'Romania' (, ) is a country in Southeastern
Europe. It is borderd by
Hungary and
Serbia to the west,
Ukraine and
Moldova to the northeast, and
Bulgaria to the south. Romania has a stretch of sea coast along the
Black Sea, and the eastern and southern
Carpathian Mountains run through its center.
The modern state of Romania was formed by the merging of the Danubian Principalities of
Moldavia and
Wallachia in 1859. The state united with
Transylvania in 1918. Its capital and largest city is
Bucharest ( ), the sixth largest city in the EU. Romania joined
NATO on
March 29,
2004, and the
European Union (EU) on
January 1 2007. Romania has the
seventh largest population and the
ninth largest territory in the EU.
Name
Main articles: Etymology of Romania
The name of ''Romania'' (''
România'') comes from ''Român'' (Romanian) which is a derivative of the word ''Romanus'' ("
Roman") from
Latin. The fact that Romanians call themselves a derivative of ''Romanus'' () is mentioned as early as the 16th century by many authors among whom were
Italian Humanists travelling in
Transylvania,
Moldavia and
Wallachia. The oldest surviving document written in the
Romanian language is a 1521 letter (known as "
Neacşu's Letter from
Câmpulung") which notifies the mayor of
Braşov about the imminent attack of the
Ottoman Turks. This document is also notable for having the first occurrence of "Rumanian" in a Romanian written text,
Wallachia being here named The Rumanian Land - ''Ţeara Rumânească'' (''Ţeara'' < Latin ''Terra'' = land). In the following centuries, Romanian documents use interchangeably two spelling forms: ''Român'' and ''Rumân''. Socio-linguistic evolutions in the late 17th century lead to a process of semantic differentiation: the form ''"rumân"'', presumably usual among lower classes, got the meaning of "bondsman", while the form ''"
român"'' kept an ethno-linguistic meaning. After the abolition of serfdom in 1746, the form "rumân" gradually disappears and the spelling definitively stabilises to the form ''"român", "românesc"''. The name "
România" as common homeland of all Romanians is documented in the early 19th century.
The medieval city of
SibiuHistory
Main articles: History of Romania
In 513 BC, south of the
Danube, the tribal confederation of the
Getae were defeated by the
Persian Emperor
Darius the Great during his campaign against the
Scythians (Herodotus IV). Over half a millennium later, the Getae (also named ''Daci'' by Romans) were defeated by the
Roman Empire under Emperor
Trajan in two campaigns stretching from 101 AD to 106 AD, and the core of their kingdom was turned into the
Roman province of
Dacia. The
Gothic and
Carpic campaigns in the
Balkans during 238–269 AD(from the beginning of the period of military anarchy to the
battle of Naissus), forced the Roman Empire to reorganize a new Roman province of Dacia south of the Danube, inside former
Moesia Superior.
In either 271 or 275 the Roman army and administration left Dacia, which was invaded by the
Goths. The Goths lived with the local people until the 4th century, when another nomadic people, the
Huns, arrived. The
Gepids and the
Avars ruled
Transylvania until the 8th century, after which the
Bulgarians included the territory of modern Romania in
their Empire until 1018. Transylvania was part of the
Kingdom of Hungary from the 10-11th century until the 16th century, when the independent Principality of Transylvania was formed. The
Pechenegs, the
Cumans and
Uzes were also mentioned by historic chronicles on the territory of Romania, until the founding of the Romanian principalities of
Wallachia by
Basarab I, and
Moldavia by
Dragoş during the 13th and 14th centuries respectively. Several competing theories have been generated to explain the origin of modern Romanians. Linguistic and geo-historical analyses tend to indicate that Romanians have coallesced as a major ethnic group both South and North of the Danube.
In the
Middle Ages, Romanians lived in two distinct independent Romanian principalities:
Wallachia (
Romanian: ''Ţara Românească'' - "Romanian Land"),
Moldavia (
Romanian: ''Moldova'') as well as in the Hungarian-ruled principality of
Transylvania.
In 1475,
Stephen the Great of Moldavia scored a temporary victory over the
Ottoman Empire at the
Battle of Vaslui. However, Wallachia and Moldavia would come gradually under the
suzerainty of the
Ottoman Empire during the 15th and 16th centuries (1476 for Wallachia, 1514 for Moldavia). As vassal tributary states they had complete internal autonomy and an external independence which was finally lost in the 18th century. One of the greatest Hungarian kings,
Matthias Corvinus (known in Romanian as
Matei Corvin), who reigned from 1458-1490, was born in Transylvania. He is claimed by the Romanians because of his Romanian father,
Iancu de Hunedoara (Hunyadi János in Hungarian), and by the Hungarians because of his Hungarian mother. Later, in 1541,
Transylvania became a multi-ethnic principality under the suzerainty of the
Ottoman Empire following the
Battle of Mohács.
Michael the Brave (Romanian: Mihai Viteazul) (1558-9 August 1601) was the Prince of Wallachia (1593-1601), of Transylvania (1599-1600), and of Moldavia (1600). During his reign the three principalities largely inhabited by Romanians were for the first time united under a single rule.
In 1775, the
Habsburg Monarchy annexed the northern part of Moldova,
Bukovina, and the
Ottoman Empire its south-eastern part,
Budjak. In 1812 the
Russian Empire annexed its eastern half,
Bessarabia, which was partially returned by the 1856
Treaty of Paris after the
Crimean War. At the end of the 19th century, the
Habsburg Monarchy incorporated Transylvania into what later became the
Austrian Empire. During the period of the dual monarchy of
Austria-Hungary (1867-1918), Romanians in Transylvania experienced a period of severe oppression under the
Magyarization policies of the Hungarian government.
[2]
The modern state of Romania was formed by the merging of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 under the Moldavian
domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
Cuza led an agricultural reform distributing land to poor and attracting enemies. Via a 1866 coup d'etat, also known as the Abominable Revolution,
Cuza was exiled and replaced by Prince Karl of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, who became known as
Prince Carol of Romania. During the
Russo-Turkish War, Romania fought on the Russian side; in the 1878
Treaty of Berlin, Romania was recognized as an independent state by the Great Powers. In return for ceding to Russia the three southern districts of Bessarabia that had been regained by Moldavia after the Crimean War in 1852, the
Kingdom of Romania acquired
Dobruja. In 1881, the
principality was raised to a
kingdom and Prince Carol became
King Carol I.
Romania entered
World War I on the side of the Allies
Triple Entente. The
Romanian military campaign ended in disaster for Romania as the
Central Powers conquered two-thirds of the country and captured or killed the majority of its
army within four months, although Moldova remained in Romanian hands after the invading forces were stopped in 1917. By war's end, Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire had collapsed, allowing Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transylvania to unite with the Kingdom of Romania in 1918. By the 1920
Treaty of Trianon,
Hungary was renounced in favour of Romania all the claims of the
Austro-Hungarian Monarchy over Transylvania. During
World War II, in 1940, the
Soviet Union occupied
Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia, Hungary occupied
Northern Transylvania, and Bulgaria occupied southern
Dobruja. The authoritarian
King Carol II abdicated in 1940, succeeded by the
National Legionary State, in which power was shared by
Ion Antonescu and the
Iron Guard. Within months, Antonescu had crushed the Guard, and the subsequent year Romania entered the war on the side of the
Axis powers. By means of the
Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, Romania recovered Bessarabia and northern Bukovina from the Soviet Russia, under the leadership of general
Ion Antonescu. The Antonescu regime played a role in the
Holocaust, following the
Nazi policy of oppression and massacre of the
Jews, and, to a lesser extent,
Romas, primarily in the Eastern territories Romania recovered or occupied from the Soviet Union (
Transnistria) and in
Moldavia.
In August 1944, Antonescu was toppled and arrested by King
Michael I of Romania. Romania changed sides and joined the
Allies, but its role in the defeat of
Nazi Germany was not recognized by the
Paris Peace Conference of 1947. With the
Red Army forces still stationed in the country and exerting ''de facto'' control,
Communists and their allied parties claimed 80% of the vote, through a combination of vote manipulation,
[3] elimination and forced mergers of competing parties, establishing themselves as the dominant force. In 1947,
King Michael I was forced by the Communists to abdicate and leave the country.
Romania was proclaimed a
republic, and remained under direct military and economic control of the
USSR until the late 1950s. During this period, Romania's resources were drained by the "
SovRom" agreements: mixed Soviet-Romanian companies established to mask the looting of Romania by the Soviet Union, in addition to excessive war reparations paid to the USSR. A large number of people were arbitrarily imprisoned for political, economic or unknown reasons: detainees in prisons or camps, deported, persons under house arrest, and administrative detainees. Political prisoners were also detained as psychiatric patients. Estimations vary, from 60,000,
[4] 80,000,
[5] up to two million.
[6] There were hundreds of thousands of abuses, deaths and incidents of torture against a large range of people, from political opponents to ordinary citizens.
[7] Most political prisoners were freed in a series of amnesties between 1962 and 1964.
After the negotiated retreat of Soviet troops, in 1958, Romania started to pursue independent policies, including the condemnation of the Soviet-led 1968 invasion of
Czechoslovakia (Romania was the only
Warsaw Pact country not to take part in the invasion), the continuation of diplomatic relations with
Israel after the
Six-Day War of 1967 (again, the only
Warsaw Pact country to do so), the establishment of economic (1963) and diplomatic (1967) relations with the
Federal Republic of Germany, and so forth. Also, close ties with the
Arab countries (and the
PLO) allowed Romania to play a key role in the
Israel-
Egypt and Israel-PLO peace processes (intermediated the visit of Sadat in Israel.
[8]) A short-lived period of relative economic well-being and openness followed in the late 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. As Romania's foreign debt sharply increased between 1977 and 1981 (from 3 to 10 billion US dollars), the influence of international financial organisations such as the
IMF or the
World Bank grew, conflicting with
Nicolae Ceauşescu's
autarchic policies. Ceauşescu eventually initiated a project of total reimbursement of the foreign debt (completed in 1989, shortly before his overthrow). To achieve this goal, he imposed policies that impoverished Romanians and exhausted the Romanian economy. He profoundly deepened Romania's
police state and imposed a
cult of personality which led to his overthrow and death in the
Romanian Revolution of 1989.
After the fall of Ceauşescu, the
National Salvation Front (FSN), led by
Ion Iliescu, restored civil order and took partial democratic measures. Several major political parties of the pre-war era, such as the
National Christian Democrat Peasant's Party (PNŢCD), the
National Liberal Party (PNL) and the
Romanian Social Democrat Party (PSDR) were resurrected. After several major political rallies (especially in January), in April 1990, a sit-in protest contesting the results of the recently held parliamentary elections began in the
University Square, Bucharest. The protesters accused the FSN of being made up of former Communists and members of the
Securitate. The protesters did not recognize the results of the election, which they deemed undemocratic, and were asking for the exclusion from the political life of the former high-ranking Communist Party members. The protest rapidly grew to become an ongoing mass demonstration (known as the
Golaniad). The peaceful demonstrations degenerated into violence. After the police failed to bring the demonstrators to order,
Ion Iliescu called on the coal miners of the
Jiu Valley to crush the rally (
June 14). Their violent intervention is remembered as the
June 1990 Mineriad.
The subsequent disintegration of the FSN produced several political parties including the Romanian Democrat Social Party (PDSR, later
Social Democratic Party, PSD), the
Democratic Party (PD) and the ApR (
Alliance for Romania). The PDSR party governed Romania from 1990 until 1996 through several coalitions and governments with Ion Iliescu as head of state. Since then there have been three democratic changes of government: in 1996, the democratic-liberal opposition and its leader
Emil Constantinescu acceded to power; in 2000 the Social Democrats returned to power, with
Iliescu once again president; and in 2004
Traian Băsescu was elected president, with an electoral coalition called
Justice and Truth Alliance (DA). The government was formed by a larger coalition which also includes the
Conservative Party and the
ethnic Hungarian party.
Post-
Cold War Romania developed closer ties with
Western Europe, eventually joining
NATO in 2004. The country applied in June 1993 for membership in the
European Union (EU). It became an Associated State of the EU in 1995, an Acceding Country in 2004, and a member on
January 1,
2007.
Government and politics
Main articles: Politics of Romania
Romania is a
semi-presidential democratic republic where executive functions are shared between the
president and the
prime minister. The president is elected by popular vote, and resides at
Cotroceni Palace. Since the constitutional amendment of 2003, the president's term is five years (previously it was four). The
Romanian Government, which is based at
Victoria Palace, is headed by a
prime minister, who appoints the other members of his or her cabinet and who is nearly always the head of the party or coalition that holds a majority in the parliament. If, however, none of the parties hold 50% + 1 of the total seats in parliament, the president will appoint the prime minister. Before beginning its term, the government is subject to a parliamentary vote of approval.
The legislative branch of the government, collectively known as the
Parliament (''Parlamentul României''), consists of
two chambers – the
Senate (''Senat''), which has 137 members, and the
Chamber of Deputies (''Camera Deputaţilor''), which has 332 members. The members of both chambers are elected every four years under a system of
party-list proportional representation.
