Romania

Location and General Info• Romania is a unitary semi-presidential

republic located in southeastern-central Europe, north of the Balkan Peninsula and on the western shore of the Black Sea.

• It borders Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Bulgaria. It covers 238,391 square kilometres and has a temperate-continental climate. With its 20.1 million inhabitants, it is the seventh most populous member of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth largest city in the European Union.

History• Romania emerged within the territories of former Roman

Empire province Dacia as the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia formed in a 1859 personal union. It gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, and at the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. At the end of World War II, territories which today roughly correspond to Moldova were occupied by the Soviet Union and Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. Following the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition towards democracy and a capitalist market economy. Since then, the living standards have seen a vast improvement, and currently, Romania is an upper-middle income country with a high Human Development Index. It has been a member of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007.

Tourism

• Tourism is a significant contributor to the Romanian economy, generating around 5% of GDP. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Romania was estimated to have the fourth fastest growing travel and tourism total demand in the world, with an estimated potential growth of 8% per year from 2007 to 2016. The number of tourist has been rising, reaching 3.5 million in the first half of 2014. Tourism in Romania attracted €400 million in investments in 2005.

• More than 60% of the foreign visitors in 2007 were from other EU countries.[ Popular summer attractions of Mamaia and other Black Sea Resorts attracted 1.3 million tourists in 2009. Most popular skiing resorts are along the Valea Prahovei and in Poiana Bra ov. Castles in Transylvanian cities such as Sibiu, Bra ov, and Sighi oara. Rural tourism, ș ș șfocusing on folklore and traditions, has become an important alternative, and is targeted to promote such sites as Bran and its Dracula's Castle, the Painted churches of Northern Moldavia, and the Wooden churches of Maramure . Other attractions include Danube Delta, and Sculptural șEnsemble of Constantin Brâncu i at Târgu Jiu.ș

Science and technology• Historically, Romanian researchers and inventors have made notable

contributions to several fields. In the history of flight, Traian Vuia made the first airplane to take off on its own power and Aurel Vlaicu built and flew some of the earliest successful aircraft, while Henri Coandă discovered the Coandă effect of fluidics. Victor Babe discovered more than 50 types of bacteria; biologist Nicolae șPaulescu discovered insulin, while Emil Palade, received the Nobel Prize for his contributions to cell biology. Lazăr Edeleanu was the first chemist to synthesize amphetamine, while Costin Neni escu developed țnumerous new classes of compounds in organic chemistry. Notable mathematicians include Spiru Haret, Grigore Moisil, and tefan ȘOdobleja; physicists and inventors: erban i eica, Alexandru Proca, Ș Ț țand tefan Procopiu.Ș

Science and technology• Historically, Romanian researchers and inventors have made notable

contributions to several fields. In the history of flight, Traian Vuia made the first airplane to take off on its own power and Aurel Vlaicu built and flew some of the earliest successful aircraft, while Henri Coandă discovered the Coandă effect of fluidics. Victor Babe discovered more than 50 types of bacteria; biologist Nicolae șPaulescu discovered insulin, while Emil Palade, received the Nobel Prize for his contributions to cell biology. Lazăr Edeleanu was the first chemist to synthesize amphetamine, while Costin Neni escu developed țnumerous new classes of compounds in organic chemistry. Notable mathematicians include Spiru Haret, Grigore Moisil, and tefan ȘOdobleja; physicists and inventors: erban i eica, Alexandru Proca, Ș Ț țand tefan Procopiu.Ș