Romania
republicIndependence 1881 (from Turkey
Romania as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 100 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between | Bulgaria and Ukraine
18 fieldsLand useshare of 237,500 sq km
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
Natural hazards
earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Environment - current issues
- soil erosion and degradation;
- water pollution;
- air pollution in south from industrial effluents;
- contamination of Danube delta wetlands
Environment - international agreements
- party to :
- Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography - note
controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 19% (male 2,223,136; female 2,130,497) 15-64 years : 68% (male 7,586,237; female 7,679,992)
- 65 years and over:
- 13% (male 1,186,948; female 1,656,267) (July 1997 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.99 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.72 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Ethnic groups
Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%
Government
Republic; Prime Minister Victor CIORBEA (since 12 December 1996)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 343 seats, elected 3 November 1996seats by party
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form :
- Romania
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Romania
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
Legal system
former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic
Executive branch
- chief of state :
- President Emil CONSTANTINESCU (since 29 November 1996)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Victor CIORBEA (since 12 December 1996)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
- election last held 3 November 1996, with runoff between the top two candidates held 17 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000);
- prime minister appointed by the president
- election results:
- percent of vote - Emil CONSTANTINESCU 54.4%, Ion ILIESCU 45.6%
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (143 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (343 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate - last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Deputies - last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - CDR 30.7%, PDSR 23.1%, USD 13.2%, UDMR 6.8%, PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.2%, others 17.5%;
- seats by party - CDR 53, PDSR 41, USD 23, UDMR 11, PRM 8, PUNR 7;
- Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CDR 30.2%, PDSR 21.5%, USD 12.9%, UDMR 6.6% PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.4%, others 19.9%;
- seats by party - CDR 122, PDSR 91, USD 53, UDMR 25, PRM 19, PUNR 18, ethnic minorities 15
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice, judges are appointed by the president on recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates
Political parties and leaders
- Democratic Party or DP [Petre ROMAN];
- Romanian Social Democratic Party or PSDR [Sergiu CUNESCU];
- Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR [Adrian NASTASE];
- Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO];
- National Liberal Party or PNL [Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS];
- National Peasants' Christian and Democratic Party or PNTCD [Ion DIACONESCU];
- Romanian National Unity Party or PUNR [Valeriu TABARA];
- Socialist Labor Party or PSM [Ilie VERDET];
- Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania or PDAR [Victor SURDU];
- The Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU];
- Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR];
- Civic Alliance Party or PAC [Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman];
- Liberal Party '93 or PL-93 [Dinu PATRICIU];
- National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention or PNL-CD [Nicolae CERVENI];
- Socialist Party or PS [Tudor MOHORA]
note: to increase their voting strength several of the above-mentioned
- parties united under umbrella organizations:
- PNTCD, PNL, and PNL-CD form the bulk of the Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU];
- PD and PSDR form the Union of Social Democrats or USD [Petre ROMAN];
- and PAC and PL-93 form the National Liberal Alliance or ANL [Nicolae MANOLESCU];
- PSM, PS, ANL, and numerous other small parties failed to gain representation in the most recent election
International organization participation
ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, 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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA
- chancery:
- 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission :
- Ambassador Alfred H. MOSES
- embassy:
- Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
- mailing address:
- American Consulate General (Bucharest), Unit 1315, APO AE 09213-1315
- telephone:
- [40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42
Flag description
- 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
Romania, one of the poorer countries in Central | and Eastern Europe, began the transition from Communism with a largely | obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the | country's needs.
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1995)
Economy - overview
Romania, one of the poorer countries in Central and Eastern Europe, began the transition from Communism with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. Over the past seven years, economic restructuring has lagged behind most other countries in the region.
Consequently, economic performance is declining, with slowing GDP growth, ballooning budget deficits, accelerating inflation, a plunging exchange rate, and anemic foreign investment. Unemployment was low at about 6% at the end of 1996, but the rate will rise when restructuring gets underway.
A new government elected in November 1996 promises to accelerate economic reform, restructuring, and privatization, introduce fiscal and monetary austerity, reduce the state's role in the economy, and open Romania to foreign investment. The government will tackle its formidable economic problems in two stages, with an emergency plan over the winter of 1996/97 to ensure social and political stability, followed by a radical structural reform program over its remaining three-and-one-half years aimed eventually at EU accession.
At the same time, it wants to keep campaign promises to increase benefits to disadvantaged groups. Bucharest hopes to receive financial and technical assistance from international financial institutions and western governments and negotiations over a new IMF standby agreement are underway.
If reform stalls, however, Romania's bond rating - just below investment grade - could fall and needed capital from both public and private sources could quickly dry up. Rich agricultural and oil resources are strengths for the future.
Industries
mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and refining
Exports
- total value:
- $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- textiles and footwear 25.2%, metals and metal products 19.4%, fuels and mineral products 10.0%, chemicals 9.4%, other 36.0% (1995)
- partners :
- Germany 17.8%, Italy 15.6%, France 5.7%, Turkey 4.5%, Netherlands 3.0%, China 3.0% (1995)
Imports
- total value :
- $93.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- fuels and minerals 25.1%, machinery and transport equipment 19.4%, food and agricultural goods 6.1%, chemicals 9.0%, other 40.4% (1995)
- partners:
- Germany 17.1%, Italy 13.2%, Russia 12.6%, France 5.2%, US 4.2%, Egypt 4.1% (1995)
Exchange rates
lei (L) per US$1 - 5,970 (January 1997), 3,085.39 (1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993), 307.95 (1992)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic:
- poor service;
- 89% of telephone network is automatic;
- trunk network is microwave radio relay;
- roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990 est.)
- international:
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0 note: in 1995, 135 local radio stations were registered
Transportation
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 234 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,445,810 GRT/3,654,660 DWT
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Railways
- total :
- 11,365 km
- broad gauge:
- 45 km 1.524-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 10,893 km 1.435-m gauge (3,723 km electrified; 3,060 km double track)
- narrow gauge:
- 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)
Highways
- total :
- 153,170 km
- paved:
- 78,117 km (including 113 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 75,053 km (1995 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
- total:
- 27
- over 3,047 m:
- 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 (1994 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, | Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- dispute with Ukraine over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist;
- agreed to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice
Illicit drugs
important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe RUSSIA
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Romania.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/romania/1997.