Romania




                                 Geography


Location:
     Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea between
     Bulgaria and Ukraine
Map references:
     Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the
     World
Area:
total area:
     237,500 sq km
land area:
     230,340 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
     total 2,508 km, Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km,
     Serbia and Montenegro 476 km (all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362
     km, Ukraine (south) 169 km
Coastline:
     225 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
continental shelf:
     200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     no official territorial claim by either Moldova or Romania, but
     nationalists in Romania seek the merger of Moldova with Romania;
     potential future dispute by Moldova and Romania against Ukraine over
     former southern and northern Bessarabian areas
Climate:
     temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny
     summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Terrain:
     central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on
     the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian
     Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Natural resources:
     petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore,
     salt
Land use:
arable land:
     43%
permanent crops:
     3%
meadows and pastures:
     19%
forest and woodland:
     28%




other:
     7%
Irrigated land:
     34,500 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south
     from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands
natural hazards:
     earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and
     climate promote landslides
international agreements:
     party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Environmental
     Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
     Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
     Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of
     the Sea
Note:
     controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans,
     Moldova, and Ukraine


                                  People


Population:
     23,181,415 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     the Romanian census of January 1992 gives the population for that date
     as 22.749 million; the government estimates that population declined
     in 1993 by 0.3%
Population growth rate:
     0.06% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     13.66 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     10.02 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -3.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     19.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     71.74 years
male:
     68.81 years
female:
     74.84 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     1.82 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Romanian(s)
adjective:
     Romanian




Ethnic divisions:
     Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat,
     Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%
Religions:
     Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate),
     Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18%
Languages:
     Romanian, Hungarian, German
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1978 est.)
total population:
     98%
male:
     NA%
female:
     NA%
Labor force:
     10,945,700
by occupation:
     industry 38%, agriculture 28%, other 34% (1989)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
local long form:
     none
local short form:
Digraph:
     RO
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Bucharest
Administrative divisions:
     40 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality*
     (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud,
     Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin,
     Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu,
     Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures,
     Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman,
     Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
Independence:
     1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)
National holiday:
     National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)
Constitution:
     8 December 1991
Legal system:
     former mixture of civil law system and Communist legal theory is being
     revised to conform with European norms




Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 June 1990, previously President of
     Provisional Council of National Unity since 23 December 1989);
     election last held 27 September 1992 - with runoff between top two
     candidates on 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Ion
     ILIESCU 61.4%, Emil CONSTANTINESCU 38.6%
head of government:
     Prime Minister Nicolae VACAROIU (since November 1992)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
     bicameral Parliament
Senate (Senat):
     elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996);
     results - PDSR 27.5%, CDR 22.5%, PP-(FSN) 11%, others 39%; seats -
     (143 total) PDSR 49, CDR 34, PP-(FSN) 18, PUNR 14, UDMR 12, PRM 6,
     PDAR 5, PSM 5
House of Deputies (Adunarea Deputatilor):
     elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996);
     results - PDSR 27.5%, CDR 22.5%, PP-(FSN) 11%, others 39%; seats -
     (341 total) PDSR 117, CDR 82, PP-(FSN) 43, PUNR 30, UDMR 27, PRM 16,
     PSM 13, other 13
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court of Justice, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
     Democratic Party (PD-(FSN)), Petre ROMAN; Party of Social Democracy in
     Romania (PDSR), Adrian NASTASE; Democratic Union of Hungarians in
     Romania (UDMR), Bela MARKO; National Liberal Party (PNL), Mircea
     IONESCU-QUINTUS; National Peasants' Christian and Democratic Party
     (PNTCD), Corneliu COPOSU; Romanian National Unity Party (PUNR),
     Gheorghe FUNAR; Socialist Labor Party (PSM), Ilie VERDET; Agrarian
     Democratic Party of Romania (PDAR), Victor SURDU; The Democratic
     Convention (CDR), Emil CONSTANTINESCU; Romania Mare Party (PRM),
     Corneliu Vadim TUDOR
note:
     numerous other samll parties exist but almost all failed to gain
     representation in the most recent election
Other political or pressure groups:
     various human rights and professional associations
Member of:
     ACCT (observer), BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI (participating), CSCE, EBRD,
     ECE, FAO, G-9, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
     IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
     LORCS, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
     UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     (vacant)
chancery:
     1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851




