cover image

Romania

Country in Eastern and Southeast Europe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:

Can you list the top facts and stats about Romania?

Summarize this article for a 10 years old

SHOW ALL QUESTIONS

Romania (/rˈmniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ) is a country in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe.[14][15] It borders Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to the east, and the Black Sea to the southeast. It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate, and an area of 238,397 km2 (92,046 sq mi), with a population of 19 million people (2023). Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the sixth-most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, followed by Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Constanța, Craiova, Brașov, and Galați.

Quick facts: RomaniaRomânia (Romanian), Capitaland la...
Romania
România (Romanian)
Anthem: "Deșteaptă-te, române!"
("Awaken thee, Romanian!")
EU-Romania_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg
EU-Romania.svg
Location of Romania (dark green)

 in Europe (green & dark grey)
 in the European Union (green)   [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Bucharest
44°25′N 26°06′E
Official languagesRomanian[1]
Recognised minority
languages[2]
Ethnic groups
Religion
  • 9% undeclared /
    no religion
  • 5% no data
  • 0.5% others
Demonym(s)Romanian
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic
 President
Klaus Iohannis
Marcel Ciolacu
LegislatureParliament
Senate
Chamber of Deputies
Establishment history
1330
1346
24 January 1859
9 May 1877/1878
1 December 1918/1921
1941
30 December 1947
14 December 1955
27 December 1989[5][6][7]
8 December 1991
1 January 2007
Area
 Total
238,397 km2 (92,046 sq mi)[8] (81st)
 Water (%)
3
Population
 January 2023 estimate
19,051,562[9] (63rd)
 2021 census
Neutral decrease 19,053,815[10]
 Density
79.9/km2 (206.9/sq mi) (136th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
 Total
Increase $783.903 billion[11] (35th)
 Per capita
Increase $41,633[11] (47th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
 Total
Increase $348.902 billion[11] (45th)
 Per capita
Increase $18,530[11] (54th)
Gini (2021)Negative increase 34.3[12]
medium
HDI (2021)Decrease 0.821[13]
very high · 53rd
CurrencyRomanian leu (RON)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy (AD)
Driving sideright
Calling code+40
ISO 3166 codeRO
Internet TLD.roa
  1. Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.
Close

Europe's second-longest river, the Danube, rises in Germany's Black Forest and flows southeasterly for 2,857 km (1,775 mi), before emptying into Romania's Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains cross Romania from the north to the southwest and include Moldoveanu Peak, at an altitude of 2,544 m (8,346 ft).[16]

Settlement in what is now Romania began in the Lower Paleolithic followed by written records attesting the kingdom of Dacia, its conquest, and subsequent Romanisation by the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The modern Romanian state was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. During World War I, after declaring its neutrality in 1914, Romania fought together with the Allied Powers from 1916. In the aftermath of the war, Bukovina, Bessarabia, Transylvania, and parts of Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș became part of the Kingdom of Romania.[17] In June–August 1940, as a consequence of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and Second Vienna Award, Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union and Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In November 1940, Romania signed the Tripartite Pact and, consequently, in June 1941 entered World War II on the Axis side, fighting against the Soviet Union until August 1944, when it joined the Allies and recovered Northern Transylvania. Following the war and occupation by the Red Army, Romania became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition towards democracy and a market economy.

Romania is a developed country[18][19][20] and a potential middle power in international affairs.[21][22] It has a high-income economy, being the world's 45th largest by nominal GDP, and the 36th largest by PPP. Its economy ranks as one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Romania experienced rapid economic growth in the early 2000s; its economy is now based predominantly on services. It is a producer and net exporter of cars and electric energy through companies like Automobile Dacia and OMV Petrom. The majority of Romania's population are ethnic Romanians and religiously identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians, speaking Romanian, a Romance language (more specifically Eastern Romance/Balkan Romance). Romania is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the Council of Europe, BSEC and WTO.