Romania

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

38 (2000)

Internet country code

.ro

Internet users

1 million (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios

7.2 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving domestic: 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 international: 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)

Telephones - main lines in use

3.777 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

645,500 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

5.25 million (1997)

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep

Budget

revenues: $11.7 billion expenditures: $12.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Currency

leu (ROL)

Currency code

ROL

Debt - external

$11.6 billion (2001 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31 (1997)

Economy - overview

Romania, one of the poorest countries of Central and Eastern Europe, began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. Over the past decade economic restructuring has lagged behind most other countries in the region. Consequently, living standards have continued to fall - real wages are down perhaps 40%. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets, and despite the global slowdown in 2001, strong domestic activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption led to 4.8% growth. A standby agreement with the IMF - covering the period October 2001 to March 2003 - provides a key opportunity for vigorous privatization, regulatory reform, deficit reduction, and the curbing of inflation. The government in the past has not been able to fully implement IMF agreements; its degree of success in this case will affect prospects for joining the EU.

Electricity - consumption

45.677 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports

1.4 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports

775 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production

49.787 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 53% hydro: 37% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 10%

Exchange rates

lei per US dollar - 35,052.0 (January 2002), 29,060.8 (2001), 21,708.7 (2000), 15,332.8 (1999), 8,875.6 (1998), 7,167.9 (1997); note - lei is the plural form of leu

Exports

$11.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

textiles and footwear 26%, metals and metal products 15%, machinery and equipment 11%, minerals and fuels 6% (1999)

Exports - partners

Italy 22%, Germany 16%, France 7%, Turkey 6%, US (2000)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $152.7 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 15% industry: 30% services: 55% (2000)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.8% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 23% (1994)

Imports

$14.4 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment 23%, fuels and minerals 12%, chemicals 9%, textile and products 19% (1999)

Imports - partners

Italy 19%, Germany 15%, Russia 9%, France 6% (2000)

Industrial production growth rate

6.5% (2001)

Industries

textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

34.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force

9.9 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 40%, industry 25%, services 35% (1998)

Population below poverty line

45% (2000)

Unemployment rate

9.1% (2001)

Area

total: 237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water: 7,160 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Oregon

Climate

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

Coastline

225 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Geographic coordinates

46 00 N, 25 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

28,800 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km

Land use

arable land: 40.57% permanent crops: 2.4% other: 57.03% (1998 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

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

Administrative divisions

41 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, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Capital

Bucharest

Constitution

8 December 1991

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Romania local short form: Romania local long form: none

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael GUEST embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) telephone: [40] (21) 210-4042 FAX: [40] (21) 210-0395 branch office(s): Cluj-Napoca

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Sorin Dumitru DUCARU consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851 chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 December 2000) elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 November 2000, with runoff between the top two candidates held 10 December 2000 (next to be held NA November/December 2004); prime minister appointed by the president head of government: Prime Minister Adrian NASTASE (since 29 December 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister election results: percent of vote - Ion ILIESCU 66.84%, Corneliu Vadim TUDOR 33.16%

Flag 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 flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

Government type

republic

Independence

9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from Turkey; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)

International organization participation

ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, 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 the 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 or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (140 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 (345 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDSR 37.1%, PRM 21.0%, PD 7.6%, PNL 7.5%, UDMR 6.9%; seats by party - PDSR 65, PRM 37, PD 13, PNL 13, UDMR 12; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PDSR 36.6%, PRM 19.5%, PD 7.0%, PNL, 6.9%, UDMR 6.8%; seats by party - PDSR 155, PRM 84, PD 31, PNL 30, UDMR 27, ethnic minorities 18

National holiday

Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party or PD [Traian BASESCU]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Valeriu STOICA]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Adrian NASTASE], formerly known as the Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR

Political pressure groups and leaders

various human rights and professional associations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a Communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU 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 center-right parties. Currently, the Social Democratic Party forms a nominally minority government, which governs with the support of the opposition Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania. Much economic restructuring remains to be carried out before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the European Union.

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (AMR), Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense, Border Guards

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$985 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.47% (2002)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 5,906,601 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 4,970,496 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 179,951 (2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.4% (male 1,992,505; female 1,898,122) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 7,618,801; female 7,726,300) 65 years and over: 13.8% (male 1,274,881; female 1,807,121) (2002 est.)

Birth rate

10.81 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

12.27 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups

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)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.02% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

350 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

7,000 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

18.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Languages

Romanian, Hungarian, German

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.39 years female: 74.39 years (2002 est.) male: 66.62 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 95% (1992 est.)

Nationality

noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian

Net migration rate

-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Population

22,317,730 (July 2002 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.21% (2002 est.)

Religions

Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%, Protestant 6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%, unaffiliated 0.2% (2002)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.35 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Disputes - international

Romania and Ukraine have yet to resolve claims over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and delimitation of Black Sea maritime boundary, despite 1997 bilateral treaty to find a solution in two years and numerous talks; because of a shift in the Danube course since the last correction of the boundary in 1920, a joint Bulgarian-Romanian team will recommend sovereignty changes to several islands and redefine the boundary

Illicit drugs

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe

Airports

61 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 25 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 37 under 914 m: 23 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 12

Heliports

1 (2002)

Highways

total: 153,359 km paved: 103,671 km (including 133 km of expressways) unpaved: 49,688 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 561,470 GRT/754,836 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 1, Italy 5 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 47, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 4

Pipelines

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

Ports and harbors

Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Railways

total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified) standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2001) broad gage: 60 km 1.524-m gauge

Waterways

1,724 km (1984)