GENERAL
Official name of the state
Romania
Capital
Bucharest.
Geography
As a country located in Europe according to philosophynearby, Romania borders Ukraine in the north, Moldova in the east, the Black Sea in the south-east, Bulgaria in the south, Serbia in the south-west and Hungary in the west. The mighty arch of the Carpathian Mountains runs through the country, stretching from the Southern Carpathians to the Bukovina and including the Transylvanian highlands in the middle of the country. The south of the country between the Carpathians and the flat Danube plain is occupied by the slightly undulating Wallachia with the capital Bucharest. The Danube forms the border to Bulgaria. In the west, Romania has a share in the great plain that extends further to Hungary. The port city of Constanta, the mouth of the Danube and numerous holiday resorts are located on the Black Sea (225 km of coastline) in the east.
Government
Republic since 1991. Constitution of 1991, last change: 2003. Bicameral parliament (Chamber of Deputies and Senate with a total of 588 seats). The new constitution of 1991 forms the basis of the democratic and social constitutional state and guarantees party pluralism. Romania is a member of the EU.
Head of state
Klaus Johannis, since December 2014.
Head of government
Sorin Grindeanu, since January 2017.
Electricity
220/230 V, 50 Hz.
Time zone
Eastern European Time: CET +3 (CET +4 from March 26 to October 29, 2017)
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official language is Romanian. Hungarian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Armenian or Yiddish are sometimes spoken in the border areas. French is widespread, in the Banat (south-west Romania) and Transylvania (Transylvania) a lot of German is spoken, and English is also spoken in the tourist areas.
Idioms
- Eight = opt
- Eighty = Optzeci
- Goodbye = La revedere!
- Exit = Ieșire
- Beer = Bere
- Please = Vă rog
- Thank you = Mulțumesc
- Tuesday = Marți
- Doctor = Doctor
- Thursday = Joi
- Three = three
- Thirty = Treizeci
- Entrance = intrare
- One hundred = O Sută
- One = Unu
- One thousand = mie
- Friday = Vineri
- Five = Cinci
- Fifty = Cincizeci
- Danger = pericol
- Closed = închis
- Hello = salute; Buna
- Today = Astăzi
- Hotel = hotel
- I am sick = Eu sunt bolnavă.
- My name is?? =?? Eu mă numesc
- I do not understand = Nu înțeleg.
- Yes = there
- I am fine. = Eu sunt bine.
- Wednesday = Miercuri
- Monday = Luni
- Tomorrow = Mâine
- No = Nu
- Nine = Nouă
- Ninety = Nouăzeci
- Open = Deschis
- Restaurant = restaurant
- Saturday = Sâmbătă
- Six = șase
- Sixty = șaizeci
- Seven = șapte
- Seventy = șaptezeci
- Sunday = Duminică
- Menu = Meniu
- Do you speak German / English? = Vorbiți germană / engleză?
- Toilet = toaletă
- Four = Patru
- Forty = Patruzeci
- Wine = Vin
- How are you? = Ce faceți?
- How much is it? = Cât costă?
- Where is??? = Unde este?
- Ten = Zece
- Twenty = Douăzeci
- Two = Doi
CULTURE
Religion
Romanian Orthodox (86.8%). Catholic (4.7%), Protestant (7.5%), Greek Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish minorities.
Social rules of conduct
Manners: Shake hands to greet you. Women are greeted with a kiss on the hand. The usual forms of courtesy should be observed. One speaks with Domnule (gentleman), Doamna (woman) or Domnișoară (miss) together with the surname, in casual meetings one uses the first name. With an invitation you give the host a present, for example wine or liqueurs as well as flowers or chocolates for the lady of the house. Flowers are always given away in odd numbers. Many Romanians smoke, so that western cigarettes are mostly taken with pleasure. History is a sensitive topic of conversation, it is better to praise modern society and the good development of the country.
Clothing: In general, clothing is rather conservative, well-groomed casual clothing is acceptable. Swimwear always belongs on the beach or pool. Nude bathing is allowed on many beaches on the Black Sea coast. Some hotels offer their own nudist beach sections for this purpose.
Photography: Military or police facilities may not be photographed, the same applies to security-relevant facilities such as airports, bridges or government buildings. People should be asked before they are photographed. Some tourist attractions may only be photographed as a visitor for a fee.
Smoking: Smoking is prohibited in public places, but like in many Eastern European countries, Romanian smokers don’t take the laws that seriously. Smoking is not permitted on public transport such as airplanes, buses, subways and trains. Some hotels offer designated non-smoking rooms. Bars and restaurants are either completely smoke-free or smoking is allowed in them.
Tip: The hotel or restaurant bill usually already includes a service fee, but an additional tip of 10% is expected. Porters and taxi drivers also expect a tip.
CLIMATE
Best travel time
Continental climate.
The summer temperatures are tempered on the coast by constant sea breezes. It can get very hot in the inland plains. Very cold winters in the Carpathian Mountains, milder temperatures on the coast in winter. Snow falls from December to April.
The best travel time starts in May and ends in September.
COUNTRY DATA
Area code +40 Area (square km) 238 391 Population 21 666 350 Population density (per square km) 91 Population in 2015 Member of the EU Yes main emergency number 112