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Romania
Map of Romania
Romania is located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south.
Romania has the 9th largest territory and the 7th largest population - 22,215,421 people (July 2009 est.) among the European Union member states. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest the 6th largest city in the EU with 1.9 million people. Romania also joined NATO on March 29, 2004, and is also a member of the Latin Union, of the Francophonie, of the OSCE and of the United Nations. Romania is a semi-presidential unitary state.
With a surface area of 238,391 sq km, Romania is the largest country in southeastern Europe. A large part of Romania's border with Serbia and Bulgaria is formed by the Danube. The Danube is joined by the Prut River, which forms the border with the Republic of Moldova. The Danube flows into the Black Sea within Romania's territory forming the Danube Delta, the second largest and the best preserved delta in Europe, and a biosphere reserve and a biodiversity World Heritage Site.
There are almost 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi) (almost 5% of the total area) of protected areas in Romania. Of these, Danube Delta Reserve Biosphere is the largest and least damaged wetland complex in Europe, covering a total area of 5,800 km2 (2,200 sq mi). The significance of the biodiversity of the Danube Delta has been internationally recognised. It was declared a Biosphere Reserve in September 1990, a Ramsar site in May 1991, and over 50% of its area was placed on the World Heritage List in December 1991. Within its boundaries is one of the most extensive reed bed systems in the world. There are two other biosphera reserves: Retezat National Park and Rodna National Park.
Constanta is the main county along the Black sea coast and its economy has a complex structure, with the following main branches: port activity and maritime transport, agriculture, tourism, trade, machine building industry, petrochemical industry, textile industry, food industry, wood processing industry and paper industry, construction works.
The city of Constanta is one of the most important in Romania, one of four roughly equal-size cities which rank after Bucharest. The Constanţa metropolitan area was founded in 2007 and comprises 14 localities located at a maximum distance of 30 km from the city and with 446,595 inhabitants. It has the second largest metropolitan area in Romania, after Bucharest.
The economy of Constanta county is complex. Most developed is the agriculture (arable area 478,449 hectares, pastures 65,287 hectares, vineyard 17,162 hectares and orchards 5,029 hectares), followed by tourism, marine transport, the industry of machine construction, the chemical industry, wood, cellulose and paper processing.
The Port of Constanta has an area of 39.26 km and a length of about 30 km. It is the largest port on the Black Sea, and one of the largest ports in Europe.