Romania
Population | 21.5 m |
Capital | Bucharest |
Surface area | 230,000 km2 |
Official Language | Romanian |
Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 220 bn |
GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 1.9 |
GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 45.8 |
Currency | New leu |
Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.813 |
World rank in HDI | 60/177 |
Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (48.8); industry (38.1); agriculture (13.1) |
Unemployment in January 2010 | 7.2% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
Main religious denominations (numbers in millions) | Romanian Orthodox (18.8); Roman Catholic (1.03); Reformed Church (.70) |
Significant minority ethnic groups | Hungarians (1.43 m); Roma (0.54 m) |
Political system | Semi-presidential system The President is elected every five years, and a bicameral legislature (with a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate) every four. The President appoints the prime minister, and is empowered to veto legislation unless it is upheld by a two-thirds majority of both chambers. |
Electoral system | Presidents are elected by direct vote. Both chambers are elected by a proportional mixed member system. |
Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Traian Basescu (b. 1951), since December 2004 Prime minister: Emil Boc (b. 1966), since December 2008 |
Previous leaders: | Presidents: Ion Iliescu (2000-04); Emil Constantinescu (1996-2000) Prime ministers: Calin Popescu-Tariceanu (2004-08); Adrian Nastase (2000-04) |
Joined the EU/EC | 2007 |
Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Dacian Ciolos (Agriculture and Rural Development) |
Number of MEPs | 33/754 |
Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 27.4 |
Member of eurozone | No |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com