...pe, ith a maximum extent east to est of about 740 km 460 mi and north to south about 475 km 295 mi. The topography is varied. The Transylvanian Basin, or Plateau, hich occupies central Romania, is very hilly for the most part, but also has ide valleys and extensive arable slopes. The Transylvania region is almost completely surrounded by mountains. To the north and east are the Carpathian Mountains, and along the south are the Transylvanian Alps, hich continue south to the Danube gorge at the Banat Mountains. Moldoveanul 2,544 m8,395 ft, the highest peak in the country, is in these Alps. A smaller group of ranges, the Bihor Mountains, is est of Transylvania. The remaining areas of Romania are predominantly lolands. In the est are the lolands of the Tisza Plain, hich are usually referred to as the Banat, adjacent to the Serbian border, and Crisana-Maramures, adjacent to Hungary. The most extensive plains are the lolands of alachia, located beteen the Transylvanian Alps and Bulgaria, and the region of Moldova Moldavia, east of the Carpathian Mountains. Bordering the Black Sea in the extreme east and forming part of Dobruja, or Dobrogea, is a lo plateau, hich continues south into Bulgaria.The most important river of Romania is the Danube. It demarcates the eastern part of the boundary ith Serbia, and most of the boundary ith Bulgaria. The valley of the loer course of the Danube east of the Iron Gate gorge near Turnu Severin and the Danube delta are very sampy. Other important rivers, all part of the Danube system, are the Mures, Prut, Olt, and Siret. Romania has many small, freshater mountain lakes, but the largest lakes are saline lagoons on the coast of the Black Sea the largest of these is Lake Razelm.Climate The Transylvanian Basin, the Carpathian Mountains, and the estern lolands have arm summers and cold inters ith recorded temperature extremes ranging beteen 37.8 C 100 F and -31.7 C -25 F. The alachian, Moldavian, and Dobrujan lolands have hotter summers and occasionally experience periods of severe cold in inter recorded extremes in Bucharest and the lolands are 38.9 C 102 F and -23.9 C -11 F. Rainfall averages 508 mm 20 in on the plains and from 508 mm to 1,016 mm 20 in to 40 in on the mountains and is concentrated in the armer half of the year.Natural Resources The principal resources of Romania are agricultural, but the country also has significant mineral deposits, particularly oil, natural gas, salt, coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, bauxite, chromium, manganese, lead, and zinc.Plants and Animals ooded steppe, no largely cleared for agriculture, predominates in the plains of alachia and Moldova. Fruit trees are common in the foothills of the mountains. On the loer slopes are found forests of such deciduous trees as birch, beech, and oak. The forests of the higher altitudes are coniferous, consisting largely of pine and spruce trees. Above the timberline approximately 1,750 m5,740 ft, the flora is alpine.ild animal life is abundant in most parts of Romania. The larger animals, found chiefly in the Carpathian Mountains, include the ild boar, olf, lynx, fox, bear, chamois, roe deer, and goat. In the plains, typical animals are the squirrel, hare, badger, and polecat. Many species of birds are abundant the Danube delta region, no partly a nature preserve, is a stopover point for migratory birds. Among species of fish found in the rivers and offshore are pike, sturgeon, carp, flounder, salmon, perch, and eel.Soil The soils in most parts of the country of Romania are fertile. In estern Romania, the soil consists largely of the decomposition products of limestone. Chernozem, or black earth, highly suited for groing grain, predominates in the eastern part of the country.Population Romanians, ho constitute 89 per cent of the total population, are descendants of the peoples inhabiting Dacia modern Romania at the time of its conquest about AD 106 and absorption by the Romans. Important minorities are the Hungarians, ho comprise about 11 per cent of the population and are chiefly settled in Transylvania and Germans, ho make up less than 1 per cent of the population and live chiefly in the Banat. Romania also has small numbers of Ukrainians, Jes, Russians, Serbs, Croats, Turks, Bulgarians, Tatars, and Slovaks. Ethnic unrest has troubled Romania since the overthro of the communist regime. In 1991 organized attacks on Romany communities caused a large number to flee to Germany and Austria, but most of these ere forcibly returned to Romania in 1992. Unrest in Transylvania forced the ethnic Hungarians there to flee in 1990, after Romanian tanks had been deployed to quell the uprising. Anti-Semitism has also been rising.Population Characteristics Romania has a population of 22,835,000 1995 official estimate. Population density is about 96 people per sq km 249 per sq mi. The population is about 56 per cent urban.Political Divisions and Principal Cities For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 40 counties and the municipality of Bucharest. Bucharest has a population of 2,080,363 1994, and it is also the prime industrial and commercial centre of the country. Other major cities are Constanta 348,575, the only Romanian port on the Black Sea Brasov 324,210, noted for the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, and metal products Timisoara 327,830, an industrial centre Iasi 339,889, a commercial centre Cluj-Napoca 326,017, a commercial and industrial centre Galati 326,728, a naval and metallurgical centre Craiova 306,825, a textile, electrical, and chemical centre and Ploiesti 254,408, hub of the oil industry.Religion and Language The largest religious organization of Romania is the Romanian Orthodox Church, to hich about 85 per cent of Romanians adhere. In addition, the country has substantial numbers of Roman Catholics, predominantly the Hungarian, Sabian, and German minorities of Transylvania and Banat Protestants of various denominations Jes, primarily in Bucharest and Muslims, mainly among the Tatar and Turkish minorities in the Dobruja region.The official language is Romanian, one of the Romance languages, spoken by nearly all the population. Other languages spoken include Hungarian, German, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Romany, and Yiddish.Education Primary education in Romania is free and compulsory for children beteen the ages of 6 and 15, and most students choose to continue their education beyond the age of 16. The literacy rate is more than 95 per cent. The educational system heavily emphasizes practical and technical studies.Elementary and Secondary Schools In the mid-1990s some 2.5 million children ere enrolled in Romanias 14,000 primary schools, and some 758,000 students attended 1,300 secondary schools. In addition, the country had 761 vocational secondary schools ith about 288,000 students.Universities and Colleges Some 255,000 students annually attended institutions of higher learning in the...
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