The justice system is independent of the other branches of government, and is made up of a hierarchical system of courts culminating in the
High Court of Cassation and Justice, which is the supreme court of Romania. There are also courts of appeal, county courts and local courts. The Romanian judicial system is strongly influenced by the
French model, considering that it is based on
civil law and is
inquisitorial in nature. The
Constitutional Court (''Curtea Constituţională'') is responsible for judging the compliance of laws and other state regulations to the
Romanian Constitution, which is the fundamental law of the country. The constitution, which was introduced in 1991, can only be amended by a public referendum; the last amendment was in 2003. The Romanian Constitutional Court structure is based on the
Constitutional Council of France, being made up of nine judges who serve nine-year, non-renewable terms. Following the 2003 constitutional amendment, the court's decisions cannot be overruled by any majority of the parliament.
The country's entry into the
European Union in 2007 has been a significant influence on its domestic policy.
As part of the process, Romania has instituted reforms including
judicial reform, increased judicial cooperation with other member states, and measures to combat corruption. In a recent Brussels report, Romania along with Bulgaria were described as the two most corrupt countries in the EU.
Counties
Main articles: Administrative divisions of Romania
Romania is divided into forty-one
counties (judeţe), as well as the municipality of
Bucharest (Bucureşti), which is its own administrative unit. Each county is administered by a county council (''consiliu judeţean''), responsible for local affairs, as well as a prefect, who is appointed by the central government but cannot be a member of any political party. In alphabetical order, the counties are:
Alongside the county structure, Romania is also divided into eight
development regions, which correspond to
NUTS-II divisions in the European Union, but which have no administrative capacity and are instead used for co-ordinating regional development projects and statistical purposes. The country is further subdivided into 2686
communes, which are rural localities, and 265
towns. Communes and towns have their own local councils and are headed by a mayor (''primar''). Larger and more urbanised towns gain the status of
municipality, which gives them greater administrative power over local affairs.
Geography
Main articles: Geography of Romania
Topographic map of Romania.
The Sphinx - A World's Natural Wonder
With a surface area of 238,393 km², Romania is the largest country in
southeastern Europe and the twelfth-largest in Europe. A large part of Romania's border with
Serbia and
Bulgaria is formed by the
Danube. The
Danube is joined by the
Prut River, which forms the border with the
Republic of Moldova. The Danube flows into the
Black Sea on Romanian territory, forming the
Danube Delta, the largest delta in Europe, which is currently a biosphere reserve and World Heritage-listed site due to its biodiversity. The country's most significant rivers are the
Danube, the
Siret, running north-south through
Moldavia, the
Olt, running from the oriental Carpathian Mountains to
Oltenia, the
Tisa, marking a part of the border between Romania and Hungary, the
Mureş, running through
Transylvania from East to West, and the
Someş.
Romania's terrain is distributed roughly equally between mountainous, hilly and lowland territories. The
Carpathian Mountains dominate the centre of Romania, with fourteen of its peaks reaching above the altitude of 2,000 metres. The highest mountain in Romania is
Moldoveanu Peak (2544 m). In south-central Romania, the Carpathians sweeten into hills, towards the
Bărăgan Plains. Romania's geographical diversity has led to an accompanying diversity of flora and fauna. The country has the largest
brown bear population in Europe, while
chamois are also known to live in the
Carpathian Mountains, which dominate the centre of Romania.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Romania
World Trade Center in
Iaşi.
With a
GDP per capita (
PPP) of $10,661
[9] estimated for 2007, Romania is considered an upper-middle income economy
[10] and has been part of the
European Union since 1 January 2007. After the
Communist regime was
overthrown in late 1989, the country experienced a decade of economic instability and decline, led in part by an obsolete industrial base and a lack of structural reform. From 2000 onwards, however, the Romanian economy was transformed into one of relative macroeconomic stability, characterised by high growth, low
unemployment and declining
inflation. In 2006, according to the
Romanian Statistics Office, GDP growth was recorded at 7.7%, one of the highest rates in Europe.
[11] Unemployment in Romania was at 4.5% in April 2007
[12] which is very low compared to other middle-sized or large European countries such as
Poland,
France,
Germany and
Spain. Foreign debt is also comparatively low, at 20.3% of GDP.
[13] Exports have increased substantially in the past few years, with a 25% year-on-year rise in exports in the first quarter of 2006. Romania's main exports are clothing and textiles, industrial machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, metallurgic products, raw materials, cars, military equipment, software, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, and flowers). Trade is mostly centred on the member states of the European Union, with
Germany and
Italy being the country's single largest trading partners. The country, however, maintains a large trade deficit, importing 37% more goods than it exports.
After a series of privatisations and reforms in the late 1990s and early 2000s, government intervention in the Romanian economy is somewhat lower than in other European economies.
