Chairman of the General National Congress: Mohamed Magarief
President: Traian Basescu
Population
5,613,380
21,848,504
Life Expectancy
77.830 years
74.220 years
Capital City
Tripoli (Tarabulus)
Bucharest
Largest city
Tripoli (population: 1,150,990)
Bucharest (population: 1,877,160)
Human Development Index
0.84
0.825
GDP per capita
$14,100 US
$12,600 US
Literacy Rate
82.6%
97.3%
Corruption Perception Index
2.6
3.8
Percentage of Women in Parliament
7.7%
9.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Dinu Patriciu ($1.8bn US)
Unemployment Rate
30.000%
5.100%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state
republic
Independence date
24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)
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
Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
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
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 1.2%
machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products
External Debt
$4,774,000,000 $
$136,100,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2112 (2008 est.), 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108 (2006), 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (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
3.900%
1.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
8
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine
Area
1,759,540 km sq
238,391 km sq
Coastline
1,770 km
225 km
Climate
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
