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                                                                         
                                                                                
