Romania: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Romania is a country in south-eastern Europe with a coast on the Black Sea. It borders Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary, and the capital is Bucharest. The great curve of the Carpathian Mountains runs through the middle of the country, wrapping around the region of Transylvania.

Romania is known for mountain castles, painted monasteries, wild forests full of bears, and the Danube Delta, where the great river meets the sea. On the globe you can find Bran Castle, often called 'Dracula's Castle', and the enormous Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, along with animals such as the golden jackal and the European wildcat.

Geography and nature

The Carpathian Mountains form an arc across Romania, with Moldoveanu, about 2,544 metres, as the highest peak. Inside the arc lies the Transylvanian plateau; outside it are wide plains where wheat and sunflowers grow. The Danube River forms much of the southern border and ends in the Danube Delta, a maze of channels, reed beds and lakes that is one of Europe's greatest wetlands and home to pelicans. Romania's forests shelter one of the largest populations of brown bears in Europe, as well as wolves and lynx.

People, languages and culture

Romanian comes from Latin, the language of the ancient Romans, so it is related to Italian, Spanish and French. There are also Hungarian and Roma communities. Most people are Orthodox Christians. In the north, the monasteries of Bucovina are painted inside and out with bright scenes, and the villages of Maramureș have tall wooden churches. Popular foods include sarmale, cabbage rolls, and mămăligă, a cornmeal porridge. In spring, people give each other mărțișor, small charms tied with red and white string.

History in a nutshell

In ancient times the Dacians lived here, until the Roman emperor Trajan conquered much of their land in 106 CE. In the Middle Ages the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia formed; Vlad III, a 15th-century prince of Wallachia, later lent his family name to the vampire Dracula in a famous novel. Wallachia and Moldavia united in 1859, and Transylvania joined in 1918. After the Second World War Romania became communist; the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu ended in a revolution in 1989. Romania joined the European Union in 2007.