[14] In 2005, the
liberal-
democrat Tăriceanu government replaced Romania's
progressive tax system with a
flat tax of 16% for both personal income and corporate profit, resulting in the country having the lowest fiscal burden in the European Union,
[15] a factor which has contributed to the growth of the private sector. The economy is predominantly based on services, which account for 55% of GDP, even though industry and agriculture also have significant contributions, making up 35% and 10% of GDP, respectively. Additionally, 32% of the Romanian population is employed in agriculture and primary production, one of the highest rates in Europe.
13 Since 2000, Romania has attracted increasing amounts of foreign investment, becoming the single largest investment destination in Southeastern and Central Europe.
Foreign direct investment was valued at €8.3 billion in 2006.
[16] According to a 2006
World Bank report, Romania currently ranks 49th out of 175 economies in the ease of doing business, scoring higher than other countries in the region such as
Hungary,
Poland and the
Czech Republic.
[17] Additionally, the same study judged it to be the world's second-fastest economic reformer in 2006.
[18] The average gross wage per month in Romania is 1402 lei as of June 2007,
[19] equating to €421.49 (US$576.07) based on international exchange rates and $836.52 based on purchasing power parity.
[20] 88% of all Romanian citizens have a color television set in their household and 90% a refrigerator.
[21]
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Romania,
Immigration to Romania
According to the 2002 census, Romania has a population of 21,680,974 and, similarly to other countries in the region, is expected to gently decline in the coming years as a result of
sub-replacement fertility rates.
Romanians make up 89.5% of the population. The largest
ethnic minorities are
Hungarians, who make up 6.6% of the population and
Roma, who make up 2% of the population. By the official census 409,000 Roma live in Romania.
[2] Hungarians, who are a sizeable minority in
Transylvania, constitute a majority in the counties of
Harghita and
Covasna.
Ukrainians,
Germans,
Lipovans,
Turks,
Tatars,
Serbs,
Slovaks,
Bulgarians,
Croats,
Greeks,
Russians,
Jews,
Czechs,
Poles,
Italians,
Armenians, as well as other ethnic groups, account for the remaining 1.4% of the population.
[22]
The population density of the country as a whole has doubled since 1900 although, in contrast to other
central European states, there is still considerable room for further growth. The overall density figures, however, conceal considerable regional variation. Population densities are naturally highest in the towns, with the plains (up to altitudes of some 700 ft) having the next highest density, especially in areas with intensive agriculture or a traditionally high birth rate (e.g., northern
Moldavia and the “contact” zone with the
Subcarpathians); areas at altitudes of 700 to , rich in mineral resources,
orchards,
vineyards, and
pastures, support the lowest densities. The number of Romanians living abroad is estimated at around 12 million.
The official language of Romania is
Romanian, an
Eastern Romance language related to
French,
Spanish,
Catalan,
Italian and
Portuguese. Romanian is spoken as a first language by 91% of the population, with
Hungarian and
Romani being the most important minority languages, spoken by 6.7% and 1.1% of the population, respectively.
22 Until the 1990s, there was also a substantial number of German-speaking
Transylvanian Saxons, even though many have since emigrated to Germany, leaving only 45,000 native German speakers in Romania. In localities where a given ethnic minority makes up more than 20% of the population, that minority's language can be used in the public administration and justice system, while native-language education and signage is also provided.
English and
French are the main foreign languages taught in schools. English is spoken by 5 million Romanians, French is spoken by 4-5 million, and German, Italian and Spanish are each spoken by 1-2 million people.
[23] Historically, French was the predominant foreign language spoken in Romania, even though English has since superseded it. Consequently, Romanian English-speakers tend to be younger than Romanian French-speakers. Romania is, however, a full member of
La Francophonie, and hosted the Francophonie Summit in 2006. German has been taught predominantly in Transylvania, due to traditions tracing back to the Austro-Hungarian rule in this province.
Religion
Main articles: Religion in Romania
Romania is a
secular state, thus having no
national religion. The dominant religious body is the
Romanian Orthodox Church; its members make up 86.7% of the population according to the 2002 census. Other important religions include
Roman Catholicism (4.7%),
Protestantism (3.7%),
Pentecostal denominations (1.5%) and the
Romanian Greek-Catholic Church (0.9%).
22 Romania also has a historically significant
Muslim minority concentrated in
Dobrogea, who are mostly of Turkish ethnicity and number 67,500 people.
[3] Based on the 2002 census data, there are also 6,179
Jews, 23,105 people who are of no religion and/or
atheist, and 11,734 who refused to answer. On December 27, 2006, President
Traian Băsescu approved a new Law on Religion; under the new legislation, religious denominations can only receive official registration if they have at least 20,000 members, or about 0.1 percent of Romania's total population.
