America Country Guide

Overview

One of the fast developing economic nations of the world, Romania is enjoying all the attention it richly deserves. This ‘island of Latinos’ in a ‘sea of Slavs’ is the largest Balkan State, and has a history of being ruled by several empires at different times, including Ottomans, Romans, and Austro-Hungarians. Resultantly, the country is a vast reservoir of diverse cultures sprinkled across its length and breadth.

The infamous town of Transylvania is the ideal places to relish the cultural richness of Romania. Home to Dracula's Bran Castle, monasteries, and the village of Maramures, this region is truly a culture-vulture’s paradise! Also located in this region is Sibiu the medieval city that was awarded the title of ‘European Capital of Culture in 2007’.

If its historical past has left an interesting cultural legacy, the natural attractions of the country have played no less a role in adding to the Romanian charm. The Carpathian Mountains have an enviable picturesque scenery that just never ceases to amaze. Romania is also host to the Europe's biggest area of wetland – the Danube Delta. And, of course, for all those looking for some real aquatic fun, there is a stretch of 69kms of pristine sandy beaches along the idyllic coast on the Black.

The postcard-perfect valleys and mountain slopes of some of the more famous winter retreats have some exotic health spas to keep the visitors interested in Romania. The beautiful capital city of Bucharest is nicknamed ‘Paris of the Balkans’. And in recent times, the country has taken giant steps to achieve the goals of overall progress. The tide seemed to turn in favour of development with the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu’s dictatorial regime in 1989. And the result of these efforts was the acceptance of country’s application for admission in European Union (EU) in January 2007. Romania is also a member of NATO.