romania

Geography: Romania is in southeast Europe and is slightly smaller than Oregon, with a beautiful landscape. The Carpathian Mountains divide Romania's upper half from north to south and connect near the center of the country with the Transylvanian Alps, running east and west. North and west of these ranges lies the Transylvanian plateau, and to the south and east are the plains of Moldavia and Wallachia. In its last 306 km, the Danube River flows through Romania only. It enters the Black Sea in northern Dobruja, just south of the border with Ukraine. Government: Republic. Most of Romania was the Roman province of Dacia from about A.D. 100 to 271. From the 3rd to the 12th century, wave after wave of barbarian conquerors overran the native Daco-Roman population. By the 16th century, the main Romanian principalities of Moldavia and Walachia had become satellites within the Ottoman Empire, although they retained much independence. The nation became a kingdom in 1881 after the Congress of Berlin. Romania joined NATO in 2004, and in 2005 the EU approved the entry of Romania in 2007. Final acceptance into the EU will require a number of reforms, including increased law enforcement and environmental measures and the protection of the rights of the Roma minority. The great majority of the inhabitants speak Romanian, although there are also sizable minorities speaking Hungarian (8%) and German (2%). Other ethnic groups include Ukrainians, Serbs, Croats, Gypsies, Russians, and Turks. Economy: From 1948 until 1989, Romania had a Soviet-style command economy in which nearly all agricultural and industrial enterprises were state controlled. During those years, it built an economy based largely on heavy industry. Romania remains one of the poorest European countries. Agriculture employs about 27% of the labor force and accounts for 15% of the GNP. Chief crops are corn, sugar beets, potatoes, and various grains. Romania is the place of birth of the inventor of the jet plane engine "Henri Coanda" and many others. It also has the world's 2nd largest building. It is commonly known for the myth of Count Dracula.