Romania
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Bucharest
- Population
- 18,148,155 (2024 est.)
- Area
- 238,391 sq km
- Government
- semi-presidential republic
- Religions
- Romanian Orthodox 85.3%, Roman Catholic 4.5%, Reformed 3%, Pentecostal 2.5%, other 4.7% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Romanian 89.3%, Hungarian 6%, Romani 3.4%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.1%, other 0.9% (2021 est.)
- Currency
- lei (RON)
- Life Expectancy
- 76.9 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .ro
- 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 Moldavian Plateau on the east by the Eastern 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, arable land, hydropower
- Major Exports
- cars, vehicle parts/accessories, insulated wire, garments, wheat (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia -- for centuries under the control of the Turkish Ottoman Empire -- secured their autonomy through the Treaty of Paris in 1856. They were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania.