Romania

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

total:

6.5 cu km/yr (9%/34%/57%)

per capita:

299 cu m/yr (2003)

• 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:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.69 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2010 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)

head of government:

Prime Minister Emil BOC (since 22 December 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Marko BELA (since 23 December 2009)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 22 November 2009 with runoff on 6 December 2009 (next to be held in November-December 2014);
• prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament

election results:

Traian BASESCU reelected president; percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 50.3%, Mircea GEOANA 49.7%

• 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 [Daniel CONSTANTIN] (formerly Humanist Party or PUR);
• Democratic Liberal Party or PDL [Emil BOC];
• Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO];
• National Liberal Party or PNL [Crin ANTONESCU];
• National Union for Romania's Progress or UNPR [Gabriel OPREA];
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Victor PONTA] (formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Adrian Cosmin VIERITA

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 Mark GITENSTEIN

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;
• modeled after the flag of France, the colors are those of the principalities of Walachia (red and yellow) and Moldavia (red and blue), which united in 1861 to form Romania;
• the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed

note: now similar to the flag of Chad, whose blue band is darker; also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

name:

"Desteapta-te romane!" (Wake up, Romanian)

lyrics/music:

Andrei MURESIANU/Anton PANN

note: adopted 1990; the anthem was written during the 1848 Revolution

agriculture:

29.7%

industry:

23.2%

services:

47.1% (2006)

lowest 10%:

1.2%

highest 10%:

20.8% (2006)

general assessment:

the telecommunications sector is being expanded and modernized; domestic and international service improving rapidly, especially mobile-cellular services

domestic:

• more than 90 percent of telephone network is automatic;
• fixed-line teledensity exceeds 20 telephones per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular teledensity, expanding rapidly, roughly 115 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 40;
• the Black Sea Fiber Optic System provides connectivity to Bulgaria and Turkey;
• satellite earth stations - 10;
• digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest (2009)

• a mixture of public and private TV stations;
• the public broadcaster operates multiple stations;
• roughly 100 private national, regional, and local stations operating;
• more than 75% of households are connected to multi-channel cable or satellite TV systems that provide access to Romanian, European, and international stations;
• state-owned public radio broadcaster operates 4 national networks and regional and local stations;
• more than 100 private radio stations broadcasting (2008)

total:

10,788 km

country comparison to the world: 21

broad gauge:

57 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge:

10,731 km 1.435-m gauge (3,965 km electrified) (2008)

total:

198,817 km

country comparison to the world: 25

paved:

60,043 km (includes 281 km of expressways)

unpaved:

138,774 km (2008)

• 18-35 years of age for male and female voluntary military service;
• conscription officially ended October 2006;
• all military inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service, with subsequent successive contracts for 3-year terms until age 36 (2009)

males age 16-49:

5,617,144

females age 16-49:

5,487,510 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

4,513,619

females age 16-49:

4,566,620 (2010 est.)

male:

121,391

female:

115,258 (2010 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