Romania

Map

Summary Data


summary data

 

Total Area (km2)

237,500

Land (km2)

230,340

Water (km2)

7,160

Population

22,246,862

Population Density (/km2)

97

Capital

Bucharest

Religion (%)

Eastern Orthodox 86.8%,
Protestant 7.5%,
Roman Catholic 4.7%,
Other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%,
None 0.1%

Time

GMT+2

Climate

Temperate; cold, winters are cloudy with frequent snow and fog;
summers are sunny with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Geography

Romania is the largest country in Southeastern Europe, situated to the south of Bulgaria bordering Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary. The country is divided into six regions, to the north of Romania lie Transylvania and Moldavia and central Romania contains the flat Danube plain of Walachia, home to the capital Bucharest. The remaining three regions are Banat, Moldavia and Dobnija. The north and south of the country are divided by the Carpathian Mountains. The Danube River flows through Romania and joins the Black Sea on the country's border. The country has a lot of un-spoilt scenery to be admired and historic and medieval towns to visit.

Government

Romania has been a Democratic Republic since 1991. The head of State is President Traian Basescu since December 2004, while the head of Government is Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu. Both men stated that their main objectives were to focus on the acceleration of reforms aimed at ensuring EU membership for Romania in 2007. Having achieved several stringent targets, membership was granted and new aims are to fight poverty and corruption within the country.
Language
Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 1.2%. Romanian is the official language with some Hungarian and German spoken in border areas, while mainly French and some English are spoken by those connected with the tourist industry.

Electricity

230 volts, 50Hz. Plugs are of the European two-pin type.

Passports/Visa

A passport valid for a minimum of six months after return from Romania is required by all except nationals who are members of the EU and have a valid ID card about their person.
Visas
Visas are not required to enter Romania but nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA are only allowed to stay in the country for a maximum of three months and must be able to present or prove a return ticket back to their country.

Passport/Visa Information
Embassy of Romania in the UK
Arundel House,
4 Palace Green,
London
W8 4QD,
UK
Tel:               (020) 7937         9666/7.
Email: roemb@roemb.co.uk
Website: http://londra.mae.ro/
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 09.00-17.00

Consular and Visa Section
M.E.I.C. House
344 Kensington High Street
London
W14 8NS
Tel:             +44 (0)20 7602 9833       
Fax: +44 (0)20 760 24229
Email: consulara@roemb.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 09.00-16.00

Airports and Airlines

Henri Coanda/Otopeni International Airport (OTP)

  • Location: The airport is situated 10 miles (16km) north of Bucharest.
  • Time: Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from last Sunday in March to second last Saturday in September).
  • Contacts: Calea Bucurestilor 224E, 71562 Otopeni, Iifov, ROMANIA
  • Tel:             + 40 (0)21 204 4000       
  • Fax: +40 (0)21 201 4990
  • Email: otp@otp-airport.ro
  • Website: www.otp-airport.ro
  • Terminals: 1
  • Transfer between terminals: A passageway connects international arrivals, domestic arrivals and international departures. Plans are in place for a new terminal to increase the airport capacity and renovation is underway on the airport control tower.
  • Transfer to the city: An express bus service 783 leaves every 15 minutes for the city centre; the journey takes around 40 minutes. Taxis and Sky Services minibuses are also available 24 hours a day to take passengers anywhere in Bucharest or to any other region in the country. Passengers should avoid cabs that do not display the price and have no meters. There are also proposals to link the airport with the Bucharest Metro system (Line M6) and with Gara de Nord (Bucharest Northern Railway Station) by a fast light-rail train.
  • Car rental: Car rental companies include Budget, Europcar and Hertz.
  • Facilities: There are banks, bars and restaurants at the airport. Other facilities include a bureau de change, left luggage, a hairdresser, business facilities (fax and internet), duty-free shops and a post office. Disabled facilities are good; those who need a wheelchair or have other special requirements should contact their airline in advance.
  • Parking: Parking is available.
  • Departure tax: None.

Standard of Living

When Romania joined the EU in January 2007 the standard of living was only a third of the European average but further to EU accession, considerable economic growth is expected which should in turn improve the quality of living.

Principal commercial centres and towns

Bucharest is the capital and the main commercial and political centre of Romania


population by city/town

 

Transylvania

7,220,000

Bucharest

1,931,838

Timisoara

307,347

Brasov

277,945

Arad

167,238

Sibiu

154,458