ore.
Agriculture: Percent of GDP--11.4% (2000); 13.2% (2001);
11.3% (2002); 11.7% (2003); 13.0% (2004). Products--corn,
wheat, potatoes, oilseeds, vegetables, livestock, fish, and
forestry.
Industry: Percent of GDP--27.6% (2000); 28.2% (2001); 28.3%
(2002); 28.4% (2003); 27.0% (2004). Types--machine
building, mining, construction materials, metal production and
processing, chemicals, food processing, textiles, clothing.
Industrial output increased by 3.2% from 2002 to 2003 and 5.3% in
2004 over 2003.
Services: Percent of GDP--60.9% (2000); 44% (2001); 44.7%
(2002); 43.7% (2003); 44.1% (2004).
Construction: Percent of GDP--4.9% (2001); 5.6% (2002);
5.7% (2003); 6.1% (2004).
Trade: Exports--$10.4 billion (2000); $11.46 billion
(2001); $13.87 billion (2002); $17.61 billion (2003); $23.48 billion
(2004). Types--textiles, chemicals, light manufactures,
wood products, fuels, processed metals, machinery and equipment.
Major markets--Italy, Germany, France, Turkey, U.K., Hungary,
Netherlands, Austria, U.S. (2.8%). Exports to the U.S.--$490.7
million (2001); $535.3 million (2002); $689.4 million (2003); $668.5
million (2004). Imports--$15.5 billion (2001); $17.96
billion (2002); $24 billion (2003); $32.58 billion (2004). Types--machinery
and equipment, textiles, fuel, coking coal, iron ore, machinery and
equipment, and mineral products. Major suppliers--Italy,
Germany, France, Russia, Turkey, Austria, U.K., China, Hungary, U.S.
(2.8%). Imports from the U.S.--$357.1 million (2001);
$597.8 million (2002); $616.3 million (2003); $933 million (2004).
Exchange rate: 33,500 lei=US$1 (December 2002); 33,016 lei=US$1
(June 2003); 32,595 lei=US$1 (December 2003); 32,076 lei=US$1
(October 2004); 29,067 lei=US$1 (end-December 2004); 29,278 lei=US$1
(end-May 2005).
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