PEOPLE
About
89% of the people are ethnic Romanians, a group that--in contrast
to its Slav or Hungarian neighbors--traces itself to Latin-speaking
Romans, who in the second and third centuries A.D. conquered and
settled among the ancient Dacians, a Thracian people. As a result,
the Romanian language, although containing elements of Slavic,
Turkish, and other languages, is a romance language related to
French and Italian.
Hungarians
and Roma are the principal minorities, with a declining German
population and smaller numbers of Serbs, Croats, Ukrainians, Greeks,
Turks, Armenians, Great Russians, and others. Minority populations
are greatest in Transylvania and the Banat, areas in the north
and west, which belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until
World War I. Even before union with Romania, ethnic Romanians
comprised the overall majority in Transylvania. However, ethnic
Hungarians and Germans were the dominant urban population until
relatively recently, and ethnic Hungarians still are the majority
in a few districts.
Before
World War II, minorities represented more than 28% of the total
population. During the war that percentage was halved, largely
by the loss of the border areas of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina
(to the former Soviet Union -- now Moldova and a portion of south-west
Ukraine) and southern Dobrudja (to Bulgaria), as well as by the
postwar flight or deportation of ethnic Germans. In the last several
decades, more than two-thirds of the remaining ethnic Germans
in Romania emigrated to Germany.
Romanian
troops during World War II participated in the destruction of
the Jewish communities of Bessarabia and Transnistria (both now
comprising the independent Republic of Moldova) and Bukovina (now
part of Ukraine). Although subjected to harsh persecution, including
government-sanctioned pogroms and killings, most Jews from the
territory now comprising Romania survived the Holocaust. Mass
emigration, mostly to Israel, has reduced the surviving Jewish
community from over 300,000 to less than 10,000.
Religious
affiliation tends to follow ethnic lines, with most ethnic Romanians
identifying with the Romanian Orthodox Church. Also ethnically
Romanian is the Greek Catholic or Uniate church, reunified with
the Orthodox Church by fiat in 1948, and restored after the 1989
revolution. The 2002 census indicates that less than 1% of the
population is Greek Catholic, as opposed to about 10% prior to
1948. Roman Catholics, largely ethnic Hungarians and Germans,
constitute about 5% of the population; Calvinists, Baptists, Pentecostals,
and Lutherans make up another 5%. There are smaller numbers of
Unitarians, Muslims, and other religions.
Romania's
rich cultural traditions have been nourished by many sources,
some of which predate the Roman occupation. The traditional folk
arts, including dance, music, wood-carving, ceramics, weaving
and embroidery of costumes and household decorations still flourish
in many parts of the country. Despite strong Austrian, German,
and especially French influence, many of Romania's great artists,
such as the painter Nicolae Grigorescu, the poet Mihai Eminescu,
the composer George Enescu, and the sculptor Constantin Brancusi,
drew their inspiration from Romanian folk traditions.
The country's
many Orthodox monasteries, as well as the Transylvanian Catholic
and Evangelical Churches, some of which date back to the 13th
century, are repositories of artistic treasures. The famous painted
monasteries of Bukovina make an important contribution to European
architecture.
Poetry
and the theater play an important role in contemporary Romanian
life. Classic Romanian plays, such as those of Ion Luca Caragiale,
as well as works by modern or avant-garde Romanian and international
playwrights, find sophisticated and enthusiastic audiences in
the many theaters of the capital and of the smaller cities.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Romanian(s).
Population: 21.6 million (December 2006).
Annual population growth rate: -0.3%.
Ethnic groups: Romanians 89%, Hungarians 7.1%, Germans 0.5%, Ukrainians, Serbs, Croats, Russians, Turks, and Roma 2.5%.
Religions: Orthodox 86.8%, Roman Catholic 5%, Reformed Protestant, Baptist, and Pentecostal 5%, Greek Catholic (Uniate) 1 to 3%, Muslim 0.2%, Jewish less than 0.1%.
Languages: Romanian (official). Other languages--Hungarian, German.
Education: Years compulsory--10. Attendance--98%. Literacy--98%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--18.7/1000 (2001); 18.6/1,000 (2002). Life expectancy--men 67.61 yrs., women 74.9 yrs.
Work force (June 2007): 9.4 million. Agriculture--3.0 million, industry and construction--2.8 million, services--3.3 million, other--0.3 million.
