Romania

C

Plant and Animal Life

Wooded steppe, now largely cleared for agriculture, dominates the plains of Walachia and Moldavia. Fruit trees are common in the foothills of the mountains. The lower slopes have forests with deciduous trees such as birch, beech, and oak. The forests of the higher elevations are coniferous, consisting largely of pine and spruce trees. Above the timberline (approximately 1,750 m/5,740 ft), the vegetation is alpine.

Wild animal life is abundant in most parts of Romania. The larger animals, found chiefly in the Carpathian Mountains, include wild boar, wolf, lynx, fox, bear, chamois, roe deer, goat, woodpecker, jay, and gray owl. In the plains, squirrel, hare, badger, and polecat are common. Many species of birds are abundant; the Danube delta region, now partly a nature preserve, provides habitat for many resident and migratory birds. They include the rare pygmy cormorant, white egret, and white-tailed sea eagle. Among species of fish found in the rivers and offshore are pike, sturgeon, carp, flounder, herring, salmon, perch, and eel.

D

Natural Resources

Romania holds a wealth of mineral deposits, particularly petroleum, natural gas, salt, hard coal, lignite (brown coal), iron ore, copper, bauxite, chromium, manganese, lead, and zinc. The nation’s thick forests are another important natural resource, as are its fertile soils, which are planted with crops or orchards. In Banat, Walachia, and Moldavia, soils consist mainly of chernozem, or black earth, highly suited for growing grain. Soils in Transylvania are generally less fertile.

E

Climate

Romania has a temperate climate with long, cold winters and hot summers. Temperatures are generally cooler in the mountains, while the hottest areas in summer are the lowlands of Walachia, Moldavia, and Dobruja. During winter, a harsh northeast wind known as the crivat blows from the Russian steppes. During summer, the heat on the lowlands may be accompanied by dry southwest winds and severe drought.

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The average daily temperature range in Bucharest is -7° to 1°C (19° to 34°F) in January and 16° to 30°C (61° to 86°F) in July. Rainfall is heaviest during the months of April, May, June, September, and October. Yearly rainfall averages about 650 mm (about 25 in), ranging from about 500 mm (about 20 in) on the plains to about 1,020 mm (about 40 in) in the mountains. The climate of Dobruja is typically very dry.

F

Environmental Issues

Air pollution and water pollution caused by industry are serious environmental problems in Romania. The country’s factories, chemical plants, and electric power plants depend heavily on burning coal, a process that emits high levels of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide (see Sulfur)—a key component of acid rain. The industrial centers of Copşa Mică, in central Romania, and Giurgiu, in the south, have severe air pollution problems. Bucharest, the capital, also has serious air pollution. Much of the nation’s industrial runoff ends up in the Danube river system, making water unsafe for drinking and threatening the diverse ecosystems of the Danube delta. The delta, the largest in Europe, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1991 (see World Heritage Committee). Its lakes and marshes are home to hundreds of species of birds and dozens of fish and reptile species, many of which are threatened with extinction.

Poor farming practices, especially infrequent crop rotation, have led to severe soil degradation and erosion in parts of Romania. In the 1980s large tracts of marshland lining the Danube were drained and converted to cropland to aid food production. Deforestation, however, is not a serious problem in Romania.

III

The People of Romania

The 2009 estimated population of Romania was 22,215,421, yielding an average population density of 96 persons per sq km (250 per sq mi). The population was 55 percent urban.

Before World War II (1939-1945), Romania was largely a nation of farmers, with more than three-quarters of the population living in isolated rural villages. Industrialization after the war brought a large influx of people from the countryside into the cities and industrial centers. Although the trend toward urbanization is continuing, 45 percent of Romania’s population remains rural—a high percentage for a European nation.

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