Country Facts - Romania

The People

Nationality
Romanian(s)

Ethnic Composition

Romanian	89.5%
Hungarian	7.1%
Roma	1.8%
German	0.5%
Ukrainian	0.3%
Other	0.8%

Religious Composition

Romanian Orthodox Church	70%
Unaffiliated	18%
Roman Catholic (3% Uniate)	6%
Protestant	6%

Languages Spoken

Romanian, Hungarian, and German are all widely spoken throughout Romania.

Education and Literacy

Almost 97 percent of the population can read and write. Education is compulsory for four years in rural areas, and seven years in the cities. Admission to an advanced institution depends on a variety of factors, including the student 's social background.

Labor Force

Total: 9.9 million

By occupation:

Agriculture	40%
Industry	25%
Services	35%

Geography

Land Mass Total

91,699 sq mi (237,500 sq km)

Land

88,934 sq mi (230,340 sq km)

Water

2,764 sq mi (7,160 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 1,558 mi (2,508 km)

Border countries: Bulgaria 377 mi (608 km), Hungary 275 mi (443 km), Moldova 279 mi (450 km), Serbia and Montenegro 295 mi (476 km) (all with Serbia), North Ukraine 224 mi (362 km), East Ukraine 105 mi (169 km)

Coastline

139 mi (225 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 656 ft (200 m) depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

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.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Black Sea 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Moldoveanu 8,346 ft (2,544 m)

Natural Resources

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

Land use

Arable land	41%
Permanent crops	2%
Other	57%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides.

Environment - current issues

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

Geography Note

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

Demographics

Population

22,317,730 (July 2002)

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))

Growth Rate

-0.21% (2002)

Life Expectancy

70.39 years (2002)
Female: 74.39 years
Male: 66.62 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$6,800 (2001)

Infant Mortality

18.88 deaths/1,000 live births (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)

Net migration rate

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

Economy & Trade

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 percent. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in E.U. export markets, and despite the global slowdown in 2001, strong domestic activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption led to 4.8 percent 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 E.U. GDP growth for 2002 was a substantial 4.9 percent in 2002 with predictions of similar growth for 2003 but with a leap to 5.3 percent in 2004. Inflation will be a whopping 14 percent but dropping to 11 percent by 2004. This will make accession to the E.U. problematic in the near-term. Romania continues to privatize its government companies at a slow but sure pace..

Unemployment

9.1% (2001)

Inflation Rate

34.5% (2001)

Industries

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

Exports

US$11.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$14.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$152.7 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

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

Top Import Partners

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

Top Exports

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

Top Imports

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

Debt - external

US$11.6 billion (2001)

Economic aid

US$510.1 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	7a.m. to 3:30p.m.	Saturday 7a.m. to 12:30p.m.
Retail	6a.m. to 9p.m.	Saturday 6a.m. to 9p.m. Sunday 6a.m. to noon.
Banks	9a.m. to noon, 1p.m. to 3p.m.	Saturday 9a.m. to 12:30p.m.
Government	9a.m. to 2:30p.m.	Saturday 9a.m. to noon.

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Epiphany	January 6	January 6	January 6
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Easter Monday	April 21	April 11	March 28
May Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Independence Day	December 1	December 1	December 1
Christmas Day²	December 25	December 25	December 25
Second Day of Christmas	December 26	December 26	December 26

Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Note: Business travelers should try to avoid traveling to Romania during the month of August when many Romanians go on holiday.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press