Romania's history has not been as idyllically peaceful as its geography. Over the centuries, various migrating people invaded Romania. Romania's historical provinces Wallachia and Moldova offered furious resistance to the invading Ottoman Turks. Transylvania was successively under Hapsburg, Ottoman or Wallachian rule, while remaining an autonomous province.
Romania's post WWII history as a communist-block nation is more widely known, primarily due to the excesses of the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In December 1989 a national uprising led to his overthrow. The 1991 Constitution established Romania as a republic with a multiparty system, market economy and individual rights of free speech, religion and private ownership.
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Full Name: Romania
Area: 237,500 sq km (land: 230,340 sq km, water: 7,160 sq km)
Population: 22,215,421 (July 2009 est.)
Capital City: Bucharest
People: 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)
Language: Romanian (official), Hungarian, German
Religion: Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%, Protestant 6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%, unaffiliated 0.2% (2002)
Government Type: Republic
Chief of State President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004); note - President Traian BASESCU was suspended by vote of parliament on 19 April 2007, but resumed his duties on 23 May 2007 after a popular referendum confirmed that his impeachment should not stand
Head of Government: Prime Minister Emil BOC (since 22 December 2008)
GDP: $US 200.1 billion (2008 est.)
GDP per Capita: $US 12,200 (2008 est.)
Inflation: 7.8% (2008 est.)
Unemployment: 4.4% (2008 est.)
Industries: Textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining
Currency: leu (ROL)
Member of EU: Yes
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