Nation: Romania

Capital city: Bucharest

Geographic position: in the south-east of Central Europe

Climate: temperate-continental, four seasons

Features: mountains, hills, plains, and delta

Population: 21,680,976 (March 2003, source: National Statistics Institute)

Ethnic structure: Romanians - 89.5%; Hungarians (including Szecklers)- 6.5%; Roma - 2.5%; other ethnic groups -1.5%

Religious structure: Eastern Orthodox - 86.7%; Roman-Catholic-4.7%; Protestant - 3.2%; Greek-Catholic - 0.9%, Evangelical - 0.1%; Unitarian - 0.3%; other religions - 0.4% (preliminary data, March 2003 )

Form of government: republic, NATO member, EU integration underway

President of Romania: Traian Băsescu

Legislative power: The Parliament of Romania, (485 members in the 2000-2004 legislature), and two houses: the Senate of Romania (140 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (345 members).

Senate Chairman: Nicolae Văcăroiu

Deputy Chamber Chairman: Bogdan Olteanu

Executive power: The Government of Romania

Prime Minister: Călin Popescu Tăriceanu
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Lazăr Comănescu
Minister of Economy and Finance: Varujan Vosganian
Minister of Justice: - Cătălin Marian Predoiu   
Minister of Interior and Administrative Reform:
Cristian David
Minister of Defence: Teodor Meleşcanu
Minister of Transport: Ludovic Orban
Minister of Education, Research and Youth: Cristian Adomniţei
Minister of Labour, Family and Equality of Chances: Paul Păcuraru
Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Companies, Trade, Tourism and Liberal Professions: Ovidiu Silaghi
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Dacian Cioloş
Minister of Public Health: Eugen Nicolăescu
Minister of of Development, Public Works and Housing: Laszlo Borbely
Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development: Attila Korodi
Minister of Culture and Religious Affairs: Adrian Iorgulescu
Minister of Communications and Information Technology: Iuliu Winkler
Minister Delegate for the Relation with the Parliament: Mihai Alexandru Voicu


The major political parties present in the Parliament:

Ruling coalition: the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania

In opposition: The Social Democratic Party, the Greater Romania Party, the Conservative Party and the Democratic Liberal Party.