FAX:
     (202) 232-4748
consulate(s) general:
     New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador John R. DAVIS, Jr.
embassy:
     Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
mailing address:
     AmEmbassy (Buch), Unit 1315, Bucharest; APO AE 09213-1315
telephone:
     [40] (1) 210-4042
FAX:
     [40] (1) 210-0395
Flag:
     three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the
     national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has
     been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra and Chad


                                  Economy


Overview:
     Despite the continuing difficulties in moving away from the former
     command system, the Romanian economy seems to have bottomed out in
     1993. Market oriented reforms have been introduced fitfully since the
     downfall of CEAUSESCU in December 1989, with the result a growing
     private sector, especially in services. The slow pace of structural
     reform, however, has exacerbated Romania's high inflation rate and
     eroded real wages. Agricultural production rebounded in 1993 from the
     previous year's drought-reduced harvest; food supplies are adequate,
     but expensive. Bucharest resisted pressure to devalue its currency
     despite a $638 million trade deficit in the first half of 1993 and the
     emergence of a black market for hard currency. Unable to support the
     currency, the national bank, nonetheless, was forced to depreciate the
     currency 65% over the course of the year. The return of winter
     revealed that much of Romania's infrastructure had deteriorated over
     the last four years due to reduced levels of public investment.
     Residents of the capital reported frequent disruptions of heating and
     water services.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $63.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     1% (1993)
National product per capita:
     $2,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     6% per month (March 1994)
Unemployment rate:
     11% (March 1994)
Budget:
revenues:
     $19 billion




expenditures:
     $20 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1 billion (1991
     est.)
Exports:
     $4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
     metals and metal products 24%, mineral products 14%, textiles 10.7%,
     electric machines and equipment 9.3%, transport materials 9.2% (1993)
partners:
     EC 36.1%, developing countries 27.4%, East and Central Europe 14.9%,
     EFTA 5.1%, Russia 5%, Japan 1.4%, US 1.3% (1993)
Imports:
     $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
     minerals 29%, machinery and equipment 17.2%, textiles 10%,
     agricultural goods 9% (1993)
partners:
     EC 45.8%, East and Central Europe 8.6%, developing countries 22.6%,
     Russia 11%, EFTA 6.2%, US 5.0%, Japan 0.8% (1993)
External debt:
     $4 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
     growth rate -1% (1993 est.); accounts for 45% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     22,500,000 kW
production:
     59 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     2,540 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine
     building, food processing, petroleum production and refining
Agriculture:
     accounts for 18% of GDP and 28% of labor force; major wheat and corn
     producer; other products - sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes,
     milk, eggs, meat, grapes
Illicit drugs:
     transshipment point for southwest Asian heroin and Latin American
     cocaine transiting the Balkan route
Economic aid:
     $NA
Currency:
     1 leu (L) = 100 bani
Exchange rates:
     lei (L) per US$1 - 1,387.16 (January 1994), 760.05 (1993), 307.95
     (1992), 76.39 (1991), 22.432 (1990), 14.922 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications




Railroads:
     11,275 km total; 10,860 km 1.435-meter gauge, 370 km narrow gauge, 45
     km broad gauge; 3,411 km electrified, 3,060 km double track;
     government owned (1987)
Highways:
total:
     72,799 km
paved:
     35,970 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 27,729 km; unsurfaced earth
     9,100 km (1985)
Inland waterways:
     1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines:
     crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km
     (1992)
Ports:
     Constanta, Galati, Braila, Mangalia; inland ports are Giurgiu,
     Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Orsova
Merchant marine:
     241 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,626,421 GRT/4,017,380 DWT,
     bulk 49, cargo 167, container 2, oil tanker 14, passenger-cargo 1,
     rail-car carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7
Airports:
total:
     234
usable:
     74
with permanent-surface runways:
     26
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     21
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
     24
note:
     a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
     poor service; about 2.3 million telephone customers; 89% of phone
     network is automatic; cable and open wire; trunk network is microwave;
     present phone density is 9.85 per 100 residents; roughly 3,300
     villages with no service (February 1990); new digital international
     direct dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993); broadcast stations - 12
     AM, 5 FM, 13 TV (1990); 1 satellite ground station using INTELSAT


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil
     Defense
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 5,888,452; fit for military service 4,972,834; reach
     military age (20) annually 193,901 (1994 est.)




Defense expenditures:
     137 billion lei, 3% of GDP (1993); note - conversion of defense
     expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
     produce misleading results