Romania Facts
answers to frequently asked questions about Romania
Romania facts is the section that provides answers to frequently asked questions about Romania. If you plan to visit us you probably want to know a little bit more, I guess. Let's start with the essential things:
- general information that travelers need to know
- geography
- history
- climate
- language
- religion
- political system and public administration
General information
Embassies
If you need support from your country click here to find your embassy in Romania.
Local time
Summertime: 1 hour ahead of GMT (last Sunday in March to last Sunday in September). During the other months of the year, it is 2 hours ahead of GMT.
Post
Post offices are open daily, including Saturday morning, in most areas and provide local and external services. Airmail to Western Europe takes 1 week.
Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 40. Outgoing international code: 00. Public telephones are widely available and can be used for direct international calls.
GSM 900/1800 networks. Network operators include:
- www.orange.ro/index-en.html
- www.vodafone.ro/en
- www.cosmote.ro/en>
- www.zapp.ro/?__cms__content_locale=en_US
- 112 - emergency call
- 930 - Directory Inquiries for government, public and private organizations and companies
- 931 - Directory Inquiries for individual subscribers (A-L)
- 932 - Directory Inquiries for individual subscribers (M-Z)
- 951 - information
- 952 - train timetables
- 958 - time
- 971- international calls
- 991 - domestic trunk calls
Banks
They are open daily, 09:00-12:00 Mon-Fri (business matters), 09:00-12:00 & 13:00-15:00 Mon-Fri (money exchange)
ATM
ATMs are spread all over the country and can be used with VISA, Master Card and American Express. Credit Cards are also accepted in many hotels, rent-a-car companies and some restaurants. It is however advisable to check in advance.
Medical services
Available in state and private health units throughout the country, according to the medical agreements established between Romania and other countries.
Tipping
Normally a small tip for good services is appreciated, but IT is at the customer's wishes.
Local city transportation
In Bucharest you can take underground trains, buses, trams and trolleybuses. Standard price is about $0.33 per journey. I suggest buying a daily pass or a weekly pas (depending how long you stay). They are valid for any kind of surface transportation, any route, all day/week. Much, much cheaper and comfortable.
In the other cities ticket prices are between $0.40-0.50 per journey.
Taxis
Legal taxis are equipped with meters. They must have the upper (up) half painted in yellow, a yellow plate on the door with their license number and the price per Km displayed so that you can easily see it. As for many things in Romania, prices are more than reasonable. Sometimes IT could be cheaper then renting a car.
But pay attention!! Don't take a taxi without all those signs. It's an illegal taxi and your journey will be a veeeeery expensive one.
Electricity
The electric current in Romania is 220Volts / 50 Hz (EU standard). Plugs are of the two-pin type.
Public Holidays
January 1st & 2nd; Easter Monday; May 1st; December 1st (the national holiday); December 25th & 26th;
Romania geography
Romania is situated in South-Eastern Europe. It' it shares borders with Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldavia and the Ukraine.
Well, if you intend to independently and affordably travel in Russia, Ukraine or Moldova with the help of local self-employed guides and interpreters Russia Ukraine Travel Alternative is a very useful resource.
For more information about Ukraine see also Ukraine Travel Guide. Practical Information for Visitors to Ukraine. Air, train travel. Maps. Accommodations. Insider Information about Ukrainian history, culture, religion, customs, outdoor activity
Romania coordinates are:
Latitudes: 43-37'07'' South - 48-15'06'' North.
Longitudes: 20-15'44'' West - 29-41'24'' East.
Area : 237,500 sq. km
The Carpathian Mountains form an arch in the centre of the country, bordered on both sides by hills and plateaus and great plains off the outer rim.
Over a quarter of the country is covered by forests and the fauna is one of the richest in Europe including wolves, bears, deer, lynxes and chamois.
The Danube forms almost the entire southern boundary of the country ending with the Delta, a paradise (sounds better)(heaven) for countless local and migratory birds.
Population: over 22,500,000 of which 89% are Romanians, 6,6% Hungarians, 2% Gypsies, with small minorities of Germans, Ukrainians, Serbs, Slovaks, Turks, Czechs, Greeks, Jews, Armenians, Poles, Albanians...
Romania history
The territory of Romania has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic.
The ancestors of the Romanian people are the Dacians, fierce warriors subdued by the Romans under Trajan in two extremely difficult campaigns at the beginning of the 2nd century AD. However, the relatively brief Roman occupation (165 years), left a lasting legacy: the Latin language which survived the numerous subsequent invasions of migratory peoples.
Over the years, a Romanian identity developed progressively with the formation of the feudal states of Transylvania (10th-12th centuries), Wallachia and Moldavia (13th and 14th centuries). Centuries of fighting against the Turkish people ensued in these states. Meanwhile the Hungarian Kingdom, Ottoman, Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Empires occupied Transylvania successively.
Finally, Moldavia and Wallachia were united in 1859, independence was achieved in 1877, and union with Transylvania in 1918.
The communist rule, established after the 2nd World War lasted for 45 years and ended with the revolution in December 1989.
Romanian climate
The climate is continental-temperate, characteristic to Central Europe (hot summers, cold winters, very distinct seasons, abundant snowfalls especially in the mountains). The southern regions are the warmest.
Annual rainfall averages are 677 mm, but they are higher in the mountains and below the average on the seacoast.
| Summer | Winter | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Sea Coast | 20.5 | 2.4 | 11.2 |
| Bucharest | 21.8 | 0.6 | 11.2 |
| Cluj-Napoca | 18.2 | -2.6 | 7.8 |
| Predeal | 14.5 | -4.5 | 5.0 |
| Danube Delta | 20.8 | 2.3 | 11.5 |
| Timisoara | 21.2 | 0.0 | 10.6 |
Romanian language
The official language is Romanian, a language of Latin origin.
English is widely spoken as well as French and German.
The citizens belonging to ethnic minorities may freely use their mother's tongue in schools, administration, justice, media and culture.
Religions in Romania
Religion freedom is guaranteed by the Romanian constitution.
Most Romanians are Orthodox Christians (87%). Catholics of the Oriental and Roman rites are well represented (5%). There are also Reformed / Lutheran (3%), Unitarian (1%), Neo-Protestant, Armenian, Muslim and Jewish communities.
Political system and public administration
Romania is a parliamentary republic with a bicameral Parliament. The president of the country, the senators and the members of the lower chamber are elected every four years by universal secret ballot.
The ethnic minorities also have a representation in Parliament.
Democratic rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution.
The national flag is red, yellow and blue.
Romania's national holiday is the 1st of December, the day when the national unitary state was founded in 1918.
Romania's territory is divided into 41 counties administered by prefects and 1 municipality. The mayors of municipalities, towns and villages are subordinated to the district administration.
Bucharest, the capital, has its own administration, similar to that of the districts.
The counties are: Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
