What is the terrain and geography like in Romania?
The country is almost equally divided geographically into mountains, plains, hills, and plateaus. Apart from a stretch of tableland near the Black Sea coast, Romania's mountainous sector is part of the rugged Carpathian chain.
Climate: | Romania has a continental climate, particularly in the Old Kingdom (east and south of the Carpathians). A long, and occasionally harsh, winter (December-March), a hot summer (May-August), and a prolonged autumn (September-November) are the principal seasons. The average daily minimum temperature for Bucharest (February) is 28.6ºF, and the average daily maximum (August) is 95ºF. Rainfall, heaviest from April through July, averages 5 inches in June. |
Terrain: | central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps |
Natural Resources: | petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower |
Natural Hazards: | earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides |
Irrigated Land: |
2,376 Square Miles 6,153 Square Kilometers |
Environmental Issues: | soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands |
Environment - International Agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geographic Location | Europe |
Total Area |
92,043 Square Miles 238,391 Square Kilometers |
Land Area |
88,761 Square Miles 229,891 Square Kilometers |
Water Area |
3,282 Square Miles 8,500 Square Kilometers |
Land Boundaries |
1,558 Miles 2,508 Kilometers |
Irrigated Land |
2,376 Square Miles 6,153 Square Kilometers |
Border Countries | Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km |
Coastline |
140 Miles 225 Kilometers |
Geographic Coordinates | 46 00 N, 25 00 E |
Terrain | central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps |
Highest Point | 2,544 Meters |
Highest Point Location | Moldoveanu 2,544 m |
Lowest Point Location | Black Sea 0 m |
Natural Resources | petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower |
Time Zone | UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
Daylight saving time | +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |