Romania
Get to know Romania in few minutes
Romania Facts
Member state of the European Union since 2007 and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 2003.
Location: Eastern Europe
Time Zone: Seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time (GMT + 2)
Area: 92,043 sq. miles (238,391 sq. km) – a little larger than the state of Minnesota
Flag of Romania: Three vertical stripes: red, yellow and blue
Population: 19,942,000 (March 2014)
Capital: Bucharest (1,883,400)
Main Ethnic Groups: Romanian 84%, Hungarian 6.1%, Gipsy 3.1%,
German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.2%
Climate: Temperate, four distinct seasons, similar to northeastern USA
Famous Romanians
Some of the most prominent Romanians
Constantin Brâncusi
Sculptor, painter and photographer.
Considered a pioneer of modernism, one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century, Brâncuși is called the patriarch of modern sculpture.
Nadia Comaneci
Gymnast.
Winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the first female gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event.
Angela Gheorghiu
Soprano.
Since her professional debut in 1990, she has performed in leading roles of several operas at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, London’s Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, Milan’s La Scala, and many other opera houses in Europe and the United States.
George Emil Palade
Cell biologist.
Described as “the most influential cell biologist ever”; in 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. The prize was granted for his innovations in electron microscopy and cell fractionation which together laid the foundations of modern molecular cell biology, the most notable discovery being the ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum.
Gheorghe (George) Muresan
Basketball player.
At 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), he is one of the two tallest players in NBA history. He is the tallest man in Romania and second tallest living person in the European Union. He played for Washington Wizards from 1993 to 1997.
George Enescu
Composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, and teacher.
The author of Romanian Rhapsody and Romania’s most important musician. Pablo Casals described Enescu as “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart” and “one of the greatest geniuses of modern music”.
Ilie “Nasty” Nastase
Tennis player.
Former world No. 1 professional tennis player, one of the world’s top players of the 1970s. He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles (58 singles and 45 in doubles).
Alexandra Nechita
Painter.
Cubist painter and philanthropist. She was dubbed the “Petite Picasso” by the media and the art community and is widely acclaimed for her paintings and vision of art. Alexandra has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and has appeared with numerous celebrities, including Bill Clinton.
Gheoghe Hagi
Soccer player.
Considered one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and the greatest Romanian footballer of all time. He played for Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Galatasaray Istanbul, Brescia and Steaua Bucharest.
Gheorghe Zamfir
Pan flute musician.
Known for playing an expanded version of the traditional Romanian-style pan flute (nai) of 20 pipes to 22, 25, 28 and 30 pipes to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight overtones (additionally to the fundamental tone) from each pipe by changing the embouchure. He is known as “The Master of the Pan Flute”.
Henri Coanda
Inventor.
Inventor, aerodynamics pioneer and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910 described by Coandă in the mid-1950s as the world’s first jet, a controversial claim disputed by some and supported by others. He invented a great number of devices, designed a “flying saucer” and discovered the Coandă effect of fluid dynamics.
Simona Halep
Tennis player.
World-class tennis player.
Discover Romania
Spectacular Romanian Places
Carpathians Mountains, Black Sea, Danube Delta, rivers, lakes, caverns, all makes Romania a breathtaking place.
Cultural and Spiritual Romania
The Church has always been the life center of the Romanian nation and as such the entire Romanian culture has developed around it.
“Eternity was born in the village” – Lucian Blaga
The countryside is the heart and soul of Romania, where peasant culture remains a strong force and medieval life prevails, as it does nowhere else in Europe.
Not Convinced?
Here are some other great pages on Romania:
Romania – Wikipedia
Culture of Romania – Wikipedia
Romania – Explore the Carpathian Garden – Romania Tourism
