1996 Edition

Description

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

Location

46 00 N, 25 00 E -- Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Oregon

land area

230,340 sq km

total area

237,500 sq km

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Coastline

225 km

Environment

current issues

soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands

international agreements

party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides

Geographic coordinates

46 00 N, 25 00 E

Geographic note

controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine

International disputes

certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940

Irrigated land

34,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

2,508 km

Land use

arable land

43%

forest and woodland

28%

meadows and pastures

19%

other

7%

permanent crops

3%

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt

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

highest point

Moldoveanu 2,544 m

lowest point

Black Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 20% (male 2,180,023; female 2,088,496) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,261,160; female 7,393,531) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,138,583; female 1,595,369) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

9.77 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

12.27 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%

Infant mortality rate

23.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Romanian, Hungarian, German

Life expectancy at birth

female

73.57 years (1996 est.)

male

65.51 years

total population

69.42 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1992 est.)

female

95%

male

98%

total population

97%

Nationality

adjective

Romanian

noun

Romanian(s)

Net migration rate

-9.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

21,657,162 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

-1.21% (1996 est.)

Religions

Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18%

Sex ratio

all ages

0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

1.25 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Capital

Bucharest

Constitution

8 December 1991

Data code

RO

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA

telephone

[1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 June 1990, previously President of Provisional Council of National Unity since 23 December 1989) was elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage; 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 NA November 1992) was appointed by the president

FAX

[1] (202) 232-4748

[40] (1) 210 03 95

branch office

Cluj-Napoca

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles and New York

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

House of Deputies (Adunarea Deputatilor)

elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - PSDR 34.0%, CDR 16.4%, DP-FSN 12.3%, others 37.3%; seats - (341 total) PSDR 116, CDR 56, DP-FSN 42, PUNR 29, UDMR 27, PL-93 19, PRM 15, PSM 13, PAC 5, other 19

Independence

1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)

International organization participation

ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice, judges are appointed by the president on recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates

Legal system

former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Name of country

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Romania

local long form

none

local short form

Romania

National holiday

National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)

Other political or pressure groups

various human rights and professional associations

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party (DP-FSN), Petre ROMAN; Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR), 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), Ion DIACONESCU; 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; Civic Alliance Party (PAC), Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman; Liberal Party 1993 (PL-93)

note

numerous other small parties exist but almost all failed to gain representation in the most recent election

Senate (Senat)

elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - PSDR 34.3%, CDR 18.2%, DP-FSN 12.6%, others 34.9%; seats - (143 total) PSDR 49, CDR 26, DP-FSN 18, PUNR 13, UDMR 12, PRM 6, PAC 6, PDAR 5, PSM 5, PL-93 2, other 1

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Alfred H. MOSES

embassy

Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest

mailing address

American Consulate General (Bucharest), Unit 1315, APO AE 09213-1315

telephone

[40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42

Agriculture

wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; milk, eggs, meat

Budget

expenditures

$6.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

revenues

$5.35 billion

Currency

1 leu (L) = 100 bani

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $81 million (1993)

Economic overview

Romania, one of the poorer East European countries moving away from the command economy, posted its third straight year of growth in 1995. Bucharest also was successful in reducing its inflation rate to 25% - less than half the 1994 rate - because of tight monetary and fiscal policies, while unemployment fell to 9% as the private sector hired more workers. Despite these successes on the economic front, Romania has lagged much of Central and Eastern Europe in the restructuring process. The private sector accounted for only 40% of GDP in 1995 with over 90% of industry remaining in state hands. Privatization is slated to pick up in 1996, but Bucharest faces other economic problems that could stall recovery, including a growing budget deficit, limited reform of the agricultural and energy sectors, and accumulated decay of the infrastructure.

Electricity

capacity

22,180,000 kW

consumption per capita

2,076 kWh (1993)

production

50.8 billion kWh

Exchange rates

lei (L) per US$1 - 2,599.24 (January 1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993), 307.95 (1992), 76.39 (1991)

Exports

$6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

textiles and footwear 23.8%, metals and metal products 17.3%, fuels and mineral products 11.6%, machinery and transport equipment 14.8%, chemicals 7.9%, food and agricultural goods 6.5%, other 18.1% (1994)

partners

developing countries 30.3%, East and Central Europe 8.4%, Russia 3.4%, OECD 57.9% (EU 50%, US 3.1%) (1994)

External debt

$4.7 billion (1995)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $105.7 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

19.6%

industry

36.3%

services

44.1% (1994)

GDP per capita

$4,600 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

5.4% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine transiting the Balkan route

Imports

$7.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities

fuels and minerals 26.8%, machinery and transport equipment 25.1%, textiles and footwear 12.3%, food and agricultural goods 9.3%, chemicals 7.9%, other 18.6% (1994)

partners

OECD 60% (EU 44.5%, US 6.5%), East and Central Europe 6.1%, developing countries 16.6%, Russia 13.8%, other 3.5% (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

3.3% (1994 est.)

Industries

mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and refining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25% (1995)

Labor force

11.3 million (1992)

by occupation

industry 38%, agriculture 28%, other 34% (1989)

Unemployment rate

8.9% (December 1995)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $885 million, 3.0% of GDP (1995) Original publicaton at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm (June 17, 1997).

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

5,572,383

males fit for military service

4,693,376

males reach military age (20) annually

198,125 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0

Radios

4.64 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

domestic

poor service; 89% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is microwave radio relay; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990 est.)

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)

Telephones

2.3 million (1990 est.)

Television broadcast stations

13 (1990 est.)

Televisions

4.58 million (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

156

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

14

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

9

with paved runways over 3 047 m

4

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

1

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

17

with unpaved runways under 914 m

108 (1994 est.)

Highways

paved

78,037 km (including 113 km of expressways)

total

153,014 km

unpaved

74,977 km (1992 est.)

Merchant marine

note

Romania owns an additional 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,078,490 DWT operating under the registries of Liberia, Malta, Cyprus, and The Bahamas (1995 est.)

ships by type

bulk 39, cargo 166, container 2, oil tanker 13, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9

total

233 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,425,729 GRT/3,641,741 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)

Ports

Braila, Constanta, Galatz, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Railways

broad gauge

60 km 1.524-m gauge

narrow gauge

427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)

standard gauge

10,887 km 1.435-m gauge (3,866 km electrified; 3,060 km double track)

total

11,374 km

Waterways

1,724 km (1984)