ROMANIA
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 237,500 km2; land area: 230,340 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: 2,904 km total; Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km,
USSR 1,307 km, Yugoslavia 546 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and
fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
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
Natural resources: crude oil (reserves being exhausted), timber,
natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt
Land use: arable land 43%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and
pastures 19%; forest and woodland 28%; other 7%; includes irrigated 11%
Environment: frequent earthquakes most severe in south and
southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides, air
pollution in south
Note: controls most easily traversable land route between
the Balkans and western USSR
PEOPLE
Population: 23,397,054 (July 1991), growth rate 0.5% (1991)
Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 75 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Romanian(s); adjective--Romanian
Ethnic divisions: Romanian 89.1%; Hungarian 8.9%; German 0.4%;
Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%
Religion: Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6%, Greek Catholic
(Uniate) 3%, Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 15%
Language: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Literacy: 96% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1970 est.)
Labor force: 10,690,000; industry 34%, agriculture 28%, other 38%
(1987)
Organized labor: until December 1989, a single trade union system
organized by the General Confederation of Romanian Trade Unions (UGSR)
under control of the Communist Party; since Ceausescu's overthrow,
newly-created trade and professional trade unions are joining three
umbrella organizations--Organization of Free Trade Unions, Fratia
(Brotherhood), and the Alfa Cortel; many other trade unions have been
formed
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: none
Type: in transition from Communist state to republic
Capital: Bucharest
Administrative divisions: 40 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, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt,
Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea,
Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
Independence: 1881 (from Turkey); republic proclaimed 30 December
1947
Constitution: 21 August 1965; new constitution being drafted
Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and Communist
legal theory that increasingly reflected Romanian traditions is being
revised
National holiday: National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)
Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper
house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or House of Deputies
(Adunarea Deputatilor)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 June 1990,
previously President of Provisional Council of National Unity since
23 December 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Teodor STOLOJAN
(since 2 October 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
National Salvation Front (FSN), Ion STOICA;
Magyar Democratic Union (UDMR), Geza DOMOKOS;
National Liberal Party (PNL), Radu CAMPEANU;
National Peasants' Christian and Democratic Party (PNTCD), Corneliu
COPOSU;
Ecology Movement (MER), leader NA;
Romanian National Unity Party (AUR), Radu CEONTEA;
there are now more than 100 other parties; note--although the Communist
Party has ceased to exist, a small proto-Communist party, the Socialist
Labor Party, has been formed
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 20 May 1990 (next to be held NA 1992);
results--Ion ILIESCU 85%, Radu CAMPEANU 10.5%, Ion RATIU 3.8%;
Senate--last held 20 May 1990 (next to be held NA 1992);
results--FSN 67%, other 33%;
seats--(118 total) FSN 92, UDMR 12, PNL 9, AUR 2, PNTCD 1, MER 1,
other 1;
House of Deputies--last held 20 May 1990 (next to be held NA
1992);
results--FSN 66%, UDMR 7%, PNL 6%, MER 2%, PNTCD 2%, AUR 2%,
other 15%;
seats--(387 total) FSN 263, UDMR 29, PNL 29, PNTCD 12, MER 12,
AUR 9, other 33
Communists: 3,400,000 (November 1984); Communist Party has ceased
to exist
Member of: BIS, CCC, CSCE, ECE, FAO, G-9, G-77, GATT,
IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, IFC, IIB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC,
ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Virgil CONSTANTINESCU;
Chancery at 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 232-4747;
US--Ambassador Alan GREEN, Jr.; Embassy at Strada Tudor Arghezi
7-9, Bucharest (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone 40
(0) 10-40-40
Flag: 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 flags of Andorra and Chad
ECONOMY
Overview: Industry, which accounts for one-third of the labor force
and generates over half the GNP, suffers from an aging capital plant and
persistent shortages of energy. The year 1990 witnessed about a 20%
drop in industrial production because of energy and input shortages and
labor unrest. In recent years the agricultural sector has had to contend
with drought, mismanagement, and shortages of inputs. A drought in 1990
contributed to a lackluster harvest, a problem compounded by corruption
and a poor distribution system. The new government is slowly loosening
the tight central controls of Ceaucesescu's command economy. It has
instituted moderate land reforms, with close to one-half of cropland now
in private hands, and it has allowed changes in prices for private
agricultural output. Also, the new regime is permitting the
establishment of private enterprises, largely in services, handicrafts,
and small-scale industry. New laws providing for the privatization
of large state firms have been passed. However, most of the early
privatization will involve converting state firms into joint-stock
companies. The selling of shares to the public has not yet been worked
out. Furthermore, the government has halted the old policy of diverting
food from domestic consumption to hard currency export markets. So far,
the government does not seem willing to adopt a thoroughgoing market
system, that is, there is great caution in decontrolling prices because
of public opposition. The government has sharply raised price ceilings
instead of lifting them entirely.
GNP: $69.9 billion, per capita $3,000; real growth rate - 10.8%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 160% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1990)
Budget: revenues $28.4 billion; expenditures $28.4 billion,
including capital expenditures of $12.3 billion (1989)
Exports: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.);
commodities--machinery and equipment 34.7%, fuels, minerals and
metals 24.7%, manufactured consumer goods 16.9%, agricultural materials
and forestry products 11.9%, other 11.6% (1986);
partners--USSR 27%, Eastern Europe 23%, EC 15%, US 5%, China 4%
(1987)
Imports: $7.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.);
commodities--fuels, minerals, and metals 51.0%, machinery and
equipment 26.7%, agricultural and forestry products 11.0%, manufactured
consumer goods 4.2% (1986);
partners--Communist countries 60%, non-Communist countries 40%
(1987)
External debt: $400 million (mid-1990)
Industrial production: growth rate - 7-8% (1991 est.)
Electricity: 22,700,000 kW capacity; 64,200 million kWh produced,
2,760 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy,
chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP and 28% of labor force; major
wheat and corn producer; other products--sugar beets, sunflower seed,
potatoes, milk, eggs, meat, grapes
Economic aid: donor--$4.4 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist
less developed countries (1956-89)
Currency: leu (plural--lei); 1 leu (L) = 100 bani
Exchange rates: lei (L) per US$1--60.00 (June 1991), 22.432
(1990), 14.922 (1989), 14.277 (1988), 14.557 (1987), 16.153 (1986),
17.141 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 11,275 km total; 10,860 km 1.435-meter standard gauge,
370 km narrow gauge, 45 km broad gauge; 3,411 km electrified, 3,060 km
double track; government owned (1987)
Highways: 72,799 km total; 15,762 km concrete, asphalt, stone
block; 20,208 km asphalt treated; 27,729 km gravel, crushed stone, and
other paved surfaces; 9,100 km unpaved roads (1985)
Inland waterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines: 2,800 km crude oil; 1,429 km refined products; 6,400 km
natural gas
Ports: Constanta, Galati, Braila, Mangalia; inland ports are
Giurgiu, Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Orsova
Merchant marine: 294 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,767,465
GRT/5,893,700 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 191 cargo, 2 container,
1 rail-car carrier, 11 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 livestock carrier,
15 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 69 bulk, 2 combination
ore/oil
Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft
Airports: 165 total, 165 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways;
15 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: about 2.3 million telephone customers; 89%
of phone network is automatic; present phone density is 9.85 per 100
residents; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990);
stations--39 AM, 29 FM, 39 TV (1990)
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: French--Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 5,801,986; 4,912,789 fit for
military service; 192,996 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 15 billion lei (unofficial), NA% of GDP
(1991); note--conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using
the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading
results