Total area: 237,500 sq km (91,699 sq mi)
Population (2010 est.): 22,181,287
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bucharest - 2,210,800 (metro. area)
Other large cities:Iasi - 320,000; Cluj-Napoca - 316,400; Timisoara - 316,100; Constanta - 309,000; Craiova - 301,100; Galati - 297,100; Brasov - 282,500
Currency:Lei
Languages: Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany 1.1%
Religions:Eastern Orthodox 86.8%, Protestant 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.9%
Time zone: GMT+2; DST: GMT+3 (from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity: AC 230V/50Hz; European plugs with two round pins are the standard
Romania is a country in southeast Europe, located north of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube and the western shores of the Black Sea. Romania borders Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south. Romania is the largest country in southeastern Europe and the twelfth-largest in Europe.
Romania's northern parts are divided in half by the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains join the Transylvanian Alps that run west to east, in the center of the country. Area north of the Transylvanian Alps and west of the Carpathian Mountains forms large Transylvanian plateau. The highest point of Romania is the Moldoveanu Peak (2,544 m/8,346 ft) in the Carpathian Mountains. South and east of the country are dominated by plains, Moldavian and Wallachian (Romanian), respectively.
Thanks to Romania's geographical features, country's flora and fauna is very diverse, with almost 34 thousand species of animals and 3.7 thousand species of plants.
Romania's 13 national parks and three biosphere reserves (the Danube Delta, Retezat National Park, and Rodna National Park) cover almost 5% of country's total area.
The Danube Delta Reserve Biosphere is the largest and least damaged wetland complex in Europe, covering a total area of 5,800 sq km (2,200 sq mi) that is also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
