Romania
By: Ava Lamberty Pd. 7
History
Romania used to be part of Moldova and Walachia. These two countries united in 1862 to form Romania. In 2007 this country joined the European Union.
Location
Romania is located in southeastern Europe boardering the Black Sea. This country is between Bulgaria and Ukraine but is also boardered by Moldova, Serbia, and Hungary.
History of the Flag
The Romanian flag has three vertical stripes with the colors blue, yellow, and red. The blue and red are the colors of Moldova. Yellow and red are the colors of Walachia. Those two countries formed Romania.
Geography
In the north of Romania is the Carpathian Mountains but in the south is the vast Danube Valley. Also the river forms a delta as it approaches the Black Sea.
Government Type
Romania has a Republic government
Cities
Bucharest ( capital)
Arad
Craiova
Galati
Oradea
Tourism
The Bran Castle
This is an excellent place to visit if you enjoy Romanian folklore because the author of the book Dracula (Bram Stoker) based one of his characters off of Vlad Jeres, the prince of Walachia. This castle is also known as Dracula's Castle and the Roman Prince used it in one of his raids. The castle is now a national monument.
Medival Towns
If you visit Transylvania most likely the legend of Count Dracula will pop into your mind. In Transylvania there are some of Europe's best- preserved medival towns that include Sighisoara, Brasov, and Sibiu. In these towns you will find magnificent castles, fortified churches, century old houses, also you can explore sites where Saxon craftsmen and merchants established powerful fortresses more than 900 years ago.
National Parks
At the Romanian National Parks, you will be swept away by the natural landscapes, vegetation, wildlife, grasslands, gorges, subterranean caves, volcanic lakes, extensive rivers, and the largest restored pristine forest in Europe. While you are there you can walk alpine meadows, trek glacial lakes, horseback ride, mountain bike, rock climb, and bird watch all while seeing beautiful scenery.
Fun Facts
Easter egg painting is an important art form in Romania that features religious symbols and animal designs.
There is a holiday similar to Valentine's Day in Romania called Dragobete on Febuary 24. On that day girls wake up early in the morning to gather snow that they wash their hair and faces with. This tradition is believed to bring them beauty.
Food is so expensive that it costs half a family's income.
Citations
"Romania." Culture Grams. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
<http://online.culturegrams.com/world/
world_country.php?contid=5&wmn=Europe&cid=131&cn=Romania>.
"Romania." Europa. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://europa.eu/about-eu/
countries/member-countries/romania/index_en.htm>.
"Romania Tourism." Romania. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
<http://romaniatourism.com>.
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/
ro.html>.