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Area: 237,500 sq km (91,700 sq mi)
Population: 22.5 million
Capital city: Bucharest (pop 2 million)
People: Romanians (90%), Hungarians (7%), Gypsies (2%), Germans, Ukrainians
Language: Romanian, Hungarian (in Transylvania)
Religion: Romanian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Government: Republic
President: Ion Iliescu
Prime Minister: Adrian Nastase

GDP: US$90 billion
GDP per head: US$4000
Annual growth: -8%
Inflation: 40%
Major industries: Agriculture, manufacturing
Major trading partners: EU (esp.Germany, Italy, France), Turkey
Member of EU:no

Events

Romania has a juicy calendar of folklore festivals. Numerous smaller ones remain unpublicised, preserving their authenticity but making them very difficult for the traveller to attend. Regular festivals include the Whit Sunday Szekely Pilgrimage, the largest traditional Szekely folk and religious festival of the year, in Miercurea Ciuc. The Fundata Fair, a traditional folklore fair originally held for shepherds to meet their future wives, is at Fundata near Bran in June. July sees International Chamber Music Festival concerts in Brasov and Bran. In August is Medieval Days, a two week medieval arts, crafts and music festival in Sighisoara and the Hora de la Prislop, a wild dancing festival on the Prislop Pass. The Sambra oilor is a major pastoral festival to mark the coming down of the sheep from the mountains, held in and around Bran in September, and in December there's the De la Colind la Stea Christmas festival in Brasov.

Traveling Guidelines

Visas: US citizens with valid passports have the luxury of being able to visit Romania visa-free for 30 days. All other western visitors need a visa, obtainable in advance at a Romanian embassy or upon entry to Romania.
Health risks: Rabies, typhoid and encephalitis are present in Romania; vaccinations should be considered.
Time: GMT/UTC plus 2 hours
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 2.83 million visitors per year

Ideal time to visit

May and June are the best months to visit, followed by September and early October. At these times, you can visit the medieval painted monasteries in southern Bucovina, and enjoy them minus the tourist hordes. Spring and autumn are also the best times for birdwatching in the Danube Delta. Romania has harsh winters, when tourism is centred on the ski resorts like Poiana Brasov and Sinaia. Snow lingers as late as mid-May, and the hiking season doesn't begin in earnest till June. The resorts along the Black Sea coast start filling up in late June and stay packed until mid-August.