"text":"The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist \"people's republic\" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine"
"text":"200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Moldavian Plateau on the east by the Eastern Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps"
"text":"Danube river mouth (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine) - 2,888 km<br><strong>note</strong> – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
"text":"urbanization is not particularly high, and a fairly even population distribution can be found throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations; Hungarians, the country's largest minority, have a particularly strong presence in eastern Transylvania"
},
"Natural hazards":{
"text":"earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides"
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"controls the most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine; the Carpathian Mountains dominate the center of the country, while the Danube River forms much of the southern boundary with Serbia and Bulgaria"
"text":"<br>Cartea informativa a lumii, sursa indispensabila pentru informatii de baza. (Romanian)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 81.9%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformed and Pentecostal) 6.4%, Roman Catholic 4.3%, other (includes Muslim) 0.9%, none or atheist 0.2%, unspecified 6.3% (2011 est.)"
"text":"urbanization is not particularly high, and a fairly even population distribution can be found throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations; Hungarians, the country's largest minority, have a particularly strong presence in eastern Transylvania"
"text":"soil erosion, degradation, and desertification; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Air pollutants":{
"particulate matter emissions":{
"text":"14.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)"
},
"carbon dioxide emissions":{
"text":"69.26 megatons (2016 est.)"
},
"methane emissions":{
"text":"27.62 megatons (2020 est.)"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms"
"text":"Danube river mouth (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine) - 2,888 km<br><strong>note</strong> – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
"text":"Kingdom of Romania, Romanian People's Republic, Socialist Republic of Romania"
},
"etymology":{
"text":"the name derives from the Latin \"Romanus\" meaning \"citizen of Rome\" and was used to stress the common ancient heritage of Romania's three main regions - Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia - during their gradual unification between the mid-19th century and early 20th century"
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"semi-presidential republic"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Bucharest"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"44 26 N, 26 06 E"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
},
"daylight saving time":{
"text":"+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October"
"text":"related to the Romanian word \"bucura\" that is believed to be of Dacian origin and whose meaning is \"to be glad (happy)\"; Bucharest's meaning is thus akin to \"city of joy\""
"text":"9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; 13 July 1878 (independence recognized by the Treaty of Berlin); 26 March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Unification Day (unification of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)"
},
"Constitution":{
"history":{
"text":"several previous; latest adopted 21 November 1991, approved by referendum and effective 8 December 1991"
"text":"initiated by the president of Romania through a proposal by the government, by at least one fourth of deputies or senators in Parliament, or by petition of eligible voters representing at least half of Romania’s counties; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by both chambers or – if mediation is required - by three-fourths majority vote in a joint session, followed by approval in a referendum; articles, including those on national sovereignty, form of government, political pluralism, and fundamental rights and freedoms cannot be amended; amended 2003"
"text":"Prime Minister Nicolae CIUCA (since 25 November 2021); Deputy Prime Ministers Sorin GRINDEANU (since 25 November 2021) and Kelemen HUNOR (since 23 December 2020)"
"text":"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 10 November 2019 with a runoff on 24 November 2019 (next to be held in November 2024); prime minister appointed by the president with consent of Parliament"
"text":"<em>2019: </em>Klaus IOHANNIS reelected president in second round; percent of vote - Klaus IOHANNIS (PNL) 66.1%, Viorica DANCILA (PSD) 33.9%; Nicolae CIUCA approved as prime minister with 318 votes<br><br><em>2014:</em> Klaus IOHANNIS elected president in the second round; percent of vote - Klaus IOHANNIS (PNL) 54.4%, Victor PONTA (PSD) 45.6%"
"text":"bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of:<br>Senate or Senat (136 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies - including2 seatsfor diaspora - by party-list, proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)<br>Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (330 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies - including 4 seats for diaspora - by party-list, proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)"
},
"elections":{
