Natural gas in Transylvania and the dwindling supplies of Ploiesti petroleum feed nearby chemical plants. Sawmills and furniture and paper making factories are scattered in the Carpathians. Textile, engineering and electrical goods factories are in Bucharest and the main towns, while BRASOV makes trucks, tractors and oil drilling equipment, CRAIOVA supplies railway vehicles and PITESTI cars.
ROMANIA AT A GLANCE
Area 237 500 km2 (91 700 sq miles)
Population 22 890 000
Capital Bucharest
Government One-party Communist republic
Currency Leu = 100 bani
Language Romanian
Religion Christian (80% Romanian Orthodox, 5% Roman Catholic, 4% Protestant, 3% Greek Catholic)
Climate Continental; average temperature in Bucharest ranges from - 2°C (28°F) in winter to 21°C (70°F) in summer
Main primary products Cereals, potatoes, sugar, fruit and vegetables, grapes, livestock, timber, fish; oil and natural gas, coal, lignite, Iron ore, salt, copper, lead, gold, silver, uranium
Major industries Agriculture, iron and steel, mining, forestry, chemicals, shipbuilding, machinery, motor vehicles, textiles, fertilizers, coke, food processing
Main exports Machinery, transport equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, chemicals, clothing
Locals hypothesize that the legacy of Italian blood and culture in Cologne, colonized by the Romans more than 1500 years ago, makes the people more jovial and lighthearted. Cologne is the largest city on the Rhine.
Kolsch is not only the dialect spoken here but, also the name of their own top-fermented beer. There are more than 4,000 pubs, restaurant's and brewery taverns in Cologne.
Unlike many of the world's large cities, Cologne, with a population of over a million, gets better every day, there are more things to do and see, more new and innovative buildings... more
Travel is an opportunity to learn, whether geography, languages, history or other subjects.
Cologne is situated on the beautiful Rhine River.