]! ^! The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted 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 following the conflict. In 1940, it 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 by a fractious coalition of centrist parties. In 2000, the center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) became Romania's leading party, governing with the support of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). The opposition center-right alliance formed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Party (PD) scored a surprise victory over the ruling PSD in December 2004 presidential elections. The PNL-PD alliance maintains a parliamentary majority with the support of the UDMR, the Humanist Party (PUR), and various ethnic minority groups. Although Romania completed accession talks with the European Union (EU) in December 2004, it must continue to address rampant corruption - while invigorating lagging economic and democratic reforms - before it can achieve its hope of joining the EU, tentatively set for 2007. Romania joined NATO in March of 2004. 
]" ^" Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine ^# 46 00 N, 25 00 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 237,500 sq km `" 230,340 sq km `# 7,160 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Oregon ^' `! 2,508 km `U Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km ^( 225 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms ^+ 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 ^, `% Black Sea 0 m `& Moldoveanu 2,544 m ^- petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower ^. `' 40.82% `( 2.25% `) 56.93% (2001) ^/ 28,800 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides ^1 soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands _J `K Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `L none of the selected agreements ^2 controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine 
]# ^3 22,329,977 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 15.9% (male 1,818,488/female 1,727,598) `+ 69.5% (male 7,726,903/female 7,801,441) `, 14.6% (male 1,342,827/female 1,912,720) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 36.39 years `- 35.04 years `. 37.77 years (2005 est.) ^6 -0.12% (2005 est.) ^7 10.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.06 male(s)/female `0 1.05 male(s)/female `+ 0.99 male(s)/female `, 0.7 male(s)/female `1 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 26.43 deaths/1,000 live births `- 29.6 deaths/1,000 live births `. 23.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 71.35 years `- 67.86 years `. 75.06 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 6,500 (2001 est.) ^@ 350 (2001 est.) ^A `2 Romanian(s) `3 Romanian ^B Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census) ^C Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census) ^D Romanian (official), Hungarian, German ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 98.4% `- 99.1% `. 97.7% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 none `5 Romania `V none `W Romania ^H republic ^I Bucharest ^J 41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea ^K 9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed) ^L Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918) ^M 8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003 ^N former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004) `7 Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29 December 2004) `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister `9 president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 November 2004, with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2009 and 12 December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president `: percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian NASTASE 48.77% ^Q bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (137 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (332 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) `9 Senate - last held 28 November 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 28 November 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2008) `: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 37.1%, PNL-PD 31.8%, PRM 13.6%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 46, PNL 28, PD 21, PRM 21, PUR 11, UMDR 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 36.6%, PNL-PD 31.3%%, PRM 12.9%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 113, PNL 64, PD 48, PRM 48, UDMR 22, PUR 19, ethnic minorities 18 ^R Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates, a board of eleven judges and six prosecutors elected by parliament) ^S Conservative Party [Dan VOICULESCU], formerly Humanist Party or PUR; Democratic Party or PD [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu TARICEANU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA], formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR ^T various human rights and professional associations ^U ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ^V `N Ambassador Sorin Dumitru DUCARU `O 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851 `Q [1] (202) 232-4748 `R Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York ^W `N Ambassador Dr. Jack Dyer CROUCH II `Z Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest `[ American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) `P [40] (21) 210-4042 `Q [40] (21) 210-0395 `h Cluj-Napoca ^X 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 flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova 
]% ^Y Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept growth above 4%. An IMF standby agreement, signed in 2001, has been accompanied by slow but palpable gains in privatization, deficit reduction, and the curbing of inflation. The IMF Board approved Romania's completion of the standby agreement in October 2003, the first time Romania has successfully concluded an IMF agreement since the 1989 revolution. In July 2004, the executive board of the IMF approved a 24-month standby agreement for $367 million. The Romanian authorities do not intend to draw on this agreement, however, viewing it simply as a precaution. Meanwhile, recent macroeconomic gains have done little to address Romania's widespread poverty, while corruption and red tape continue to handicap the business environment. ^Z $171.5 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 8.1% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2004 est.) ^] `; 13.1% `< 33.7% `= 53.2% (2004 est.) ^^ 9.66 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 31.6%, industry 30.7%, services 37.7% (2004) ^` 6.3% (2004 est.) ^a 28.9% (2002) _! `> 2.4% `? 27.6% (2003) _d 28.8 (2003) _" 9.6% (2004 est.) _P 23.3% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $22.1 billion `A $23.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2004 est.) _Q 23.6% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep _% textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining _& 4% (2004 est.) _' 56.53 billion kWh (2003) _( 57.5 billion kWh (2003) _) 3.046 billion kWh (2003) _* 962 million kWh (2003) _+ 128,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _, 253,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) _- NA _. NA _R 1.055 billion bbl (1 January 2002) _S 12.6 billion cu m (2003 est.) _T 18.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) _U 0 cu m (2001 est.) _V 5.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) _W 111.1 billion cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-3.631 billion (2004 est.) _/ $23.54 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products _1 Italy 21.4%, Germany 15%, France 8.5%, Turkey 7%, UK 6.6% (2004) _2 $28.43 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and products, basic metals, agricultural products _4 Italy 17.2%, Germany 14.9%, France 7.1%, Russia 6.8%, Turkey 4.2% (2004) _Y $16.21 billion (2004) _5 $24.59 billion (2004 est.) _7 leu (ROL) _8 lei per US dollar - 32,637 (2004), 33,200 (2003), 33,055 (2002), 29,061 (2001), 21,709 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 4.3 million (2003) _; 6.9 million (2003) _< `B poor domestic service, but improving `C 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages have no service `D country code - 40; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note - Romania is an active participant in several international telecommunication network projects (1999) _= AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998) _> 48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995) _? .ro _@ 50,807 (2004) _A 4 million (2003) 
]' _e `! 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified) `b 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge `e 60 km 1.524-m gauge `c 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2004) _B `! 198,755 km `E 100,173 km (including 113 km of expressways) `F 98,582 km (2002) _b 1,731 km (2004) _[ gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2004) _C Braila, Constanta, Galati, Tulcea _K `! 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 395,350 GRT/510,232 DWT by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 20, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4 `S 2 (Italy 2) `\ 39 (2005) _D 61 (2004 est.) _E `! 25 `] 4 `G 9 `^ 12 (2004 est.) _L `! 36 `^ 2 `_ 10 `T 24 (2004 est.) _\ 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (AMR), Special Operations, Civil Defense (2005) _M 20 years of age for compulsory military service, 18 in wartime; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) _] males age 20-49: 5,061,984 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 3,932,579 (2005 est.) _^ `` 172,093 (2005 est.) _N $985 million (2002) _O 2.47% (2002) 
]) _H Romania and Ukraine have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea; Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Romania, to which Romania had objected _I major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe; although not a significant financial center, role as a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering which occurs via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos 