Romania

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

agricultural land:

60.7%;

• arable land 39.1%;
• permanent crops 1.9%;
• permanent pasture 19.7%

forest:

28.7%

other:

10.6% (2011 est.)

total:

6.88 cu km/yr (22%/61%/17%)

per capita:

320.8 cu m/yr (2009)

• 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

noun:

Romanian(s)

adjective:

Romanian

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.68 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

total number:

26,658

percentage:

1% (2000 est.)

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, Dambovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Valcea, Vrancea

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

• several previous;
• latest adopted 21 November 1991, approved by referendum and effective 8 December 1991;
• amended 2003 (2014)

chief of state:

President Klaus IOHANNIS (since 21 December 2014)

head of government:

Prime Minister Victor-Viorel PONTA (since 7 May 2012); Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel OPREA (since 5 March 2014)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 2 November 2014 with a runoff on 16 November 2014 (next to be held on 16 November 2019);
• prime minister appointed by the president with consent of Parliament

election results:

Klaus IOHANNIS elected president; percent of vote in runoff - Klaus IOHANNIS (PNL) 54.4%, Victor PONTA (PSD) 45.6%

description:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (176 seats; 137 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote and 39 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (412 seats; 315 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote and 97 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms); note - in the Chamber of Deputies, seats are reserved for minority parties that receive at least 10 percent of total valid votes cast

elections:

Senate - last held on 9 December 2012 (next to be held by December 2016); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 9 December 2012 (next to be held by December 2016)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - USL 60.1%, ARD 16.7%, PP-DD 14.6%, UDMR 5.3%, other 3.3%;
• seats by alliance/party - USL 122, ARD 24, PP-DD 21, UDMR 9;
• Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - USL 58.6%, ARD 16.5%, PP-DD 14%, UDMR 5.2%, ethnic minorities 2.6%, other 3.1%;
• seats by alliance/party - USL 273, ARD 56, PP-DD 47, UDMR 18, ethnic minorities 18

highest court(s):

• High Court of Cassation and Justice (consists of 111 judges organized into civil, penal, commercial, contentious administrative and fiscal business, and joint sections);
• Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• High Court of Cassation and Justice judges appointed by the president upon nomination by the Superior Council of Magistracy, a 19-member body of judges, prosecutors, and law specialists;
• judges appointed for 6-year renewable terms;
• Constitutional Court members - 6 elected by Parliament and 3 appointed by the president;
• members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• regional tribunals;
• first instance courts;
• military and arbitration courts

• Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party or PNT-CD [Aurelian PAVELESCU]
• Conservative Party or PC [Daniel CONSTANTIN] (formerly Humanist Party or PUR)
• Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Hunor KELEMEN]
• National Liberal Party or PNL [Alina GORGIU and Vasile BLAGA co-presidents] - combined with former PDL and FC
• National Union for Romania's Progress or UNPR [Gabriel OPREA]
• New Republic Party or NR [Mihail NEAMTU]
• People's Party - Dan Diaconescu or PP-DD [Marin DIACONESCU]
• Popular Movement Party or PMP [Eugen TOMAC]
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Victor-Viorel PONTA] (formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR)

chief of mission:

Ambassador George Cristian MAIOR (since 17 September 2015)

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 Hans G. KLEMM (since 21 September 2015)

embassy:

Bulevardul Dr. Liviu Librescu 4-6, District 1, Bucharest, 015118

mailing address:

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 1862 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:

27.9%

industry:

28.2%

services:

43.9% (2013)

lowest 10%:

14.5%

highest 10%:

7.7% (2013 est.)

general assessment:

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

domestic:

• more than 90% of telephone network is automatic;
• fixed-line teledensity exceeds 20 telephones per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 110 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 (2011)

• a mixture of public and private TV stations;
• the public broadcaster operates multiple stations;
• roughly 100 private national, regional, and local stations;
• 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 (2008)

total:

11,268 km

broad gauge:

60 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge:

10,781 km 1.435-m gauge (3,292 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

427 km 0.760-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 22

total:

84,185 km

paved:

49,873 km (includes 337 km of expressways)

unpaved:

34,312 km (2012)

country comparison to the world: 55

major seaport(s):

Constanta, Midia

river port(s):

Braila, Galati (Galatz), Mancanului (Giurgiu), Tulcea (Danube River)

• conscription ended 2006;
• 18 years of age for male and female voluntary service;
• all military inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service, with subsequent successive 3-year terms until age 36 (2015)

males age 16-49:

5,601,234

females age 16-49:

5,428,939 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

4,550,409

females age 16-49:

4,507,880 (2010 est.)

male:

117,798

female:

111,607 (2010 est.)

• the ICJ ruled largely in favor of Romania in its dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation;
• Romania 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