Romania

Romania (România) is a country which lies on the Black Sea Coast in Central Europe. Romania is bordered by Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine to the north, Moldova to the east, and Bulgaria to the south.
Romania is a presidential republic with two legislative bodies (Senate and Chamber of Deputies). The president is elected each four years.

The ancestors of Romanians are Dacians. Under the king Burebista, Dacia reached its most extensive territory. The Roman-Dacian wars in 87-106 AD culminated with the victory of the emperor Trajan and annexation of the territory. The colonization after this period explains why Romanian is a Romance language.
During Medieval Ages, remarkable princes such as Stephen the Great and Vlad the Impaler stood up against the pressure of Ottoman Empire from the south.
Romania was formed by the merger of Moldovia and Wallachia in 1859.In 1918, they were joined by Transylvania. After World War II, parts of the Romanian territory were occupied by the USSR. Nationalization and political purge followed with the advent of Communism. In 1989 the Communist regime was removed after a bloody Revolution. The Revolution started in the western city Timisoara and spread over other cities. The dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was executed on the Christmas Day.
After the Cold War, Romania joined NATO in 2004. The country applied to become a member of the European Union in June of 1993 and became a member on January 1, 2007.

• Turism.ro: Map of Romania

• AboutRomania.com: Political Map of Romania | Relief Map of Romania

• Country Studies: Romania's Geography

• Google News

• New York Times: Romania

• Wikipedia: Culture of Romania

• <p>Everyculture.com Culture of Romania

• New York Times: Growing Grapes and Culture in Romania

• Romania Central Romanian Culture

• Romania Folklore

• Romania Economy

• The GDP of Romania

• Romania's Economy in 2010