Romania 

(/roʊˈmeɪniə/ ( listen) ro-MAY-nee-ə; Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country

in Central and Eastern Europe which borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to
the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east and the Black Sea to the southeast. It has a
predominantly temperate-continental climate, and an area of 238,397 km2 (92,046 sq mi), with a
population of around 19 million. Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe, and the sixth-most
populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest; other
major urban areas include Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, Constanța, Craiova, Brașov, and Galați.
The Danube, Europe's second-longest river, rises in Germany's Black Forest and flows in a
southeasterly direction for 2,857 km (1,775 mi), before emptying into Romania's Danube Delta.
The Carpathian Mountains, which cross Romania from the north to the southwest,
include Moldoveanu Peak, at an altitude of 2,544 m (8,346 ft).[13]
Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian
Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866,
gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877.[14] During World War I, after declaring
its neutrality in 1914, Romania fought together with the Allied Powers from 1916. In the aftermath of
the war, Bukovina, Bessarabia, Transylvania and parts of Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș became
part of the Kingdom of Romania.[15] In June–August 1940, as a consequence of the Molotov–
Ribbentrop Pact and Second Vienna Award, Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia and
Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union, and Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In November 1940,
Romania signed the Tripartite Pact and, consequently, in June 1941 entered World War II on
the Axis side, fighting against the Soviet Union until August 1944, when it joined the Allies and
recovered Northern Transylvania. Following the war and occupation by the Red Army, Romania
became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution,
Romania began a transition towards democracy and a market economy.
Romania is a developing country, with a high-income economy,[16] ranking 49th in the Human
Development Index. It has the world's 45th largest economy by nominal GDP, and following rapid
economic growth in the early 2000s, the country has an economy based predominantly on services
and is a producer and net exporter of machines and electric energy through companies
like Automobile Dacia and OMV Petrom. Romania has been a member of the United Nations since
1955, NATO since 2004, and the European Union since 2007. The majority of Romania's population
are ethnic Romanian and Eastern Orthodox Christians, speaking Romanian, a Romance language.

Contents

 1Etymology
o 1.1Official names
 2History
o 2.1Prehistory
o 2.2Antiquity
o 2.3Middle Ages
o 2.4Early Modern Times and national awakening
o 2.5Independence and monarchy
o 2.6World Wars and Greater Romania
o 2.7Communism
o 2.8Contemporary period
 2.8.1NATO and EU integration
 3Geography and climate
o 3.1Climate
  4Governance
o 4.1Foreign relations
o 4.2Military
o 4.3Administrative divisions
 5Economy
o 5.1Infrastructure
o 5.2Tourism
o 5.3Science and technology
 6Demographics
o 6.1Languages
o 6.2Religion
o 6.3Urbanisation
o 6.4Education
o 6.5Healthcare
 7Culture
o 7.1Arts and monuments
o 7.2Holidays, traditions, and cuisine
o 7.3Sports
 8See also
 9Notes
 10References
 11Sources
o 11.1Secondary sources
o 11.2Primary sources
 12External links
o 12.1Government
o 12.2Culture and history links

Etymology
Main article: Name of Romania
"Romania" derives from Latin romanus, meaning "Roman" or "of Rome".[17] The first known use of the
appellation was attested to in the 16th century by Italian humanists travelling
in Transylvania, Moldavia, and Wallachia.[18][19][20][21] The oldest known surviving document written
in Romanian, a 1521 letter known as the "Letter of Neacșu from Câmpulung",[22] is notable for
including the first documented occurrence of the country's name: Wallachia is mentioned as Țeara
Rumânească.