[24]
Largest cities
Main articles: Largest cities in Romania
According to the 2002 census, the largest Romanian cities are:
Bucharest (Bucureşti) with 1,921,751 inhabitants,
Iaşi with 321,580,
Cluj-Napoca with 318,027,
Timişoara with 317,651,
Constanţa with 310,526 and
Craiova with 302,622.
[25]
Armed forces
Main articles: Romanian Armed Forces
The
Land Forces,
Air Force and
Naval Forces are collectively known as the
Romanian Armed Forces. The current
Commander-in-chief is
Admiral Gheorghe Marin, being managed by the
Minister of National Defense, while the
president is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces during
wartime.
The total defence spending currently accounts for 2.05% of total national
GDP, which represents approximately 2,9 billion
dollars (
ranked 39th). However, the Romanian Armed Forces will spend about 11 billion dollars in the next five years, for modernization and acquirement of new equipment.
[26]
90,000 men and women currently comprise the Armed Forces, 75,000 of them being military personnel and the other 15,000 civilians. The Land Forces have a reported strength of 45,800, the Air Force a strength of 13,250 and the 6,800-strong Naval Forces, while the remaining other 8,800 serve in other fields.
[27]
The Land Forces completely overhauled their equipment in the past few years, and today they are modern
army, with multiple
NATO capabilities. They are often participating to peacekeeping missions in
Afghanistan and
Iraq, together with the other
NATO countries. The Air Force currently operates modernized
Soviet MiG-21LanceR fighters, which are becoming obsolete and due to be replaced by new advanced
4.5 generation jet fighters, such as
Eurofighter Typhoon,
JAS 39 Gripen, or
F-16.
[28] Also, the Air Force ordered 7 new
C-27J Spartan tactical airlift aircraft, in order to replace the bulk of the old transport force.
["Spartan Order", ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', December 11, 2006.] Two modernized ex-
Royal Navy Type 22 frigates were acquired by the Naval Forces in 2004 and a further four modern missile corvettes will be commissioned in the next few years. Three native-made
IAR 330 Puma NAVAL helicopters were also ordered by the Naval Forces, and should be commissioned until late-2008.
National holidays
The
Christian holidays of
Christmas and (Orthodox)
Easter are celebrated (they are official, non-working, holidays). Unlike some other
Eastern Orthodox Churches, the
Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on
25 December; however, they follow the usual Eastern Orthodox practice for the date of Easter. Other official holidays (non-working) are
New Year's Day (
January 1),
Labour Day (
May 1), and the National Day of Romania (
December 1, the
Union Day). For
Christmas and for Labour Day, it is common for businesses to shut down more than a single day.
Minor, but widely observed, holidays include
Mărţişor (
March 1), marking the start of spring,
Dragobete (
February 24), day of lovers, and
International Women's Day (
March 8). Some businesses give women employees the day off for International Women's Day. Some holidays celebrated in the
United States or in other parts of Europe have recently been gaining some currency in Romania, for example
Valentine's Day (
February 14).
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Romania
The 'culture of Romania' is rich and varied. Like Romanians themselves, it is fundamentally defined as the meeting point of three regions:
Central Europe,
Eastern Europe, and the
Balkans, but cannot be fully included in any of them. The Romanian identity formed on a substratum of mixed
Roman and quite possibly
Dacian elements (although the latter is controversial), with many other influences. During late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the major influences came from the
Slavic peoples who migrated and settled in nearby
Bulgaria,
Serbia,
Ukraine and eventually
Russia; from medieval
Greeks and the
Byzantine Empire; from a long domination by the
Ottoman Empire; from the
Hungarians; and from the
Germans living in Transylvania. Modern Romanian culture emerged and developed over roughly the last 250 years under a strong influence from
Western culture, particularly
French and
German culture.
Literature
Main articles: Literature of Romania
The older classics of Romanian literature remain very little known outside Romania.
Mihai Eminescu, a famous 19th century Romanian poet is still very much loved in Romania (especially his
poems), along with several other classics like
George Coşbuc and
Ioan Slavici.
The revolutionary year 1848 had its echoes in the Romanian principalities and in Transylvania, and a new elite from the middle of the 19th century emerged from the revolutions:
Mihail Kogălniceanu (writer, politician and the first prime minister of Romania),
Vasile Alecsandri (politician, playwright and poet),
Andrei Mureşanu (publicist and the writer of the current
Romanian National Anthem) and
Nicolae Bălcescu (historian, writer and revolutionary). Other classic Romanian writers whose works are still widely read in their native country are playwright
Ion Luca Caragiale (the
National Theatre Bucharest is officially named in his honor) and
Ion Creangă (best known for his children's stories).
In the period between the two world wars, authors like
Tudor Arghezi,
Lucian Blaga or
Ion Barbu made efforts to synchronize Romanian literature with the European literature of the time.
Gellu Naum was the leader of the
surrealist movement in Romania. In the Communist era, valuable writers like
Nichita Stănescu,
Marin Sorescu or
Marin Preda managed to escape censorship, broke with "
socialist realism" and were the leaders of a small "Renaissance" in Romanian literature.
Romanian literature has recently gained some renown outside the borders of Romania (mostly through translations into German, French and English). Some modern Romanian authors became increasingly popular in Germany, France and Italy, especially
Eugen Ionescu,
Mircea Eliade,
Emil Cioran,
Constantin Noica,
Tristan Tzara and
Mircea Cărtărescu. Other literary figures who enjoy broad acclaim outside of the country include poet
Paul Celan and Nobel laureate
Elie Wiesel, both survivors of the Holocaust.
Architecture
Main articles: Architecture of Romania
The
UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites includes Romanian sites such as the
Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, the
Painted churches of northern Moldavia with their fine exterior and interior frescoes, the
Wooden Churches of Maramures unique examples that combine Gothic style with traditional timber construction, the citadel of
Sighişoara and the
Dacian Fortresses of the Orăştie Mountains. Also, in 2007, the city of
Sibiu is the
European Capital of Culture alongside the city of
Luxembourg.
Media and television
Main articles: List of Romanian language television channels
Reporters Without Borders ranks Romania 58th in its Worldwide Press Freedom Index, the same level as Poland and Hong-Kong.
[29] The public television company
Televiziunea Română and the public radio
Societatea Română de Radiodifuziune cover all the country and have also international programs. The state also owns a public news agency
ROMPRES. The private media is grouped in media companies such as
Intact Media Group,
Media Pro,
Realitatea-Caţavencu,
Ringier,
SBS Broadcasting Group,
Centrul Naţional Media and other smaller independent companies.
Cable television is widely available even in some villages and offers besides the national channels a great number of international and specialized channels.
FM stations cover most cities and most of them belong to national radio networks. Overall readership of most newspapers is slowly declining due to increasing competition from television and the Internet.
Tabloids and sport newspapers are among the most read national newspapers. In every large city there is at least one local newspaper, which usually covers the rest of the county. An Audit Bureau of Circulations
[30] exists since 1998 and a large number of publications are its members.
Sports in Romania
Main articles: Sport in Romania
In the
1976 Summer Olympics, the gymnast
Nadia Comăneci became the first gymnast ever to score a perfect "ten". She also won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze, all at the age of fifteen. Her success continued in the
1980 Summer Olympics, where she was awarded two gold medals and two silver medals.
Ilie Năstase, the tennis player, is another internationally known Romanian sports star. He won several
Grand Slam titles and dozens of other tournaments; he also was a successful doubles player. Romania has also reached the
Davis Cup finals three times.
Virginia Ruzici was a successful tennis player in the 1970s.
Football (soccer) is popular in Romania, the most internationally known player being
Gheorghe Hagi, who played for
Steaua Bucureşti (Romania),
Real Madrid,
FC Barcelona (Spain) and
Galatasaray (Turkey), among others. In 1986, the Romanian soccer club Steaua Bucureşti became the first Eastern European club ever to win the prestigious
European Champions Cup title. Other Romanian clubs are Dinamo Bucureşti,
Rapid Bucureşti, Naţional Bucureşti, Universitatea Cluj, UTA Arad,
FCU Politehnica Timişoara, Universitatea Craiova, Petrolul Ploieşti, CFR Cluj, Poli Iaşi,
FC Braşov, Oţelul Galaţi, Bacău, Sportul, Bistriţa, Piteşti, Farul Constanţa, etc. Though maybe not the force they once were, the Romanian
national rugby team has so far competed at every
Rugby World Cup.
