The People

The Romanians are a people of mixed stock, descendants of the ancient Thracians, Romans, and Slavs. They make up more than 85 per cent of the population. Hungarians, Gypsies, and Germans are the largest minority groups; Serbs and Croats are smaller minorities.

In 1996 Romania had an estimated population of 22,607,620. The density was 245 persons per square mile (95 per km 2). Industrial expansion has brought a decline in the rural population—from 75 per cent at the end of World War II to less than 50 per cent.

The principal language is Romanian, a Romance language. It contains mainly Latin word elements, with additions from Slavic languages and Hungarian, Greek, and Turkish. Other languages used include Hungarian, which is widely spoken in Transylvania, and German. About four-fifths of the people belong to the Romanian Orthodox church. Roman Catholicism predominates among the Hungarians.

Education is compulsory from the age of 6 to 16. After completing eight years of elementary education, most students enter a two-year general secondary school. Some students enter two-year specialized secondary schools that emphasize industrial arts, agricultural education, teacher-training, or the liberal arts. Further secondary education is available at professional schools and advanced technical schools. Universities are located in all the major cities. Ninety-eight per cent of the people are literate.