România

Romania, country in southeastern Europe. Romania is rich in culture and natural resources, but it has long been one of Europe s poorest and least developed nations. Foreign powers, including the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, controlled the country or parts of it for much of its history.

Bucharest is its capital and largest city.

The modern country of Romania was created in 1859. It became fully independent in 1878. Romania was a kingdom from 1881 to 1947. In 1948 Communists took control of Romania and modeled the government and economy after those of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). However, in the 1960s Romania s Communist leaders began to distance themselves from the USSR and develop their own domestic and foreign policies. Romania s economy grew during the 1960s and 1970s, but by the 1980s most Romanians were suffering from food shortages and other economic hardships. In 1989 Romanians revolted against the repressive dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, the country s president and Communist Party leader. Ceausescu was executed, and a non-Communist government was installed. The first free multiparty elections took place in Romania in 1990. Romania has a total land area of 237, 500 sq km (91, 700 sq mi). The country is bounded on the north by Ukraine, on the east by Moldova, on the southeast by the Black Sea, on the south by Bulgaria, on the southwest by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), and on the west by Hungary. Romania is roughly oval in shape, with a maximum distance from east to west of 720 km (450 mi) and a maximum distance from north to south of 515 km (320 mi). A long chain of mountain ranges curves through northern and central Romania.

The Danube River forms much of the country s southern and southwestern borders with Bulgaria and the FRY, and the Prut River divides Romania from its northeastern neighbor Moldova.

Transylvania, an extensive elevated plateau region that reaches a maximum height of about 600 m (about 2, 000 ft), occupies most of central and northwestern Romania.

Transylvania is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, a large mountain system of central and eastern Europe. The Eastern Carpathians extend from the northern border to the center of the country and contain the forested region of Bukovina; the Southern Carpathians, also known as the Transylvanian Alps, stretch westward from the Eastern Carpathian range; and the Western Carpathians traverse the western portion of Romania.

The Southern Carpathians contain the country s highest peak, Moldoveanu, which reaches an elevation of 2, 543 m (8, 343 ft). The geological structure of the Carpathians has given rise to severe earthquakes: In 1977 an earthquake with a magnitude of 6. 5 on the Richter scale inflicted serious damage on Bucharest and claimed more than 1, 500 lives. Another earthquake measuring 6. 0 was registered in 1990. The areas stretching outward from Romania s mountainous interior contain hills and tablelands full of orchards ...