Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and
Ukraine
Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 237,500 sq km
land: 230,340 sq km
water: 7,160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,508 km
border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km,
Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east)
169 km
Coastline:
225 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny
summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Terrain:
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia
on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the
Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m
Natural resources:
petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron
ore, salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 40.57%
permanent crops: 2.4%
other: 57.03% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
28,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure
and climate promote landslides
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in
south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta
wetlands
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography - note:
controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans,
Moldova, and Ukraine