The encyclopedia
Romania, in depth
A country told properly — its history, its regions, its culture and everything you need to travel it well.
At a glance
Capital
Bucharest
Area
238,397 km²
Population
≈ 19 million
Official language
Romanian
Currency
Leu (RON)
Time zone
EET (UTC+2 / UTC+3 in summer)
Government
Semi-presidential republic
European Union
Member since 2007
Highest peak
Moldoveanu, 2,544 m
Main river
The Danube
Coastline
The Black Sea
Dialling code
+40
Main religion
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
UNESCO sites
The painted monasteries of Bucovina, the wooden churches of Maramureș, the Dacian fortresses, Sighișoara, the Saxon villages with fortified churches, the Danube Delta and more.
The essential portrait
Romania at a Glance
The largest country in south-eastern Europe, held between the arc of the Carpathians, the Danube and the Black Sea — its geography, its people and the character that makes Romania.
Read →From Dacia to the European Union
The History of Romania
Dacians and Romans, medieval principalities, the Great Union of 1918, communism and the 1989 revolution — two millennia of history at a crossroads of empires.
Read →Nine worlds in one country
The Historic Regions
Transylvania, Moldavia, Bucovina, Maramureș, Banat, Crișana, Oltenia, Wallachia and Dobruja — each with its own landscape, architecture and cuisine.
Read →A Latin island in the East
Culture & Identity
A Latin language, Orthodox faith, folk art, the music of Enescu, the literature of Eminescu and Caragiale, Brâncuși — and the truth behind the Dracula myth.
Read →Everything you need to know
Romania Essentials
Getting there, getting around, money and tipping, safety, the best time to travel and a few basic words — the essential practical information.
Read →