About Romania

Romania’s essence can be described in two words: Natural and Cultural. Come and discover a dynamic country, rich in history,  art and scenic beauty: beautiful rolling hills, splendid mountains, fertile plains and numerous rivers and lakes. About a third of the country is fortmed of the Carpathian Mountains another third is hills and plateaus, rich with orchards and vineyards and the final third is a fertile plain, largely devoted to agriculture.The Carpathian Mountains are a great destination for numerous outdoor activities including: climbing, hiking, biking and river-rafting. Some of the most popular ski resorts are Poiana Brasov, Sinaia, Predeal, Vatra Dornei, Lake Balea and Paltinis.

98% of the Romania’s rivers spring from the Carpathian Mountains. The upper streams are usually more spectacular, featuring numerous gorges, caves and precipices.

The main rivers in Romania are Mures, Prut, Olt ,Siret, Ialomita, Somes and Arges.

Europe’s second longest river, the Danube, flows through southern Romania forming part of the country’s frontier with Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. The Danube is an important water route for domestic shipping, as well as international trade and tourist cruises. The main port, both for trade and tourism, is Constanta, linked to the Danube by a canal.

The Danube forms one of the largest and most biodiverse wetlands in the world, the Danube Delta. The Danube Delta is a UNESCO Biosphere Reservation as well as a protected wetland and natural habitat for rare species of plants and animals.

There are around 3,500 lakes in Romania, most of them small or medium.  
The largest are the lagoons and coastal lakes on the Black Sea shore, such as Razim and Sinoe, or lakes along the Danube bank – Oltina and Brates

The glacial lakes in the Carpathian Mountains are small, but spectacular. Worth mentioning are the glacial lakes in the Retezat Mountains: Zanoaga, the deepest lake in the country and Bucura, the largest as well as the lakes located in the Transylvanian Alps (Balea, Capra, Caltun, Podragu). Lake St. Ana, located in Ciomatu Mare Massif, is the only volcanic lake in Romania, sheltered in a perfectly preserved crater and surrounded by vast fir-tree forests. The Red Lake located in the Hasmas Massif, near Bicaz Gorges, is a natural dam lake created in 1837 after a major landslide.

Visit Transylvania- the land beyond the forests, with one of the most spectacular faunas in Europe including bears, deer, lynx, chamois and wolves. Discover the historical regions    Banat & Crisana, Bucovina & Moldova, Dobrogea, Maramures and Walachia, with their highlights and let yourself amazed by the rich cultures that lies here.

Furthermore, foreign visitors consider Romanians among the friendliest and most hospitable people on earth. Romanians are by nature fun loving, warm, hospitable, playful, with an innate sense of humor. Most Romanians living in towns and cities are able to communicate in English, French or German. In smaller villages only younger people and children speak one or more foreign languages.

Facts:

• Official Language: Romanian
• Currency: Romanian Leu (RON)
• Population: about 22 milion
• Time Zone: GMT + 2
• Ethnic Groups: Romanian 89%, Hungarian 7.5%, Gipsy 1.9%, German, Other 1.6%
• Religions: Christian Orthodox 87%, Roman Catholic 5%, Protestant 5%, Greek-Catholic, Jewish, Unitarian
• Climate: Temperate, four distinct seasons
• Capital: Bucharest (Bucuresti)
• Form of State: Semi-parliamentary Republic with two legislative bodies: Senate (Senat) and Chamber of Representatives (Camera Deputatilor)
• Legal system: Based on European models and Constitution of 1991.
• Electoral System: Universal direct suffrage over the age of 18. Parties must win at least five percent of the national vote to gain representation in the Parliament.
• National Elections: November 2008; next ellections: Fall 2012 (parliamentary), Fall 2014 (presidential).
• Head of State: President of the Republic, currently Mr. Traian Basescu (re-elected on December 6, 2009). Romania's president is allowed to serve two consecutive five-year terms.
• National Government: The government is led by the Prime Minister, confirmed by the Parliament on the nomination of the President of Romania. The present Government is formed by the Democratic - Liberal Party.
• Head of the Government: the Prime Minister, currently Mr. Emil Boc (Democratic-Liberal Party).
• Main political parties: Social Democratic Party (PSD), Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), National Liberal Party (PNL), Democratic Union of the Hungarian Minority (UDMR).
• Regional Government: Forty-one County Councils (Consiliu Judetean).
• Literacy rate in Romania is 98%.