"text":"<br>Senate - last held on 6 December 2020 (next to be held in 2024)<br>Chamber of Deputies - last held on 6 December 2020 (next to be held in 2024)"
"text":"<br>Senate - percent of vote by party - PSD 29.3%, PNL 25.6%, 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance 15.9%, AUR 9.2%, UDMR 5.9%, other 14.1%; seats by party - PSD 47, PNL 41, 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance 25, AUR 14, UDMR 9; composition - men 111, women 25, percent of women 18.4%<br><br>Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSD 28.9%, PNL 25.2%, 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance 15.4%, AUR 9.1%, UDMR 5.7%, other 15.7%; seats by party - PSD 110, PNL 93, 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance 55, AUR 33, UDMR 21, other 18; composition - men 267, women 63, percent of women 19.1%; note - total Parliament percent of women 18.9%"
"text":"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":{
"text":"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, nonrenewable terms"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Courts of Appeal; regional tribunals; first instance courts; military and arbitration courts"
"text":"2020 USR-PLUS Alliance [Dan BARNA and Dacian CIOLOS] (dissolved 16 April 2021)<br>Alliance for the Fatherland or APP [Codrin STEFANESCU]<br>Alliance for the Unity of Romanians or AUR [George SIMION]<br>Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party or PNT-CD [Aurelian PAVELESCU]<br>Civic Hungarian Party [Zsolt BIRO]<br>Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Hunor KELEMEN]<br>Ecologist Party of Romania or PER [Danut POP]<br>Force of the Right or FD [Ludovic ORBAN]<br>Greater Romania Party or PRM [Victor IOVICI]<br>Green Party [Marius LAZAR and Lavinia COSMA]<br>National Liberal Party or PNL [Nicolae CIUCA]<br>Party of Liberty, Unity, and Solidarity or PLUS [Dacian CIOLOS] (dissolved 16 April 2021)<br>Popular Movement Party or PMP [Eugen TOMAC]<br>PRO Romania or PRO [Victor PONTA]<br>Romanian Nationhood Party or PNR [Ninel PEIA]<br>Save Romania Union Party or USR [Catalin DRULA]<br>Social Democratic Party or PSD [Marcel CIOLACU]<br>Social Liberal Humanist Party or PUSL [Daniel IONASCU] (formerly Humanist Power Party (Social-Liberal) or PPU-SL)<br>United Romania Party or PRU [Robert BUGA]"
"text":"three equal vertical bands of cobalt blue (hoist side), chrome yellow, and vermilion 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",
"text":"Danube Delta (n); Churches of Moldavia (c); Monastery of Horezu (c); Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania (c); Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains (c); Historic Center of Sighişoara (c); Wooden Churches of Maramureş (c); Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n); Roșia Montană Mining Landscape (c)"
"text":"<p>Romania, which joined the EU on 1 January 2007, began the transition from communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. Romania's macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a middle class and to address Romania's widespread poverty. Corruption and red tape continue to permeate the business environment.</p> <p></p> <p>In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, Romania signed a $26 billion emergency assistance package from the IMF, the EU, and other international lenders, but GDP contracted until 2011. In March 2011, Romania and the IMF/EU/World Bank signed a 24-month precautionary standby agreement, worth $6.6 billion, to promote fiscal discipline, encourage progress on structural reforms, and strengthen financial sector stability; no funds were drawn. In September 2013, Romanian authorities and the IMF/EU agreed to a follow-on standby agreement, worth $5.4 billion, to continue with reforms. This agreement expired in September 2015, and no funds were drawn. Progress on structural reforms has been uneven, and the economy still is vulnerable to external shocks.</p> <p></p> <p>Economic growth rebounded in the 2013-17 period, driven by strong industrial exports, excellent agricultural harvests, and, more recently, expansionary fiscal policies in 2016-2017 that nearly quadrupled Bucharest’s annual fiscal deficit, from +0.8% of GDP in 2015 to -3% of GDP in 2016 and an estimated -3.4% in 2017. Industry outperformed other sectors of the economy in 2017. Exports remained an engine of economic growth, led by trade with the EU, which accounts for roughly 70% of Romania trade. Domestic demand was the major driver, due to tax cuts and large wage increases that began last year and are set to continue in 2018.</p> <p></p> <p>An aging population, emigration of skilled labor, significant tax evasion, insufficient health care, and an aggressive loosening of the fiscal package compromise Romania’s long-term growth and economic stability and are the economy's top vulnerabilities.</p>"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> defined by the EU's Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government, state government, local government, and social security funds"
