Part 617

Geography ---------

Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine

Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total area: 237,500 sq km land area: 230,340 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries: total: 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km (all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (south) 169 km

Coastline: 225 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940

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 lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Natural resources: petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt

Land use: arable land: 43% permanent crops: 3% meadows and pastures: 19% forest and woodland: 28% other: 7%

Irrigated land: 34,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands natural hazards: earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geographic note: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine

People ------

Population: 21,657,162 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 2,180,023; female 2,088,496) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,261,160; female 7,393,531) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,138,583; female 1,595,369) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: -1.21% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 9.77 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 12.27 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -9.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 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 all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 23.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.42 years male: 65.51 years female: 73.57 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian