RUMANIA or ROMANIA, a kingdom of south-east Europe to the north of the Balkan peninsula. Its present area since the World War within the boundaries established by the Peace Trea ties covers a total of 294,967 square kilometres, an area roughly equivalent to that of England, Wales and Scotland. The popula tion within the present boundaries is 19,319,300 (5936).
The southern boundary starts near Balchik on the Black Sea, runs north-west to the Danube near Turtukaia and then follows the north bank of the Danube as far as Bazias above Gradiste in Serbia. South of this line are Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. From Gazias the frontier runs roughly north-north-west with Yugo slavia across the flat plainland of the Banat to Cenadul on the Maros river. Thence it runs north-east in front of Arad, Oradea Mare and Satmar. (From Cenadul the frontier is against Hun gary.) It now turns eastward at the summit of the northern Car pathians. For this stretch it is the frontier to Czechoslovakia. It now runs north-east for a similar stretch as the frontier of Poland until it reaches a point north-east of Cernauti (Czerno witz) and east of this it bends round, turning south-east to the Black Sea. The last part is the frontier of Bessarabia against Russia, following the line of the river Dniester from Zalescio near Czernowitz to Akkerman (Cetatea Alba). Rumania is thus roughly circular in shape consisting of two halves, that on the west mountainous and that on the east largely alluvial plains. It has frontiers against six countries.
new area, to the control and cultivation of which the Rumanians have not yet become accustomed. It is a homogeneous region, largely fertile plateau, with the curve of the Carpathians for its boundary on the north, east and south and the Hungarian plain on the west. These two main divisions constitute the most im portant feature of the country. South and east of the Carpathians conditions of climate, custom and flora have an Oriental flavour and face the east. The other side of the great Carpathian barrier, the west, is the predominant influence, although on both sides the people are, by a great majority, Rumanian in race.
The province of Bessarabia is cut up by numerous ravines and river valleys all tributary of the Pruth and Sereth. In the northern half it is hilly, rising to I,000 ft. and timbered with beech, oak, mountain-ash and some birch. To the south it is open country until it finally reaches the lagoons and marshes of the Danube at Galatz, Ismail and Kilia.
The Bukovina, a comparatively small province, is similar in character to Bessarabia, being fertile and productive. It is, how ever, heavily wooded, no less than 43% of its area being covered. It is hilly, containing as it does the foothills of the northern Carpathians.
The Dobrudja, confined between the Danube and the Black sea, is almost entirely steppe land. It is of extreme fertility and con sists of alluvial soil. But it is almost devoid of springs and wells, so that much of it is desolate. It is substantially of the same character as the lower part of Bessarabia and Moldavia, all alike being derivative from the Danube river and largely dependent on it.
The remaining area south and east of the Carpathians com prises Moldavia between the Sereth and the mountains and the great westward extension of the Danubian plains to the Iron Gates where the Balkan and Carpathian ridges meet and close in the lowlands.