Statistical information Romania 1989

Romania in the World
top of pageBackground: 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 President Nicolae CEAUSESCU became increasingly draconian through the 1980s. He was overthrown and executed in late 1989.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries:
2,904 km total
Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, USSR 1,307 km, Yugoslavia 546 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claimsContinental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Extended 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: mostly flat to undulating plains; some hills and mountains
ElevationNatural resources: crude oil, timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt
Land use: 43% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 28% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 11% irrigated
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans and western USSR
top of pagePopulation: 23,153,475 (July 1989), growth rate 0.5% (1989)
Nationality: noun - Romanian(s; adjective - Romanian
Ethnic groups: 89.1% Romanian; 7.8% Hungarian; 1.5% German; 1.6% Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy
Languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Religions: 80% Romanian Orthodox; 6% Roman Catholic; 4% Calvinist, Lutheran, Jewish, Baptist
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 16 births/1000 population (1989)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1000 population (1989)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: frequent earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides, air pollution in south
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 25 deaths/1000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 73 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1989)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 98%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Romania
Government type: Communist state
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
Dependent areasIndependence: 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947
National holiday: Liberation Day, 23 August (1944)
Constitution: 21 August 1965
Legal system: mixture of civil law system and Communist legal theory that increasingly reflects Romanian traditions; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal and compulsory over age 18
Executive branchLegislative branch: Romanian People's Army, Security Troops; Patriotic Guard, Air and Air Defense Forces, Romanian Navy
Judicial branchPolitical parties and leadersInternational organization participation: CCC, CEMA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us: Ambassador Ion STOICHICI; Chancery at 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 232-4,747; US - Ambassador Roger KIRK; Embassy at Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest (mailing address is APO New York 9,213; telephone Õ40å (0) 10-40-40
Flag description
: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a mountain landscape and a rising yellow sun below a red five-pointed star and the words REPUBLICA SOCIALISTA ROMANIA at the bottom; similar to the flag of Chad which does not have a national coat of arms in the center; also similar to the flag of Andorra which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Economic development, rigidly controlled by the government, is dominated by industrial activity. In 1986 industry generated over 60% of GNP and employed about 35% of the labor force. Persistent shortages of energy supplies, however, are affecting industrial output and the standard of living. Since the early 1980s the agricultural sector has suffered setbacks from periodic droughts, mismanagement, and shortages of inputs. Despite agricultural production shortfalls, the government has diverted food from domestic consumption to hard currency export markets. In 1982, Romania put into effect an austere import program and increased exports to Western countries. The resulting revenues have allowed the government to reduce its external debt from about $10 billion in 1981 to $4.9 billion at the end of 1987.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: corn, wheat, oilseed; livestock - cattle, hogs, sheep; consumer and food supplies weak; a net exporter
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (1987)
Labor force:
10,690,000; 34%
industry, 28% agriculture, 38% other (1987)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $26 billion; expenditures $21.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $13.6 billion (1987)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $12.5 billion (f.o.b., 1986)
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: $10.6 billion (f.o.b., 1986)
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)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $4.9 billion (1987)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: lei (L) per US$1 - 14.555 (January 1989), 14.277 (1988), 14.557 (1987), 16.153 (1986), 17.141 (1985)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 22,437,000 kW capacity; 78,500 million kWh produced, 3,410 kWh per capita (1988)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: 11.8 billion lei, 2.8% of total budget (1989; note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 160 total, 160 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; over 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; fewer than 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: 2,800 km crude oil; 1,429 km refined products; 6,400 km natural gas
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Merchant marine: 282 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,313,320 GRT/5,134,335 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 184 cargo, 1 container, 1 rail-car carrier, 14 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 livestock carrier, 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 69 bulk
Ports and terminalsRomania - Transnational issues 1989
top of pageDisputes international: Transylvania question with Hungary; Bessarabia question with USSR
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs