Geography

1. ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS: 41 counties plus the capital city, Bucharest, with the status of a county, with 263 cities and towns (including 80 municipal cities) and 2685 communes (each with an average of 5 villages). A county has 0.5 million inhabitants on average.

2. MAIN CITIES: municipal cities and towns in Romania account for more than half of the total population, and 25 of them have over 100 thousand inhabitants each, representing in total 57.6% of the urban population. Of the municipal cities with the largest populations, Bucharest first ranks (with as many as 2 million inhabitants), followed by Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Constanta and Craiova (each with more than 300 thousand inhabitants). These 6 municipal cities concentrate over 30% of the urban population.

Bucharest
Bucharest, with an estimated population of 2.19 millions inhabitants and an area of 600 km2 is the political, economical and cultural center of Romania and an important industrial center as well.
According to the legend dating from 13th century, a shepherd named Bucur came down from the remote mountains areas and halted with his flock on the bank of Dambovita. He discovered a mild climate and fertile fields that made him decide to settle down there. Bucharest became the capital of Wallachia in 1659 and the second biggest city in south-eastern Europe after Constantinople in the 18th century.
As a consequence of the union of Wallachia and Moldavia in 1859, Bucharest became the capital of Romania, recording a fast pace of development.
Being the cultural centre of Romania, Bucharest gathers over 10 colleges and universities, and other dozens of research institutes. Numerous libraries, museums and theatres are to be found all around the city and the parks and green areas brought it the name of “Bucharest- the green city”.
The second half of the 20th century was a prolific one for the Bucharest’s urban constructions, modern buildings being built up in every area of the capital.
On the 21st of June 2005, the capital cities Bucharest and Beijing became twin cities.

Iaşi
The city is situated in north-eastern Romania, in the proximity of Republic of Moldova, with a total of 321.000 inhabitants.
The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from mid-16th century (1564) to mid-19th century (1859).
Iaşi represents an important economical center in Romania. The main industries include metallurgy, chemical industry, the textile one and the pharmaceutical industry, etc. One of the greatest cultural centres of the country, Iaşi gathers a large number of cultural institutes, museums and churches built in the 15th century and the Palace of Culture. It is also the second largest university centre in Romania. Artistic and cultural centre of both Romania and Eastern Europe, the city gained the reputation of “the cradle of the Romanian culture” owing this to its cultural highlights.
In the 18th century, Iaşi becomes the home of a Romanian language school and a printing house, its attempts leading to the spread of science and culture and rising the population`s level of knowledge; in 1835 the first university is opened, “Mihaileanu Academy”, and in 1860 the University of Iaşi is founded, as well as the first national theatre and the first national science academy.
Nowadays, Iaşi is considered “the city of literature” because of the12 memorial museums and its connection with the name of the great national poet Mihai Eminescu.

Cluj-Napoca
This western city in the region of Transylvania traces its origins back to the Dacian settlement of Napuca in the 2-nd century A.D. After the Roman take-over of Dacia, it was renamed Napoca and in 124 A.D., received the rank of "municipium". The city quickly advanced socially and economically and during Marcus Aurelius' reign Napoca received the title "colonia", the highest possible urban status in the Roman Empire.
The name Cluj comes from Castrum Clus, first used in the 12-th century as the name of the citadel surrounding the city. Clus means "closed" in Latin and refers to the hills that surround the city.
German merchants, who arrived here in the 12th century, rebuilt the medieval earthen walls of Clus in stone after the Tartar invasion of 1241. Known as Klausenburg to the Germans* and Kolosvar to the Hungarians, Cluj became Cluj Napoca in the 1970s, when the communist regime added the name of the old Roman settlement to emphasize its Daco-Roman origin.
With one of the most vibrant economies in the country and a population of around 330,000, Cluj, is today a vibrant cultural and educational city. The six state and several private universities located here also make Cluj Napoca the city with the largest percentage of student population in Romania.
The main square, resplendent with 18th and 19th century buildings and home to many shops and restaurants, is dominated by the 15th century St. Michael's Church, one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in Romania. The square also claims the 18-th century baroque Banffy Palace, housing the weaponry and Romanian art collections of the Art Museum. Visitors who want to learn more about the region should pay a visit to the open-air section of the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania, a true display of folk architecture. For entertainment, spend an enjoyable evening at the Opera or attend a classical music concert offered by the Cluj Philharmonic.

Constanta
Situated at the crossroads of several commercial routes, Constanta lies on the western coast of the Black Sea, 185 miles from the Bosphorus Strait. An ancient metropolis and Romania's largest sea port, Constanta traces its history some 2,500 years. Originally called Tomis, legend has it that Jason landed here with the Argonauts after finding the Golden Fleece.
Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC, Tomis was conquered by the Romans in 71 BC and renamed Constantiana by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in honor of his sister. The name was shortened to Constanta during the Ottoman era. During the 13th century, Italy, especially Genoese merchants, dominated the Black Sea and Constanta flourished, only to decline two centuries later under Turkish rule.
Fine mansions and hotels were built in the 19th century when King Carol I decided to revive Constanta as a port and seaside resort.
Constanta is now an important cultural and economic centre, worth exploring for its archaeological treasures and the atmosphere of the old town centre. Its historical monuments, ancient ruins, grand Casino, museums and shops, and proximity to beach resorts make it the focal point of Black Sea coast tourism. Open-air restaurants, nightclubs and cabarets offer a wide variety of entertainment.
While in the area, you can visit traditional villages, vineyards, ancient monuments and the Danube Delta, a bird-lover's paradise.

Timisoara
The first record of the city of Timisoara, built on the site of an ancient Roman fortress called Castrum Regium Themes, dates back to 1212. Over the years, Timisoara, the largest city in western Romania, has been influenced by many cultures. The Romans used it as an important crossroads fortress until the Tatars destroyed it in the 13th century. Conquered by Turkish armies in 1552, Timisoara remained under their protection until 1718 when the region of Banat came under Austrian rule for two centuries. Timisoara later became a vital commercial and manufacturing town. Turks, Austrians, Germans and Serbs all left their mark and their influence can be seen in neighborhoods throughout the city even today.
The charm of this city, settled on the northern bank of the Bega River, lies in its distinct architectural character and vibrant cultural life. Frequently referred to as "Little Vienna," Timisoara is home to year-round musical and theatrical performances, art galleries, museums and a buzzing nightlife. A progressive, cosmopolitan place, Timisoara was the first city in Europe and second in the world after New York, to use electricity to illuminate its public streets (1889). Also, Timisoara was the first European city to introduce horse-drawn trams (1869). 

Thanks to its mild climate, Timisoara has lots of public squares and lush green retreats. The city is easy to explore on foot. If you get tired, a tram will be along in a moment; the system is fast, frequent and efficient.
Timisoara abounds with churches of several denominations, a Jewish quarter, an elegant baroque square and a pedestrian-only downtown area. Some of the monuments in the heart of the city afford panoramic views, while the many parks in this "city of flowers" provide an idyllic spot to take a break from sightseeing.

Craiova
The university town of Craiova, founded on the site of the Dacian stronghold Pelendava (which later became the Roman Castra Nova), prides itself on the strong academic tradition and wealth of important historical figures who passed through here on their journey to fame: Wallachian Prince Mihai Viteazu - who served as the ban (military governor) of Craiova and achieved the first unification of the three Romanian principalities in 1600; the world-famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi - who studied at the Craiova Art School (Scola de Arte si Meserii) between 1894 - 1898 and carved his first sculptures here; Petrache Poenaru, born in Craiova (1799) - inventor of the first cartridge fountain pen.

 

3. THE COUNTRY’s RELIEF

The country radiates outwards from the natural amphitheatre of the Carpathians. The mountain range (covering 31 % of the country’s surface) forms a U-shaped outcrop in central Romania. The highest peak in Romania is Moldoveanu, in the Fagaras mountains, standing at 2,544 meters high.

The Carpathian Mountains surround the Transylvanian plateau which lies at a maximum altitude of 300-400 meters, giving way to sub-Carpathian hills towards the east and south-east of the country, with altitudes ranging between 1000-1500 meters. The West Plain lies at an altitude of 300-400 meters in western Romania; the Moldavian Plateau and the Baragan Plain (400-600 meter high) are located in the east and south-east, respectively. The Romanian Plain stretches between the Carpathians and the Danube.

Hydrography:

Rivers: The Danube is by far the largest river in the country, with 1,075 kilometres of the great waterway flowing through Romanian territory, before entering the Black Sea through a Delta. The network of rivers follows a radial distribution, most of them springing from the Carpathians and flowing into the Danube, either directly or through various tributaries.
Among the largest rivers in Romania are the Tisza, Mures, Prut, Jiu, the Olt , Ialomitza, Bistriza, Siret, Cris, Tarnava, Buzau, Somes, and the Arges. The hydroelectric potential of Romania’s flowing waters stands at some 84,000 GWh per year.

Fauna : it is distributed in relation to the levels of flora and is still one of the richest in Europe.
Species to be found in Romania include: the chamois, wolf, boar, deer, bison, bear, lynx, wild cat, marten, fox, badger, pheasant, mountain rooster, eagle and numerous other species of birds and fish, many of them rarities, especially in the Danube Delta.