Area
238,391 sq km (92,043 sq miles).

Population
21,680,974 (2002).

Population Density
90.9 per sq km.

Capital
Bucharest.
Population: 1,925,334 (2002).

Government
Democratic Republic since 1991.
Head of State: President Traian Basescu since December 2004.
Head of Government: Outgoing Prime Minister Adrian Nastase.

Language
Romanian is the official language. Some Hungarian and German are spoken in border areas, while mainly French and some English are spoken by those connected with the tourist industry.

Religion
83 per cent Romanian Orthodox, with Roman Catholic, Reformed/Lutheran, Unitarian, Muslim and Jewish minorities.

Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the two-pin type.

Communications

Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 40. Outgoing international code: 00. Public telephones are widely available and can be used for direct international calls. Hotels often impose a high service charge for long-distance calls, but usually do not charge for local calls.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900/1800 networks. Network operators include Connex (website: www.connex.ro), Cosmorom (website: www.cosmorom.com) and Orange (website: www.orange.ro).

Internet
Kappa and PC-Net are two of the largest of the 250-odd ISPs. The former has open-air terminals at Strada Paulescu Nicolae 9, Bucharest, while the latter is at Strada Calderon Jean Louis 1-5, Bucharest. Sweet Internet Cafe, Strada Maria Rosetti 7-9, Bucharest (tel: (21) 212 4111) has 24-hour access, as do a couple others of Bucharest’s many Internet cafes.

Fax
Facilities are available at most large hotels.

Telegram
Facilities at post offices and a night telegram service (2000-0700) is available in Bucharest. Telegrams are an inexpensive and efficient form of international communication from Romania.

Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes one week. Post offices are open daily, including Saturday mornings.

Press
English newspapers and publications include Bucharest Business Week, Nine O’Clock and Romanian Economic Daily. There are a great number of daily and weekly newspapers published in Romanian, Hungarian and German.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

Public Holidays

Jan 1-2 2005:    New Year.
Jan 6:   Epiphany.
May 1:    Labor Day.
May 2:    Easter Monday (Orthodox).
Dec 1:    National Day.
Dec 25-26:    Christmas.
Jan 1-2 2006:    New Year.
Jan 6:   Epiphany.
Apr 24:   Easter Monday (Orthodox).
May 1:    Labor Day.
Dec 1:    National Day.
Dec 25-26:    Christmas.

Special Events
Folk festivals include dances, music and displays of traditional art. For a full list contact the Romanian National Tourist Office.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Romania in 2005:

Feb:    Secular Winter Customs Festival, Sfantu Gheorghe.
Apr:    International Festival of Contemporary Theater, Brasov; National Festival of Spring Agricultural Customs, Hoteni-Maramures District.
May:    Feast of the Daffodils, Vlahita-Harghita District; International Jazz Festival, Brasov.
May-Jun:    Transylvanian International Film Festival, Cluj Napoca.
Jun:    Traditional Crafts Fair, Bucharest; Fundata Fair.
Jul:    Maiden’s Fair, Gaina Mountain; Bucharest of Old.
Jul-Aug:    National Festival of Light Music, Mamaia; Medieval Days.
Aug:    Dance at Prislop, Prislop Pass; Medieval Days, Sighisoara.
Sep:    International Carp Angling Contest.
Oct:    Halloween in Transylvania; Wine Making Festival.
Dec:    Christmas Traditional Festival; De la Colind la Stea Christmas Festival, Brasov.

Contact Information:

Location
Eastern Europe.

Country dialing code
40.

Ministry of Tourism
Bd. Dinicu Golescu 38, Mezanin 38, 010867 Bucharest, Romania
Tel: (21) 314 9957. Fax: (21) 314 9960.
E-mail: promovare@mturism.ro or mturism@terranet.ro
Website: www.mturism.ro or www.romaniatourism.com

Embassy of Romania
Arundel House, 4 Palace Green, London W8 4QD, UK
Tel: (020) 7937 9666/7. Fax: (020) 7937 8069.
E-mail: roemb@copperstream.co.uk
Website: www.roemb.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; Mon-Thurs 1000-1300 (visa section).

Romanian National Tourist Office
22 New Cavendish Street, London W1M 7LH, UK
Tel: (020) 7224 3692. Fax: (020) 7935 6435.
E-mail: infouk@romaniatourism.com
Website: www.romaniatourism.com or www.visitromania.com

British Embassy
Strada Jules Michelet 24, Sector 1, 010463 Bucharest, Romania
Tel: (21) 201 7200 or 7300 (consular section). Fax: (21) 201 7317 (consular section).
E-mail: Consular.Bucharest@fco.gov.uk
Website: www.britishembassy.gov.uk/romania

Embassy of Romania
1607 23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 332 4846/8. Fax: (202) 232 4748.
E-mail: info@roembus.org or Consular@roembus.org (consular section).
Website: www.roembus.org
Consulate in: New York.

Romanian National Tourist Office
355 Lexington Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 545 8484. Fax: (212) 251 0429.
E-mail: infous@romaniatourism.com
Website: www.romaniatourism.com

Embassy of the United States of America
Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Sector 2, Bucharest 70132, Romania
Tel: (21) 210 4042. Fax: (21) 210 0395.
E-mail: infobuch@usia.gov (information resource center) or bucharest.office.box@mail.doc.gov (US commercial service).
Website: www.usembassy.ro
Consular section: Strada Nicolae Filipescu 26, Bucharest, Romania
Tel: (21) 210 4042. Fax: (21) 211 3360.
E-mail: visasbucharest@state.gov

Embassy of Romania
655 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6A3, Canada
Tel: (613) 789 5345/3709/4038. Fax: (613) 789 4365.
E-mail: romania@cyberus.ca
Website: www.cyberus.ca/~romania
Consulates in: Montréal and Toronto.

Canadian Embassy
Strada Nicolae Iorga 36, Sector 1, 010436 Bucharest, Romania
Tel: (21) 307 5000. Fax: (21) 307 5010.
E-mail: bucst@dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Website: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca