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Romania
Romania (formerly and wrongly sometimes spelled Rumania and Roumania) is a country in southeastern Europe. Romania is a Latin country. The name Romania comes from Rome or Roman Empire and symbolizes the country's origin. The Romanian language is a Latin language member of the Romance group of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages, which are also called Romanic, and are spoken by about 670 million people in many parts of the world, but mainly in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Among the more important Romance languages are Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, Occitan, Rhaeto-Romanic, Romanian, and Spanish. Romania is bordered by Ukraine and Moldova in the northeast, Hungary and Serbia in the west and Bulgaria to the south. Romania also has a small sea coast on the Black Sea. National motto: none Official language Romanian Capital Bucharest President Ion Iliescu Area Ranked 78th Ê- Total 238,391 km² Ê- % water 3.0% History Population Ranked 49th Ê- Total (2002) 21,698,181 Ê- Density 91.3/km² The Dacians were defeated by the Roman Independence May 9, 1877 Empire in 106, which marked the beginning Currency Leu of succession of invasions of Romania, although the rulers usually allowed a Time zone UTC +2/+3 high degree of autonomy. National anthem De?teapt?-te, Rom‰ne! In the Middle Ages Romanians lived in three distinct principalities: Wallachia, Internet TLD .RO Moldavia and Transylvania. The first two Calling Code 40 would be under the influence of the Ottoman Empire, but with internal autonomy, the third at first belonged to Hungary, also having a large autonomy, then to Austria-Hungary. The modern Romania was born when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia merged in 1859, and became independent in 1881. The country was expanded after World War I, when Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia were included. Parts of Romania were incorporated by the Soviet Union in 1940, mostly comprising the present-day country of Moldova. After the Second World War, Romania became a communist nation under pressure of the Soviet Union. The decades-long reign of president Nicolae Ceau?escu was ended with an uprising in late 1989, although ex-communists continue to be present in the democratically elected government. Politics The legislative part of the Romanian government consists of two chambers, the Senat (Senate), which has 143 members, and the Camera Deputa?ilor (House of Deputies), which has 343 members. The members of both chambers are chosen in elections held every four years. The president, the head of the executive branch, is also elected by popular vote, every four years. The president appoints a prime minister, who will head the council of ministers, whom are in turn appointed by the prime minister. Counties The counties are (in alphabetical order): * Alba * Hunedoara * Arad * Ialomi?a * Arge? * Ia?i * Bac?u * Ilfov * Bihor * Maramure? * Bistri?a-N?s?ud * Mehedin?i * Boto?ani * Mure? * Bra?ov * Neam? * Br?ila * Olt * Buz?u * Prahova * Cara?-Severin * Satu Mare * C?l?ra?i * S?laj * Cluj * Sibiu * Constan?a * Suceava * Covasna * Teleorman * D‰mbovi?a * Timi? * Dolj * Tulcea * Gala?i * Vaslui * Giurgiu * V‰lcea * Gorj * Vrancea * Harghita Geography A large part of Romania's borders with Yugoslavia and Bulgaria is formed by the Danube. The Danube is joined by the Prut River, which forms the border with Moldova. The Carpathian Mountains dominate the western part of Romania, with peaks up to 2,500 m, the highest, Moldoveanu, reaching 2,544 m. Major cities are the capital Bucharest, Bra?ov, Timi?oara, Cluj-Napoca, Constan?a, Craiova, and Ia?i (Jassy). Economy After the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989-91, Romania was left with an obsolete industrial base and a pattern of industrial capacity wholly unsuited to its needs. In February 1997, Romania embarked on a comprehensive macroeconomic stabilisation and structural reform programme, but reform subsequently has been a frustrating stop-and-go process. Restructuring programs include liquidating large energy-intensive industries and major agricultural and financial sector reforms. In 1999 Romania's economy contracted for a third straight year - by an estimated 4.8%. Romania reached an agreement with the IMF in August for a US $547 million loan, but release of the second tranche was postponed in October because of unresolved private sector lending requirements and differences over budgetary spending. Bucharest avoided defaulting on mid-year lump-sum debt payments, but had to significantly draw down reserves to do so; reserves rebounded to an estimated $1.5 billion by yearend 1999. The government's priorities include: obtaining renewed IMF lending, tightening fiscal policy, accelerating privatisation, and restructuring unprofitable firms. Romania was invited by the European Union in December 1999 to begin accession negotiations. It is expected to join the EU in 2007 along with Bulgaria. Demographics The official language is Romanian, making Romania the only Eastern Bloc country where a Romance language is spoken. Sizeable minorities of Hungarian (about 8% of the population) and German descent, mostly in Transylvania, also speak Hungarian and German. Other ethnic groups include Roma gypsies and natives of Romania's neighbouring countries. Most Romanians are members of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which is one of the churches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Catholicism is also represented, mostly in the areas inhabited by population of Hungarian descent, mostly in the western part of the country. In Dobrogea, the region lying on the shore of the Black Sea, there is a small Islamic minority, a remnant of the Ottoman colonization of that province in the past. Holidays Date English Name Local Name Remarks January 1 New Year's Day Anul nou Romanians celebrate the Orthodox April/May Easter Pa?tele Easter. The holiday is three days long May 1 Labour Day Ziua muncii International Labour day National Day Celebrating the unification of December 1 (Unification Ziua Unirii Transylvania with Romania, Day) December 1, 1918 December Romanians celebrate two days of 25/26 Christmas Day Cr?ciunul Christmas. Unofficial, traditional holidays Date Name Remarks March 1M?r?i?orul Spring festival (vaguely similar to St. Valentine's Day)
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