Romania, a country about the size of Oregon, is located in Southeastern Europe and is bordered by the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Moldova and Ukraine. The modern state of Romania is composed of three regions: Transylvania to the west, Wallachia to the south and Moldavia in the northeast. Romania has always been a crossroads and its history is one of frequent invasions and long periods of foreign domination. As early as 500 B.C., the Persians, Macedonians and Romans threatened the Getae and Dacians, the two tribes from which modern Romanians are descended.

Roman legions under the Emperor Trajan (A.D. 98-117) conquered much of what is today Romania in the second century and occupied it for almost two centuries. Throughout its history, Romania has been a battleground for competing armies. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Romanian lands were invaded by the Ottoman armies and ruled by the Ottomans until they were expelled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire the 18th century.

Harman Courtyard. Photo courtesy of www.romanianvoice.com

The focus of modern Romanian history has been on the liberation and unification of the three regions - Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia - into a modern state. The struggle for nationhood and independence continued into the 20th century. As a result of its alliances and the peace treaties drawn up at the end of World War I, Romania nearly doubled its size when it received Transylvania from Austria-Hungary, Dobruja from Bulgaria, and Bukovina and Bessarabia from Soviet Russia.

Biertan city view. Photo courtesy of www.romanianvoice .com

Following World War II, Soviet Russian domination led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947. More recently, Romania suffered an increasingly oppressive police state under Nicolae Ceausescu, who took power in 1965. After Ceausescu was overthrown and executed in late 1989, former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power by a coalition of centrist parties. Today, Romania is a republic with a president who is elected by popular vote and a prime minister appointed by the president. Presently the government is working toward stabilizing the economy and joining the European Union.

Romania has a population of slightly over 22 million with 89.5 percent of the population Romanian, 6.6 percent Hungarian, 2.5 percent Roma and less than 1 percent Ukrainian, German, Russian and Turkish. The largest religious group is Eastern Orthodox (87 percent). Other religious groups include Protestant (6.8 percent), Roman Catholic (5.6 percent), and Muslim (.04 percent).

Bran Castle. Photo courtesy of www.romanianvoice .com

The official language is Romanian - the only Latin-based language in Eastern Europe. Other languages spoken in Romania are Hungarian and German.

Romania is graced by two mountain ranges, the Carpathian Mountains and the Transylvanian Alps. The highest point in Romania is 2,544 meters (approximately 7,600 feet) and the lowest point is the Black Sea at 0 meters. Romania has a temperate climate with cold, cloudy, snowy winters and sunny, hot summers.

The Fulbright Commission in Romania celebrated its 10th anniversary in May 2003. For over 10 years the Fulbright Scholar Program has been active in providing opportunities for American and Romanian scholars to participate in educational exchange. Since 1993, over 128 American scholars from a wide range of disciplines including American studies, TEFL, law, anthropology, theater, communications, library science, religious studies, psychology, medical sciences, sociology, computer science, geology, agriculture and political science have contributed to the enhancement of higher education in Romania. The Fulbright Scholar Program encourages scholars in all fields who are interested in making a lasting contribution to international higher education to consider the many available opportunities in Romania.

You will find more about Romanian life and culture at the following Web sites. Please contact CIES program staff if you have additional questions.

Romanian Fulbright Commission:
http://www.usembassy.ro/studyus.htm

Government of Romania:
http://www.gov.ro/engleza/index.php

United States Embassy in Romania:
http://www.usembassy.ro/

Romanian Embassy:
http://www.roembus.org/

Discover Romania:
http://www.students.missouri.edu/~romsa/romania/

Romania Fact Book:
http://www.factbook.net/

Internet Guide to Romania:
http://www.romania-on-line.net/

Lonely Planet: Romania: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/romania/index.htm

Official Website for Travel and Tourism Information about Romania: http://www.romaniatourism.com/

Consular Information Sheet: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1004.html

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania: http://www.ccir.ro/Index.html

Romania Breaking News:
http://www.einnews.com/romania/

Leafpile Travel Log in Romania: http://www.leafpile.com/TravelLog/Romania/Romania.htm

Meet Romania: Images from Romania: http://www.dntis.ro/romania/images.html

Comprehensive list of universities in Romania: http://www.braintrack.com/linknav.htm?pprevid=31&level=3

Brasov

Transilvania University
www.unitbv.ro

Bucharest

University of Bucharest
http://www.unibuc.ro/en/home

University of Medicine and Pharmacy
http://www.univermed-cdgm.ro/?pid=1

Journalism and Communications Sciences School
http://www.fjsc.ro/

Politecnical University
http://www.pub.ro/

Cluj

Babes-Bolyai University
http://www.ubbcluj.ro/www-en/index-en.htm

Iasi

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University,
http://www.uaic.ro/default.php?t=site&lang=EN

Timisoara

Politecnical University of Timisoara
http://www.utt.ro/english/index.php

University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timisoara
http://www.umft.ro/newpage/eng/index.html

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