Image gallery
International rankings
★
A.T. Kearney/
Foreign Policy Magazine:
Globalization Index 2006, (up +5 from 2005) ranked 30 out of 62 countries
★
Bertelsmann:
Bertelsmann Transformation Index 2006, (up +2 from 2003) ranked 19th out of 119 countries
★
IMD International:
World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007, (up +5 from 2006) ranked 44 out of 55 economies (countries and regions)
★
Reporters without borders:
Annual worldwide press freedom index (2006), ranked 58 out of 168 countries
★
The Wall Street Journal:
2007 Index of Economic Freedom, ranked 67 out of 157 countries (placed second among the 10 most-improved countries in 2006)
★
The Economist:
The World in 2005 - Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005, ranked 58 out of 111 countries
★
Transparency International:
Corruption Perceptions Index 2006, ranked 84 out of 163 countries
★
World Economic Forum:
Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006 - Growth Competitiveness Index Ranking, ranked 67 out of 117 countries
★
World Bank:
Doing Business 2007, ranked 49th out of 175 (up +22 from 71 in 2006, placed second among top 10 reformers 2005/06)
★
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development:
Foreign Direct Investment Performance Index 2005, ranked 24th out of 141
[31]
★
The Economist:
The World in 2007 - Worldwide Democracy Index, 2007, ranked 50 out of 167 countries
See also
References
★ ''Much of the material in these articles comes from the
CIA World Factbook 2006 and the 2005 U.S. Department of State website.''
1.
GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity, IMF World Economic Outlook Database, April 2007
2. http://www.genealogy.ro/cont/13.htm
3. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/rotoc.html#ro0037
4. Cartea albă a Securităţii, vol. 2
5. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, ''Speech at the Plenary session of the Central Committee of the Romanian Workers' Party'', 30 November 1961
6. ''Recensământul populaţiei concentraţionare din România în anii 1945-1989'' - report of the "Centrul Internaţional de Studii asupra Comunismului", Sighet, 2004
7. Cicerone Ioniţoiu, Victimele terorii comuniste. Arestaţi, torturaţi, întemniţaţi, ucişi. Dicţionar. Editura Maşina de scris, Bucureşti, 2000. ISBN 973-99994-2-5.
8. Middle East policies in Communist Romania [1]
9. GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity Economic Indicators for Romania, 2004-2007, IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2007
10. World Bank Country Classification Groups, 2005
11. Produsul Intern Brut în anul 2006, Romanian Statistics Office
12. Main Macroeconomic Indicators, April 2007, National Institute of Statistics, Romania
13. Romania, CIA World Factbook 2006
14. Romania, Index of Economic Freedom 2006
15. Taxation trends in the EU, Eurostat, 26 June 2007
16. Romania: FDI reached over EUR 8.3 bn
17. Economy Rankings, Doing Business 2007 Report, World Bank
18. Top 10 Reformers, Doing Business 2007 Report, World Bank
19. Câştigul salarial mediu în luna iunie 2007 ("Average salary in June 2007"), National Institute of Statistics, Romania
20. Implied PPP conversion rate for Romania, IMF, 2006
21. A CURS poll published in the ''Jurnalul Naţional'' newaspaper: "Românaşul High-Tech"
22. 2002 Census Results
23. Outsourcing IT în România, Asociaţia Patronală a Industrie de Software şi Servicii (Owners Association of the Software and Service Industry), retrieved 13 November 2005
24. http://www.bosnewslife.com/europe/romania/2674-romania-president-approves-europes-worst/
25. World Gazetteer: Population of the largest cities and towns in Romania
26. MoND Budget as of 2007, ''Ziarul Financiar'', October 30, 2006
27. Ministry of National Defense. Press conference
28. ''SUA şi UE se intrec să ne doboare MiG-urile (Replacement of the MiG-21), from Cotidianul, January 2007
29. Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006
30. Romanian Audit Bureau of Circulations
31. Cota unica a urcat Romania cu 7 locuri in topul atractivitatii pentru investitii, Gândul, 18 October 2006
External links
Official links
Overviews
★
BBC News Country Profile - ''Romania''
★
Open Directory Project - ''Romania''
★
US Department of State - ''Romania''
★
CIA World Factbook - ''Romania''
★
Romania in EU (2007) Photographic essay with texts offering a general impression about the country
★
About Romania at alllocale.com
Travel guides
★
★
Romania Travel
★
1st portal about Romania estd. 1996
★
Romania - journals, stories, travel photography
★
Lonely Planet Guide - Romania
★
Travel To Romania
★
Your Holidays in Romania in a rural setting
★
Your accommodation guide allover Romania
★
Danube Delta Photos
★
Romania presented in images
★
Visiting Romania with Private Guide
Economy links
★
Exchange Rates - from the
National Bank of Romania
★
Information about redenomination
★
Romania investments
Culture links
★
Treasures of the national library of Romania
Law links
★
Romanian Law listing - Romanian
★
Romanian Law and Miscellaneous - English
★
Romanian software, LEGIS, - Romanian
Timelines links
★
Chronology of Romania from the World History Database
Articles
★
On Branding Romania
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
