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Romania

OFFICIAL NAME: Romania

DATE OF FORMATION: 1878

POPULATION: 22.3 million

DENSITY: 251 people per square mile

LANGUAGES: Romanian, Hungarian (Magyar), Romani, German

RELIGIONS: Romanian Orthodox 87%, Roman Catholic 5%, Protestant 4%, Other 2%, Greek Orthodox 1%, Greek Catholic (Uniate) 1%

ETHNIC MIX: Romanian 89%, Magyar 7%, Roma 3%, Other 1%

GOVERNMENT: Multiparty elections

CURRENCY: Romanian leu

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Romania lies on the Black Sea coast, with the Danube as its southern border. The Carpathian Mountains form an arc across the country, curving around the upland basin of Transylvania. Long dominated by Poles, Hungarians, and Ottomans, Romania became an independent monarchy in 1878. After World War II, this was supplanted by a communist People's Republic, headed from 1965 by Nicolae Ceauşescu. A coup in 1989 resulted in his execution and a limited democracy under Ion Iliescu. Serious reforms are still required if the country is to reach its goal of EU membership.