"text":"Romania’s telecom market has undergone several significant changes in recent years; Vodafone Group in July 2019 acquired Liberty Global’s local unit UPC Romania, thus enabling Vodafone Romania to compete more effectively in offering bundled services; Orange Romania more recently acquired the fixed-line assets of Telekom Romania from Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiary OTE; the deal, which requires regulatory clearances and could be completed by the end of 2021, was prompted by competition in the fixed-line segment, particularly from Digi, which would have compelled Telekom Romania to invest more heavily in fixed-line infrastructure; the mobile market is served by network operators supported by pan-European players, including Vodafone Group and Orange Group. All have extensive LTE networks in place, while services based on 5G have been offered under their existing spectrum concessions since 2019; the delayed multi-spectrum auction, expected to be completed later in 2021, will enable the operators to expand 5G network capacity and enable consumers to make far greater use of the technology’s potential; in line with legislation passed in July 2021 the MNOs will have to replace equipment provided by vendors deemed to be a security risk, essentially meaning that they will have up to seven years to replace core and non-core kit provided by Huawei; this report provides an overview of Romania’s fast-developing telecommunications market, covering regulatory developments, major players and fixed-line infrastructure, and offering a variety of operational and financial statistics as well as a range of subscriber forecasts; the report also covers the mobile voice and data markets, including profiles of the major operators, updates on spectrum auctions and regulatory developments; in addition, the report provides insights into the growing broadband market, covering technologies, the major players and market developments. (2021)"
"text":"fixed-line teledensity is about 16 telephones per 100 persons; mobile market served by four mobile network operators; mobile-cellular teledensity over 117 telephones per 100 persons (2020)"
"text":"country code - 40; landing point for the Diamond Link Global submarine cable linking Romania with Georgia; satellite earth stations - 10; digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest (2019)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services"
"text":"a mixture of public and private TV stations; there are 7 public TV stations (2 national, 5 regional) using terrestrial broadcasting and 187 private TV stations (out of which 171 offer local coverage) using terrestrial broadcasting, plus 11 public TV stations using satellite broadcasting and 86 private TV stations using satellite broadcasting; state-owned public radio broadcaster operates 4 national networks and regional and local stations, having in total 20 public radio stations by terrestrial broadcasting plus 4 public radio stations by satellite broadcasting; there are 502 operational private radio stations using terrestrial broadcasting and 26 private radio stations using satellite broadcasting"
"text":"Romanian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force; Ministry of Internal Affairs: Romanian Gendarmerie, Romanian Police, Romanian Border Police (2022)"
"text":"the inventory of the Romanian Armed Forces is comprised mostly of Soviet-era and older domestically-produced weapons systems; there is also a smaller mix of Western-origin equipment received in more recent years from European countries and the US (2021)"
"text":"18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; all military inductees contract for an initial 5-year term of service, with subsequent successive 3-year terms until age 36; conscription ended in 2006 (2021)"
"text":"Romania became a member of NATO in 2004<br><br>Romania hosts a NATO multinational divisional headquarters (Multinational Division Southeast; became operational in 2017) and a French-led ground force battlegroup as part of NATO's tailored forward presence in the southeastern part of the Alliance; NATO reinforced the battlegroup with additional troops in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine; Romania conducts its own air policing mission, but because of Russian aggression in the Black Sea region, NATO allies have sent detachments of fighters to augment the Romanian Air Force since 2014 (2022)"
"text":"Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T"
"text":"<p><em>Romania-Bulgaria</em>: none identified</p> <p><em>Romania-Hungary</em>: none identified</p> <p><em>Romania-Moldova</em>: none identified</p> <p><em>Romania-Serbia</em>: none identified</p> <p><em>Romania-Ukraine</em>: the International Court of Justice 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; in 2007, Romania opposed Ukraine's construction of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea, arguing that it runs through a unique ecological area, the Danube Delta</p>"
"text":"human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Romania and Romanians abroad; Romania remains a primary source country for sex and labor trafficking victims in Europe; Romanian men, women, and children are subjected to forced labor in agriculture, construction, hotels, manufacturing, domestic service, commercial sex, and forced begging and theft; Romania is a destination country for a limited number of foreign trafficking victims, including migrants from Africa, Europe, and South and Southeast Asia, exploited in the construction, hotel, and food-processing industries"
},
"tier rating":{
"text":"Tier 2 Watch List — Romania does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; the government identified more trafficking victims during the reporting period, participated in more international investigations, and conducted awareness campaigns; however, authorities investigated, prosecuted, and convicted fewer traffickers; officials complicit in trafficking crimes, especially with minors in government-run homes or placement centers, were not prosecuted; government funding of services for child trafficking victims remained inadequate (2020)"
