Statistical information Romania 1998

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. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Much economic restructuring remains to be carried out before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the EU.
top of pageLocation: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 25 00 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 237,500 km²
Land: 230,340 km²
Water: 7,160 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundariesTotal: 2,508 km
Border countries: (5) Bulgaria 608 km;
, Hungary 443 km;
, Moldova 450 km;
, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km;
(all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362 km;
, Ukraine (east) 169 kmCoastline: 225 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the 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
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m
Natural resources: petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt
Land useArable land: 41%
Permanent crops: 3%
Permanent pastures: 21%
Forests and woodland: 29%
Other: 6% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 31,020 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
GeographyNote: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine
top of pagePopulation: 22,395,848 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: -0.32% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Romanian(s)
Adjective: Romanian
Ethnic groups: Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%
Languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Religions: Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 19% (male 2,169,581; female 2,078,515)
15-64 years: 68% (male 7,571,619; female 7,668,689)
65 years and over: 13% (male 1,213,406; female 1,694,038) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: -0.32% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.33 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 11.62 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.88 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 18.83 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 70.47 years
Male: 66.67 years
Female: 74.47 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (1998 est.)
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 expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97%
Male: 98%
Female: 95% (1992 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Romania
Local long form: none
Local short form: Romania
Government type: 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
Dependent areasIndependence: 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)
National holiday: National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)
Constitution: 8 December 1991
Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Emil CONSTANTINESCU (since 29 November 1996): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Radu VASILE (since 17 April 1998)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 3 November 1996, with runoff between the top two candidates held 17 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: percent of vote_Emil CONSTANTINESCU 54.4%, Ion ILIESCU 45.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (143 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (343 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate_last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Deputies_last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_CDR 30.7%, PDSR 23.1%, USD 13.2%, UDMR 6.8%, PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.2%, others 17.5%; seats by party_CDR 53, PDSR 41, USD 23, UDMR 11, PRM 8, PUNR 7; Chamber of Deputies_percent of vote by party_CDR 30.2%, PDSR 21.5%, USD 12.9%, UDMR 6.6% PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party_CDR 122, PDSR 91, USD 53, UDMR 25, PRM 19, PUNR 18, ethnic minorities 15
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice, judges are appointed by the president on recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA
In the us chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-4,846, 4,848, 4,851
In the us fax: [1] (202) 232-4,748
In the us consulates general: Los Angeles and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James C. ROSAPEPE
From the us embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-5,260 (pouch)
From the us telephone: [40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42
From the us fax: [40] (1) 210 03 95
From the us branch office: Cluj-Napoca
Flag description
: 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Romania, one of the poorer countries in the region, is continuing its difficult transition to a market-based economy. After the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989-91, Romania was left with an obsolete industrial base and a pattern of industrial capacity wholly unsuited to its needs. For the next few years the country lagged behind most of its neighbors in the pace of restructuring. Then in February 1997, Romania embarked on a comprehensive macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform program. The domestic foreign exchange market was freed, and controls on current-account convertibility were removed in October. Restructuring programs include liquidating large energy-intensive industries, and agricultural and financial sector reform. The private sector share of GDP rose to an estimated 58% in 1997, however, this total includes firms with government-held minority stakes. Although progress has been made in privatizing small- and medium-sized firms, delays in structural reforms_including the postponement of sales of large state-owned enterprises - threaten plans to revive GDP growth. In 1998, GDP will likely be unchanged; and inflation is projected to fall to 45% from 151% in 1997.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: -6.6% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $5,300 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 19%
Industry: 36%
Services: 45% (1996)
Agriculture products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; milk, eggs, meat
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and refining
Industrial production growth rate: -5.9% (1997 est.)
Labor forceTotal: 10.1 million (1996 est.)
By occupation industry: 28.6%
By occupation agriculture: 34.4%
By occupation trade: 10.4%
By occupation construction: 5.1%
By occupation other: 21.5% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1997 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $10 billion
Expenditures: $11.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.3 billion (1997 est.)
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: total value:$8.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: textiles and footwear 27.5%, metals and metal products 16.2%, mineral products 9.0%, chemicals 11.2%, other 36.1% (1996)
Partners: Germany 18.1%, Italy 16.7%, France 5.6%, Turkey 5%, Netherlands 4.2%, China 3.0% (1996)
Imports: total value:$10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: fuels and minerals 24%, machinery and transport equipment 25%, food and agricultural goods 7.6%, chemicals 12.5%, other 30.9% (1996)
Partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 15.6%, Russia 12.6%, France 5.0%, US 3.8%, Egypt 3.8% (1996)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $10 billion (1997 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: lei (L) per US$1_8,293.40 (January 1998), 7,167.94 (1997), 3,084.22 (1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 22.06 million kW (1995)
Production: 55.19 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 2,412 kWh (1995)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 2.6 million (1993 est.)
Telephone systemDomestic: poor service; 89% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is microwave radio relay; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990 est.)
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat; new digital international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $650 million (1996)
Percent of gdp: 2.5% (1996)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 24 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 19
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)
RailwaysTotal: 11,365 km
Broad gauge: 45 km 1.524-m gauge
Standard gauge: 10,893 km 1.435-m gauge (3,723 km electrified; 3,060 km double track)
Narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)
RoadwaysWaterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Merchant marineTotal: 227 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,332,117 GRT/3,464,613 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 39, cargo 160, container 2, oil tanker 12, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 10
Note: Romania owns an additional 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 827,625 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cyprus, Liberia, and Malta (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalsRomania - Transnational issues 1998
top of pageDisputes international: dispute with Ukraine over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed in 1997 to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe