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Anthem
General Information:
Romania, republic, southeastern
Europe, bounded on the north by Ukraine; on the east by Moldova; on the
southeast by the Black Sea; on the south by Bulgaria; on the southwest
by Serbia (part of the federation of Serbia and Montenegro); and on the
west by Hungary. The total area of Romania is about 237,500 sq. km (about
91,700 sq. mi).
Land:
Romania is roughly oval in shape,
with a maximum extent east to west of about 740 km (about 460 mi) and north
to south about 475 km (about 295 mi). The topography is varied. The Transylvanian
Basin, or Plateau, which occupies central Romania, is very hilly for the
most part, but also has wide valleys and extensive arable slopes. It is
almost completely surrounded by mountains. The Carpathian Mountains enclose
it on the north and east. Moldoveanul (2543 m/8343 ft), the highest peak
in the country, is in the Transylvanian Alps, to the south, which continues
south to the Danube gorge as the Banat Mountains. A smaller group of ranges,
the Bihor Mountains, is west of the basin. The remaining areas of Romania
are predominantly lowlands. In the west are the lowlands of the Tisza Plain,
which are usually referred to as the Banat, adjacent to the Serbian border,
and Crisana-Maramures, adjacent to Hungary. The most extensive plains are
the lowlands of Walachia, located between the Transylvanian Alps and Bulgaria,
and of Moldova, east of the Carpathian Mountains. Bordering the Black Sea
in the extreme east and forming part of Dobruja, or Dobrogea, is a low
plateau, which continues south into Bulgaria.
Ancient History:
The territory that is modern Romania
first appeared in history as the greater part of the Roman province of
Dacia, conquered by Emperor Trajan about AD 106. Most of its inhabitants,
known as the Daci, had originally emigrated from Thrace in northern Greece.
Roman colonists were sent into the province, and Rome developed the area
considerably, building roads, bridges, and a great wall, its ruins still
visible, from the present Black Sea port of Constanta across the Dobruja
(Dobrogea) region to the Danube River. During the 3rd century AD, raids
by the Goths became so grave a menace that the Roman legions were withdrawn
across the Danube. While successive waves of invaders, including Goths,
Huns, Slavs, and Bulgars, made Dacia a battleground, the
Romanized population preserved a Latin speech and identity.
In the
opinion of a Bulgarian ethnographer, Vl. Gheorghiev, the name 'DACI' come
from 'Daos' which means 'Wolf'. But, the Romanian academician C. Daicoviciu,
believed that this name derives from the word “Daca” which could be interpreted
as 'Knife'. In my opinion the first theory is the most credible because
they had as war flag a dragon with a wolf’s head that also appears on the
Traian’s Column. An interesting thing about this flag is that it was constructed
in such way that whatever the wind blew, the war flag made a terrible noise
like the yowl of wolfs.
Population
The population of Romania (1993
estimate) was 23,157,000. Population density was about 98 persons per sq.
km (about 253 per sq. mi). The population was about 45% rural.
Capital City: Bucharest
The Romania Coat of Arms
If you want to discover more information about
Romania,
please go to this site (https://www.angelfire.com/in/cih/learn.html)
For other information send me an e-mail at
rhossu@yahoo.com