The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict.

In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king.

The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s.

Ceausescu was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 22,276,056 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 1,787,334/female 1,696,270) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 7,721,160/female 7,793,063) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 1,344,673/female 1,933,556) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 36.9 years male: 35.5 years female: 38.2 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: -0.127% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 10.67 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 11.81 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.054 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.991 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.695 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 24.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.91 years male: 68.41 years female: 75.62 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,500 (2001 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 350 (2001 est.)

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Nationality: noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian

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Ethnic groups: Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census)

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Religions: Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census)

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Languages: Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 1.2%

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.3% male: 98.4% female: 96.3% (2002 census)

Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept GDP growth above 4%. However, macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a middle class and address Romania's widespread poverty, while corruption and red tape continue to handicap the business environment. Romanian government confidence in continuing disinflation was underscored by its currency revaluation in 2005, making 10,000 "old" lei equal 1 "new" leu. The economy grew at 6.4% in 2006, the strongest growth in the last decade. Romania joined the European Union on 1 January 2007, and the IMF has praised the country's recent reform efforts in preparation for EU accession.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $202.2 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $80.11 billion (2006 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.7% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $9,100 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.1% industry: 34.7% services: 55.2% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 9.33 million (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 31.6% industry: 30.7% services: 37.7% (2004)

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Unemployment rate: 6.1% (2006 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 25% (2005 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.8 (2003)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 25% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $36.89 billion expenditures: $39.1 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 21.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep

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Industries: textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining

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Industrial production growth rate: 5.7% (2006 est.)

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Electricity - production: 54.53 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 49.62 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 3.7 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 2.6 billion kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 119,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 212,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: 181,100 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - proved reserves: 955.6 million bbl (1 January 2005)

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Natural gas - production: 11.8 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 18 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: 6.2 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 300 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: -$12.45 billion (2006 est.)

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Exports: $33 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products

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Exports - partners: Italy 16.1%, Germany 15.3%, Turkey 7.8%, Hungary 6.4%, France 6.3%, Austria 4.7%, UK 4.5% (2006)

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Imports: $46.48 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and products, basic metals, agricultural products

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Imports - partners: Germany 16.6%, Italy 12.9%, China 11.3%, Russia 6.1%, Hungary 5.8%, France 5.3%, Austria 4.9%, Turkey 4.3% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $27.88 billion (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $42.76 billion (2006 est.)

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Currency (code): "new" leu (RON) was introduced in 2005; "old" leu (ROL) was phased out in 2006; note - because of currency revaluation, 10,000 ROL = 1 RON

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Exchange rates: lei per US dollar - 2.809 (2006), 3 (2005), 3 (2004), 3 (2003), 3 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year