9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin); 26 March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)
Religions
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census)
Languages
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French
Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 1.2%
Exports
soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat
machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products
External Debt
$136,800,000,000 $
$136,100,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Argentine pesos (ARS) per US dollar - 3.1636 (2008 est.), 3.1105 (2007), 3.0543 (2006), 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004)
lei (RON) per US dollar - 2.5 (2008 est.), 2.43 (2007), 2.809 (2006), 3 (2005), 3 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.800%
1.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
6
8
Location
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine
Area
2,780,400 km sq
238,391 km sq
Coastline
4,989 km
225 km
Climate
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
