Things to know before traveling to Romania
Visiting Romania for the first time can be a real adventure. That is why it is good to know certain things about Romania before coming here for the first time. Below you can find details about the official language, currency, main religions and nationalities. You can also read some fun facts about Romania.
I also prepared an infographic containing some cool things about Romania. And also some guided tours. So, when you decide to travel to Romania, you will probably need and want to know the following:
Where is Romania?
Romania is located in the northern hemisphere of the globe, in southeastern Central Europe. Its surface is 238,391 km2, comparable to that of Great Britain, which places Romania in the 80th place in the world and the 12th place in Europe in size.
Romania has an oval shape, stretching 735 km from west to east and 530 km from north to south.
The capital of Romania
It has its capital in Bucharest, which is also the largest city in the country. Bucharest has over 2 million inhabitants and is divided into six administrative sectors.
The first documentary mention of the city was made on September 20, 1945, in a letter sent by Vlad Tepes. Bucharest became the capital of Wallachia in the second half of the seventeenth century and the capital of Romania in 1862, being the most important political, economic and cultural-scientific centre of the country.
The official language in Romania
The official language of Romania is Romanian, being the mother tongue for 91% of the country’s population. An interesting fact about Romania is that its official language is of Latin origin, being similar to Italian, Spanish and French.
National currency in Romania
The national currency is the Romanian leu, RON (New Romanian Leu). It circulates in the form of coins or banknotes. You can pay by card in many places, but if you want to use cash, you must have ron.
Local time in Romania is Eastern European Time (GMT + 2 hours).
The national flag of Romania is a tricolour with vertical stripes, beginning from the flagpole: blue, yellow and red, meaning Liberty, Justice, Fraternity.
Read also: Traditional Romanian bors, the key ingredient for sour soups
Population in Romania
The population of Romania is formed mainly of Romanians (89%). We also have minorities, Hungarians (6%) and Gipsy (3%).
The main religion in Romania
The Romanian Constitution, as well as other laws of the country, allow the freedom of religion in the country. These laws protect the right of religious followers to organize and prohibit the forced religious practice. Asking a person to identify their religion is illegal in both the public and private sectors.
The main religion in Romania is Christian Orthodox (81%) and only 4% of the population is Roman Catholic and 3% is Reformed.
Orthodoxy in Romania
The most widespread religion in Romania is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. About 81% of the population identifies as Orthodox Christian. The Romanian Orthodox Church was established in 1859 under the Kingdom of Romania, and in 1872 it was declared autocephalous. When the country came under communist rule in 1947, the Church underwent a reform of its hierarchy.
Beginning in 1989, the Church was liberated from state control.
Catholicism in Romania
Catholicism has two branches in Romania: Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic. Together, they make up about 5.1% of the total population. This percentage has gradually decreased since 1948.
The Roman Catholic Church has existed in Romania since the Middle Ages and, like the Eastern Orthodox Church, suffered persecution during the communist period. In 1990, his relationship with the Holy See was restored. Most of its practitioners live in Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldova.
Protestantism in Romania
Protestants represent 5.95% of Romania’s population. The main denominations in this religion are Reformed, Pentecostal, Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, and Unitarian.
Interesting facts about Romania:
Here are 5 interesting facts about Romania that I bet you didn’t know:
- The name Romania comes from the Latin word “Romanus”, a citizen of the Roman Empire. In the place of today’s Romania is the province of Dacia. At the time when they were ruled by Decebalus, the Dacians bordered the Roman Empire. After two wars between the Dacians and the Romans, the Dacians were conquered. In memory of the victory against the Dacians, the Romans erected Trajan’s Column in Rome. On this monument, you can see today scenes from the battles with the Dacians.
By uniting the two peoples, the Romanian people and the Romanian language of Latin origin were formed. - The jet engine used by modern aeroplanes was invented by Henri Coanda, an inventor born in Bucharest. His first model was presented at the Paris Air Show in 1910. In memory of this inventor, the international airport in Bucharest is named after him.
- The youngest continental land in Europe, Danube Delta, is in Romania. You can discover it during our Dobrogea and Danube delta tour.
- One of the funny facts about Romania is that in the Middle Ages, Romanians were also known as Vlachs, a term used by Germanic people. The term was used by the Germanic people to refer to the Romanized populations of Central Europe. The south-eastern part of today’s Romania was called in medieval times Tara Romaneasca or Tara vlahilor.
The funny thing is that today’s Germans still use the phrase “jemanden in die Walachei schicken.” This means sending someone far, far away, as Wallachia was once considered. - Transylvania means “the land beyond the forest”. Explore Transylvania on your own with our self-guided tour in this beautiful region and this way you will support sustainable tourism in Romania.
What to visit in Romania?
Romania’s tourist potential is given by the natural attractions, but also by the historical ones. The natural component is represented by impressive landscapes, varied relief, and favourable climate, and the historical part is represented by archaeological vestiges, historical and art monuments, and museums.
If you are a nature lover, in Romania you can enjoy dreamy landscapes and wild natural attractions. The Carpathian Mountains await you with mountain trails that go up to the top. The Danube Delta is the largest delta in Europe and is very well preserved. Going out to the Black Sea offers many opportunities for beach vacations. Natural lakes, deep caves and other rare natural phenomena attract tourists to Romania.
If you prefer man-made sights, you have several options. You can visit many modern and medieval towns and well-preserved villages. You can stop at beautiful fortresses and castles and interesting museums.
A real holiday in Romania combines natural elements with those built by man.
You can choose the best time to visit Romania depending on what you like. I wrote a post about this here, so you can decide when to come. Romania is great in all seasons!
You can find below the infographic with the things to know before going to Romania:
