GEOGRAPHY
Romania is located in Southeastern Europe bordering the Black Sea and Ukraine. The country ranks towards in the middle in terms of country size based on area and is about the size of Oregon. The climate is temperate, with cold winters and rainy summers. About one quarter of Romania is covered in undisturbed forest, full of ecological diversity. There have been 3,700 identified plant species and over 33,000 identified plant species. The land is prone to earthquakes and landslides.
THE PEOPLE
Romania has a population of 21.5 million, ranking 58th out of 228 reporting countries and territories. The country is widely made up of ethnic Romanians, as they make up 83% of the population. The largest minority ethnic groups in Romania are Hungarians (6.1%) and Romanis (3.1%). Languages follow a similar trend. Romanian is the official language and spoken by 85% of the people. Hungarian (6.3%) and Romani (1.2%) are the next most commonly spoken languages. Religiously, the population is about 82% Eastern Orthodox. Due to emigration and a low birth rate, Romania is one of the few countries in the world with a shrinking population size.
ECONOMY
Romania was a Communist country up until 1989, when a revolution instilled a new government. Managing an economy post-communism has proved difficult for Romania. A lot of the factories built under the Communist regime have become obsolete and businesses have been subject to corruption due to how new the country is to the free trading world. Romania has a Gross Domestic Product per capita of $24,000, which ranks 83rd out of 228 reporting countries and territories, but 22.4% of Romanians live below the poverty line. Their largest exports are machinery and manufactured goods.
EDUCATION
Romania has a compulsory education system from kindergarten through 10th grade. This has proved to be effective as the literacy rate is 98.8%. The government has worked on combining schools in order to make larger institutions that are easier to regulate. Urban areas generally have well staffed schools, but rural areas really struggle with their education system. Rural schools are often understaffed, and it is often difficult for the students to attend because of the poor public transportation system in rural areas.
HEALTH CARE
Romania has established universal healthcare and covers the medical costs of its citizens in most cases. However, some patients have to pay medical costs, which can be difficult for those living in poverty who need care. Urban hospitals are high quality and effectively treat their patients. In rural areas, the healthcare is not as great, as rural hospitals are often understaffed and underfunded.
HEMOPHILIA IN ROMANIA
According to the World Federation of Hemophilia, there are 1,825 people in Romania with Hemophilia. Less than 25% of children are enrolled in prophylactic treatment, and no adults were reported to take prophylaxis. This method of treatment has proven to be an effective way of managing Hemophilia so it is unfortunate that so few Romanians have access to it. Romanians in rural sectors are likely to have to travel far distances in order to get proper care for their Hemophilia in urban hospitals, which can be difficult if their family is struggling financially.
