Romania is situated in the south-east of Europe. It covers an area of 237,500 sq.km, ranking the twelfth in size among the countries of Europe. The neighbouring countries are Bulgaria in the south, Serbia and Montenegro in the south-west, Hungary in the west, Ukraine in the north and the south-east and the Republic of Moldavia in the east. In the south-east, Romania is bordered by the Black Sea for a distance of 245 km.(153 miles).

Romania's population is about 22 million. The country is inhabited by Romanians (89.4%), Hungarians (7.1%), Germans (0.5%) and other nationalities (3%).

The Romanian language is a Romance one. The grammatical structure and most of the basic word stock are of Latin origin.

Natural Features

Romania has a wide variety of scenery. In the centre there is the Transylvanian Plateau. It is ringed around by the Carpathian Mountains. Moldoveanu (2543 m/8,343 ft) is the highest peak in Romania. The mountains in their turn are ringed around by foothills which gradually fall away to low-lying plains.

Romania has about 4,000 rivers and most of them rise in the Carpathian Mountains. The Danube which collects the country's main rivers flows through the Romanian countryside for a distance of 1,075 km. (465 miles). Before reaching the Black Sea, the Danube forms three arms which comprise the Danube Delta, a unique place in Europe.

Romania's climate is temperate-continental with Mediterranean influences in the south-west and oceanic influences in the west. The coldest months are January and February and the hottest July and August.

Romania has a diverse pattern of natural vegetation. Woodlands occupy about 30% of the surface. Most of Romania is agricultural land. There are also a lot of pastures, meadows, orchards and vineyards.

Romania's fauna is rich and diverse. There are about 300 species of birds and 60 species of fish in the Danube Delta. The black chamois lives in the alpine region. The wolf, the lynx, the brown bear, the deer and the wild pig live in the forest.

Romania has a wide variety of mineral resources: iron, copper, gold, silver, salt, limestone, methane gas, coal etc.

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