| Romania
Traveling Tales |
Eat peas with the king, and cherries with the beggar.
- Romanian Proverb
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Stories |
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Country Overview |
Romania
is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea,
between Bulgaria and Ukraine.
Total land area is 230,340 sq km with 225 km of coastline.
Climate
is temperate with cold, snowy and overcast winters opposite
warm, sunny, but rainy summers.
Government
is currently stable republic, with a rocky recent history.
Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a
communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king.
The decades-long rule of President Nicolae Ceausescu became increasingly
draconian through the 1980s. He was overthrown and executed in late 1989.
Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept
from power. Much economic restructuring remains to be carried out
before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the EU.
Population
is 22.4 million with a -0.1% rate of natural increase.
Language
spoken today number fifteen, with the official language of Romanian
spoken by 90% of the population. Literacy rate is around 97%. Other
languages spoken include Gheg Albanian, Ukrainian and Eastern Yiddish.
Economy
began the transition from communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete
industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs.
Recession and corruption have hindered recent reform attempts by the
government. Forty-four percent of the population lives below the
poverty line, with eleven percent unemployment and per capita income
averaging USD $5,900.
Maps:
Political Map -
Physical Map
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