Romania

• temperate;
• cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog;
• sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

• soil erosion and degradation;
• water pollution;
• air pollution in south from industrial effluents;
• contamination of Danube delta wetlands

party to:

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.054 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.991 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.695 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

noun:

Romanian(s)

adjective:

Romanian

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Romania

local long form:

none

local short form:

Romania

name:

Bucharest

geographic coordinates:

44 26 N, 26 06 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• 41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu);
• Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

• 9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin);
• 26 March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed);
• 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)

chief of state:

• President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004);
• note - President Traian BASESCU was suspended by vote of parliament on 19 April 2007, but resumed his duties on 23 May 2007 after a popular referendum confirmed that his impeachment should not stand

head of government:

Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29 December 2004)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held 28 November 2004 with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held in November-December 2009);
• prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament

election results:

percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian NASTASE 48.77%

• Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and prosecutors elected by their peers);
• a separate body, the Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and internal rules of the Parliament;
• it is comprised of nine members serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies

• Conservative Party or PC [Dan VOICULESCU] (formerly Humanist Party or PUR);
• Democratic Party or PD [Emil BOC];
• Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO];
• National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu-TARICEANU];
• Romania Mare Party (Greater Romania Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR];
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA] (formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR)

ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Daniela GITMAN

chancery:

1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851, 4852

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-4748

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nicholas F. TAUBMAN

embassy:

Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest

mailing address:

pouch: American Embassy Bucharest, US Department of State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)

telephone:

[40] (21) 200-3300

FAX:

[40] (21) 200-3442

• 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 flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

agriculture:

31.6%

industry:

30.7%

services:

37.7% (2004)

lowest 10%:

3.3%

highest 10%:

24.4% (2003)

• "new" leu (RON) was introduced in 2005;
• "old" leu (ROL) was phased out in 2006;
• note - because of currency revaluation, 10,000 ROL = 1 RON

general assessment:

rapidly improving domestic and international service, especially in wireless telephony

domestic:

• 90% of telephone network is automatic;
• liberalization in 2003 is transforming telecommunications;
• there has been 20% growth in fixed lines with a penetration rate of 58% of households;
• nation-wide wireless service is growing even faster with 4 major providers and a penetration rate of 32%

international:

• country code - 40;
• satellite earth stations - 10;
• digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest (2005)

total:

11,385 km

broad gauge:

60 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge:

10,898 km 1.435-m gauge (3,888 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

427 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

total:

198,817 km

paved:

60,043 km (includes 228 km of expressways)

unpaved:

138,774 km (2004)

total:

19 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,307 GRT/165,548 DWT

by type:

cargo 13, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1

registered in other countries:

50 (Cambodia 1, Georgia 15, North Korea 6, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 8, Sierra Leone 2, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1, Syria 4, Tuvalu 1, unknown 4) (2007)

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• conscription officially ended October 2006;
• all military inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service;
• subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive 3-year terms until the age of 36 (2006)

males age 20-49:

5,061,984

females age 20-49:

4,975,427 (2005 est.)

males age 20-49:

3,932,579

females age 20-49:

4,076,288 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

172,093

females age 20-49:

165,547 (2005 est.)

• the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until June 2007 to issue a rejoinder, in their dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation;
• Romania also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

• major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe;
• although not a significant financial center, role as a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering, which occurs via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos