GEOGRAPHY
Romania is bordered on the north and northeast by Moldova, on the east by Ukraine, on the west by Hungary and Yugoslavia, and on the south by Bulgaria. In addition, there is 209 km of coastline, where it borders the Black Sea in the southeast. A series of mountain ranges curves through northern and central Romania, forming a circular pattern. The mountains surround a vast flatland known as the Transylvanian Plateau. The mountains, likewise, are surrounded by plains. These flatlands have the country's best farmland and most of its cities and towns. Vast forests cover parts of the Transylvanian Plateau and the mountains. The mountains (3,000 to 6,000 ft.) are all part of the Carpathian Mountain System. The Moldavian, (eastern) Carpathian range extends from the northern border to the center of the country. The Transylvanian Alps, or Southern Carpathians, stretch westward from the Moldavian range. The Bihor Mountains and other ranges make up the Western Carpathians, which run through western Romania.Romania's river system is long and impressive.

The longest and most important one by far is the Danube River. It flows about 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) through Romania. Most of the way, it flows west to east along the southern border. The Danube turns northward near the Black Sea, then eastward again, and empties into the sea. Most of Romania's other major rivers flow into the Danube from the north. Romania also has about 2,500 small lakes.

The country is divided into six distinct land regions: Transylvania, Bukovina, Moldavia, Walachia, Banat, and Dobruja.Transylvania is the country's largest and most varied region. It extends throughout central and northwestern Romania, and includes most of the country's mountains, the Transylvanian Plateau, and the northwestern plain. The plateau and plain have good soil for farming. The plateau and the mountains yield valuable forest products and minerals. The beauty of the mountains and their ski slopes and other recreation facilities make them a favorite vacation area. Several cities have grown up in Transylvania because of its rich resources.Bukovina, northeast of Transylvania, is a thickly forested region in the Moldavian Carpathian Mountains with Small, picturesque villages and ski resorts. Moldavia, in northeastern Romania, extends from Transylvania to the Prut River along the border with Moldova. Walachia, in the south, stretches from the southernmost mountains to the Danube. Banat, in western Romania, extends from the western mountains to Yugoslavia and Hungary. All of these regions have a similar physical makeup. The land in each descends from mountains near Transylvania, to hills, and then to plains. These plains are Romania's best farmland. Dobruja is a small plain between the northern course of the Danube River and the Black Sea.

The Danube Delta covers northeastern Dobruja. This marshy area has an amazing variety of wildlife. Sturgeon, the source of caviar, and numerous other kinds of fish live in its waters. About 300 species of birds, including the pelican, also live in the delta. Farmland covers most of southern Dobruja. The Danube-Black Sea Canal flows through this area. Completed in 1984, it provides a shortcut from the Danube to the Black Sea. Constanta, Romania's major port city, is on the coast



HISTORY
Among the forty-five sovereign states of today's Europe, Romania ranks as medium-sized. Its history and civilization have been marked by its location at the crossroads of three major regions - Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, belonging to none but sharing with each their drawbacks and achievements. The Romanians, the sole descendents of the Eastern Romans, werCaption describing picture or graphic.e born, like the other Latin peoples, in the first millennium A.D. During the Middle Ages they lived in three distinct but neighboring principalities - Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania



ARCHITECTURE
During the Romanian mediaeval epoch there existed two types of construction, different in point of both materials and technique, which developed in parallel. The first is the popular architecture, whose most spectacular achievements were the wooden churches, especially those in the villages of Maramures, Banat and Apuseni Mountains, where the tradition is still carried out today. In Maramures, in Surdesti village, the 54-m high church tower built during 1721-1724 is among the highest of this kind in Europe. The second comprises mainly monasteries, as well as princely seats or boyar mansions. Most of the old lay edifices were destroyed by times, wars, earthquakes and fires. In mediaeval architecture, influences of Western trends can be traced, to a greater or lesser extent, in all the three lands inhabited by Romanians.