Romania Facts

Romania lies in Europe, at the crossroads between Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. The country borders with Ukraine (650 km borderline) and the Republic of Moldova (681 km borderline) to the north and east, with Hungary (440 km borderline) and Serbia (546 km borderline) to the west, and Bulgaria (631 km borderline) to the south. In the southeast, Romania has a coastline with the Black Sea. Bucharest is the country capital and its biggest city. Romania joined the UN on December 14^th 1955, the NATO in March 29^th 2004 and the EU on January 1^st, 2007.

 

Capital: Bucharest

Official language: Romanian

Political system: republic

Area: 238,391 km²

Currency: Romanian leu (acronym: RON; plural: lei), 1 RON=100 bani

Population: 22,303,522 (2006 est.)

Density: 91 inh./km²

Country code: +40

National day: 1^st of December

 

 

Political system

The Romanian Parliament consists of the Senate, with 137 members, and the Chamber of Deputies, with 314 members. 18 additional seats in the Chamber of Deputies are reserved to ethnic minorities. The difference in the number of seats is due to the different representation norms for one chamber compared to the other. The Parliament has legislative role, debating and voting ordinary and organic laws, in the very chamber itself and within special committees. Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected with mixed uninominal vote, universal, direct and secret.

The President of Romania is elected by direct vote once every five years, the winner being the candidate who succeeds in attracting in the first suffrage 50%+1 of the ballots. If this percentage is not met, a second suffrage is held, and the first two candidates sit for the position, whoever wins the greatest number of ballots is declared winner. The president appoints a prime-minister, after consultations with the winning party or, in case no party holds the majority, with all the parties with seats in the Parliament. In his/her turn, the prime-minister chooses the members of the government, which is then voted by the Parliament. The government and the president represent the executive power in the state. Romania is represented by 34 euro-MPs in the European Parliament.

 

Economy

Romania has an emerging economy due to the reforms implemented. Romania’s main industries are textile and shoemaking, metal industry, light machinery and car manufacturing, mining, wood, constructions, chemical, food and oil refining. Of lesser importance are the pharmaceutical, heavy machinery and home appliances industries. At present, the car industry is in full swing. The Romanian IT industry has been growing incessantly as well. Romania’s economic power is provided by small and medium enterprises in industries such as precision machinery, engine driven vehicles, chemical, pharmaceutical, home appliances and clothing industries.

 

 

Administrative divisions

Romania has 41 counties (judeţe), plus the municipality of Bucharest. Every county is run by a district council and a prefect.

Romania has 2,686 communes and 265 towns. Communes and towns are run by their own local council, which is run by the mayor elected once every four years.

Population

 

Romanians are the main ethnic group, accounting for 89.5% of the population, according to the 2002 census. Hungarians represent a major ethnic group (6.6% of the population), with approximately 1,400,000 citizens. Of these, approximately 670,000 are Szekelys. Other important communities are Roma, Ukrainian and German. Little after the Revolution in December 1989, the population of Romania was close to 24,000,000 inhabitants, but starting with 1991 the population diminished gradually, down to the current approximated 21,000,000 inhabitants. This was due to the free circulation of people outside Romanian borders and falling birth rates.

 

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