Romania (2001) | Martinique (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | 40 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea | none (overseas department of France) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
17.95% (male 2,054,323; female 1,959,196) 15-64 years: 68.51% (male 7,605,751; female 7,715,434) 65 years and over: 13.54% (male 1,255,880; female 1,773,438) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 22.4% (male 49,112/female 47,697)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 145,531/female 145,250) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 20,423/female 24,887) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep | pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane |
Airports | 62 (2000 est.) | 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
25 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water: 7,160 sq km |
total: 1,100 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km water: 40 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon | slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of President Nicolae CEAUSESCU became increasingly draconian through the 1980s. He was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Much economic restructuring remains to be carried out before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the EU. | Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. |
Birth rate | 10.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.14 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$11.7 billion expenditures: $12.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996) |
Capital | Bucharest | Fort-de-France |
Climate | temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms | tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid |
Coastline | 225 km | 350 km |
Constitution | 8 December 1991 | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Romania local long form: none local short form: Romania |
conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique local long form: Departement de la Martinique local short form: Martinique |
Currency | leu (ROL) | - |
Death rate | 12.28 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $9.3 billion (2000 est.) | $180 million (1994) |
Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador James C. ROSAPEPE embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) telephone: [40] (1) 210 40 42 FAX: [40] (1) 210 03 95 branch office(s): Cluj-Napoca |
none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York |
none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998) |
Economy - overview | Romania, one of the poorest countries in Central and Eastern Europe, began the transition from communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. Over the past decade economic restructuring has lagged behind most other countries in the region. Consequently, living standards have continued to fall - real wages are down over 40%. Corruption too has worsened. The EU ranks Romania last among enlargement candidates, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) rates Romania's transition progress the region's worst. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. A new government elected in November 2000 promises to promote economic reform. Bucharest hopes to receive financial and technical assistance from international financial institutions and Western governments; negotiations over a new IMF standby agreement are to begin early in 2001. If reform stalls, Romania's ability to borrow from both public and private sources could quickly dry up, leading to another financial crisis. | The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from France. Tourism, which employs more than 11,000 people, has become more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. |
Electricity - consumption | 44.768 billion kWh (1999) | 1.095 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 1.935 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 1.1 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 49.036 billion kWh (1999) | 1.178 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
53.99% hydro: 36.18% nuclear: 9.81% other: 0.02% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m |
Environment - current issues | soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
- |
Ethnic groups | Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 7.1%, Roma 1.8%, German 0.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, other 0.8% (1992) | African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Chinese less than 5% |
Exchange rates | lei per US dollar - 26,243.0 (January 2001), 21,708.7 (2000), 15,332.8 (1999), 8,875.6 (1998), 7,167.9 (1997), 3,084.2 (1996); note - lei is the plural form of leu | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 December 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Adrian NASTASE (since 29 December 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 November 2000, with runoff between the top two candidates held 10 December 2000 (next to be held NA November/December 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - Ion ILIESCU 66.84%, Corneliu Vadim TUDOR 33.16% |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Yves DASSONVILLE (since 14 January 2004); note - took office 8 February 2004
head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE (since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
Exports | $11.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA |
Exports - commodities | textiles and footwear 26%, metals and metal products 15%, machinery and equipment 11%, minerals and fuels 6% (1999) | refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples (2001 est.) |
Exports - partners | Italy 23%, Germany 18%, France 6%, Turkey 5%, US (1999) | France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova | a light blue background is divided into four quadrants by a white cross; in the center of each rectangle is a white snake; the flag of France is used for official occasions |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $132.5 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
13.9% industry: 32.6% services: 53.5% (2000) |
agriculture: 6%
industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,900 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.2% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 46 00 N, 25 00 E | 14 40 N, 61 00 W |
Geography - note | controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine | the island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
153,359 km paved: 103,671 km (including 133 km of expressways) unpaved: 49,688 km (1998 est.) |
total: 2,105 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
3.8% highest 10%: 20.2% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe | transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe |
Imports | $11.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment 23%, fuels and minerals 12%, chemicals 9%, textile and products 19% (1999) | petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods |
Imports - partners | Italy 20%, Germany 19%, France 7%, Russia 6% (1999) | France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2000) |
Independence | 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947) | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 8% (2000) | NA% |
Industries | textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining | construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 19.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 45.7% (2000 est.) | 3.9% (1990) |
International organization participation | ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC | UPU, WCL, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 38 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 31,020 sq km (1993 est.) | 30 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates) | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | 9.9 million (1999 est.) | 165,900 (1998) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 40%, industry 25%, services 35% (1998) | agriculture 10%, industry 17%, services 73% (1997) |
Land boundaries | total:
2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Yugoslavia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
41% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 21% forests and woodland: 29% other: 6% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 10.38%
permanent crops: 9.43% other: 80.19% (2001) |
Languages | Romanian, Hungarian, German | French, Creole patois |
Legal system | former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic | French legal system |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (140 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (345 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDSR 37.1%, PRM 21.0%, PD 7.6%, PNL 7.5%, UDMR 6.9%; seats by party - PDSR 65, PRM 37, PD 13, PNL 13, UDMR 12; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PDSR 36.6%, PRM 19.5%, PD 7.0%, PNL, 6.9%, UDMR 6.8%; seats by party - PDSR 155, PRM 84, PD 31, PNL 30, UDMR 27, ethnic minorities 18 |
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Assembly or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Assembly - last held on 28 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional Assembly (second round) - percent of vote by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9, other 4 note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 2001 (next to be held September 2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPM 2; Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PS 1, MIM 1, left-wing candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
70.16 years male: 66.36 years female: 74.19 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 79.04 years
male: 79.43 years female: 78.64 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 95% (1992 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.7% male: 97.4% female: 98.1% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
95 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 695,227 GRT/931,598 DWT ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 71, container 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense | no regular military forces; Gendarmerie |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $720 million (FY00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.2% (FY00) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
5,899,536 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
4,962,807 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 20 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
179,951 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun:
Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian |
noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais |
Natural hazards | earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides | hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years) |
Natural resources | petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower | coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land |
Net migration rate | -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party or PD [Petre ROMAN]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS]; Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR [Adrian NASTASE]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; The Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU] | Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT]; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM [Pierre SUEDILE]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest WAN-AJOUHU]; Movement of Democrats and Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique or Modemas [Garcin MALSA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Jean MAREN] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | various human rights and professional associations | Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP |
Population | 22,364,022 (July 2001 est.) | 432,900 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 44.5% (2000) | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.21% (2001 est.) | 0.76% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea | Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998) | AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 7.2 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
11,385 km (3,888 km electrified) standard gauge: 10,898 km narrow gauge: 487 km (1996) |
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Religions | Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 3%, Uniate Catholic 3%, Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18% | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
poor domestic service, but improving domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages have no service international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note - Romania is an active participant in several international telecommunication network projects (1999) |
general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 3.777 million (1997) | 172,000 est (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 645,500 (1999) | 319,900 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995) | 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997) |
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 | mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano |
Total fertility rate | 1.35 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 11.5% (1999) | 27.2% (1998) |
Waterways | 1,724 km (1984) | - |