Basics
1. Country name: Romania
2. Capital: Bucharest
3. Official language: Romanian, a Latin based language
4. Surface: 238.391 sq. km.
5. Population: 20.254.866
6. President: KlausIohannis
7. Prime Minister: Victor Ponta
8. Religion: Orthodox 70%, other 12%, unaffiliated 18%
9. Currency:
Romania’s Currency is LEU (pl. LEI) and fractional coin is BAN (pl. BANI). Starting 1st of July 2005 the Romanian currency was redenominated and the new currency is RON.
10.000 ROL (old LEI) = 1 RON (new LEI).
EURUSD
Exchange rate: 1 EUR=
RON , 1 RON=
1 USD= RON , 1 RON=
For money exchange you can either go to a bank or to a private exchange office (Casa de
schimb valutar). The banks are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week. It usually takes longer
at the bank than the private exchange office which are faster, without a waiting line and request
fewer documents. But it is much safer at the bank, meaning the rate is always fair and there is no commission.
You can find private exchange offices just about everywhere, on the main streets, in hotels
and shopping centers. We advise you to beware of strange people that approach you near the tourist
hotels and exchange counters, they are probably malicious persons looking to make profit out of
your honesty.
Regarding to the black market, there is no little profit to be made by changing money in this way. The exchange rate at the street kiosks is almost as good as with the black marketers and it’s a much safer deal. We strongly advise you not to change money on the black market since these individuals are very resourceful when it comes to fooling foreigners.
It’s best if you hold on to your exchange receipts since you may need to show them if you want to use cash for things like accommodation, transportation or international tickets, or to obtain a refund in a different currency when leaving Romania. Keep in mind that you cannot use the local currency in the duty-free shops from the Otopeni/Henri Coanda Airport.
It’s advisable to change only small amounts of money into lei at a time. It’s safest to carry some of your money in traveler’s checks or credit cards, but also wise to have on you some euro or dollar bills, some in small denominations. Hotels, airlines, car rental companies, supermarkets, most of the local shops and restaurants will usually accept credit cards (Master Card, Visa, Dinners Club).
10. Time zone: Romania is in the Eastern European Time Zone. Eastern European Standard Time (EET) is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2).
11.
Weights
and
Measures
Length
Weight
1 inch = 2.5 cm 1 oz (ounce) = 28 grams 1 foot = 30 cm 16 oz = 1 lb. = 454 grams 1 yard = 0,9 meters 2.2 lbs. = 1 kilogram 1 mile = 1,6 kilometers (km) Temperature 32 °F = 0 °C Volume 1 tsp. = 5 ml
12. Relief
With a surface area of 238.391 square kilometers, Romania is the largest country in the South-East of Europe and the twelfth largest in all Europe. Romania’s terrain is distributed roughly equally between mountains, hills and lowland territories. The Carpathian Mountains dominate the centre of Romania, with 3 main groups: Eastern, Western and Southern Carpathians and height ranges reaching above 2.000 m/6.600 ft, with the highest point at Moldoveanu Peak (2.544 m/8.346 ft). These are surrounded by the Moldavian and Transylvanian plateaus and Pannonian and Wallachian plains. Romania’s geographical diversity has led to an accompanying diversity of flora and fauna. In the Eastern part of Romania there is The Danube Delta, the second largest and best preserved delta in Europe and also a biosphere reserve and a biodiversity World Heritage Site, which stretches over 4.340 square kilometers.
13.
Average
temperature
Because of its position on the South-Eastern part of Europe, Romania has a climate that is transitional between temperate and continental with four different seasons and climatic conditions that are somewhat modified by the country’s varied relief. There may be variations of about 5 °C between day and night (0 °C = 32 °F). Spring is pleasant with cool mornings and nights and warm temperature during the day. Summers are generally very warm to hot. Autumn is dry and cool, with fields and trees producing colorful foliage. Winters can be cold, with lots of snow.
These are average temperatures:
Season Winter(ºC) Summer(ºC) Winter(ºF) Summer(ºF) Bucharest -1 21 30 69 The coast -1 22 31 54 The mountains 0 20 32 52 14.
National
holidays
January 1st New Year
April/May Easter
(Orthodox)
Establish
by
the
Orthodox
Church
May 1st Labor
Day
May/June Pentecost
(Pentecost
Sunday
and
Monday)
August
15th
Assumption
November
30th
Saint Andrew
December
1st
National
Day
December
25/26
Christmas
2
days