THE HOME OF DRACULA

Rachel Ray

BACKGROUND FACTSROMANIA IS DIFFERENT YET VERY SIMILAR FROM AMERICA. THEIR CLIMATE IS NEARLY THE SAME, AND SO IS THEIR GEOGRAPHY. THEY HAVE A LARGE AMOUT OF UNSUITABLE FARMING LAND THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO SUIT THE LAND FOR FARMING WITH NO RISK. THEY ARE ALSO TRYING TO CONSERVE THE ENVIROMENT BY RECYCLING AND PROCESSING MORE. THEY ARE A FAMOUS COUNTRY. THEY ARE KNOWN MOSTLY FOR VAMPIRES, BECAUSE ROMANIA IS WHERE DRACULA ORGINALLY CAME FROM.

A BUMPY RIDE!• ROMANIA IS A TOTAL OF 91,700 SQ. MILES (ABOUT

THE SIZE OF OREGON)• THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS ARE THE DOMINANT

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURE IN ROMANIA; THEY FORM HALF OF A CROWN IN NORTH AND CENTRAL REGIONS, NEARLY SURROUNDING THE TRANSYLVANIAN PLATEAU

• SUB-CARPATHIAN HILLS GIVE TO EXTENDED, FERTILE PLAINS SOMETIMES USED FOR CORN AND WHEAT

• THE DANUBE RIVER RUNS ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER AND FORMS A LARGE DELTA IN THE EAST, UNTIL IT EMPTIES INTO TE BLACK SEA

A BUMPY RIDE! (CONTINUED) • THERE ARE MANY LOW PLAINS THAT RUN

ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF ROMANIA

• THERE CLIMATE IS MUCH LIKE AMERICA; IT HAS WARM SUMMERS AND COOL WINTERS

• THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN JULY IS 77˚F AND IN JANURARY IT IS AROUND 27˚F

• 41% OF LAND SUITABLE FOR FARMING AND 21% OF LAND ENVIROMENTALLY UNSAFE FOR FARMING AND THE REST IS NOT EITHER CITIES OR OTHER AREAS

THE ROMANIAN MONEY!• THEY ARE DEVELOPING, BUT THEY ARE RANKED

HIGHER THAN OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MONEY WISE

• THEIR GDP GROWTH RATE IS 0.9%• THEIR GDP PER CAPITA IS $12,800• GDP COMPOSITION BY SECTOR- AGRICULTURAL-30%,

SERVICES-49.8%, INDUSTRY-20.2%• UNEMPLOYMENT RATE- 4.3 (THEY ARE RANKED

NUMBER 40 FOR UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE WORLD), POVERTY RATE IS 21.2%

• THEIR BUDGET SURPLUS (+) OR DEFICIT (-) IS -2.3%, AND INFLATION RATE IS 3%

• THEIR MAIN INDUSTRIES ARE ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT, FOOTWEAR, MINING, AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

THE ROMANIAN MONEY! (CONTINUED)• THEIR MAIN EXPORTS ARE CHEMICALS, METAL,

MINERALS AND FUELS; MAIN EXPORT PARTNERS ARE GERMANY (18.9%), ITALY (13%), AND FRANCE (7.6%)

• THEIR MAIN IMPORTS ARE METAL, MACHINERY, AND FUELS AND MINERALS; THEIR MAIN IMPORT PARTNERS ARE GERMANY (17.2%), ITALY (11.4%), AND HUNGARY (8.8%)

• QUALITY OF LIFE IS GOOD, BUT NOT AS GOOD AS AMERICA’S QUALITY

ROMANIAN SYYLE!• LUNCH IS THE MAIN MEAL OF THE DAY BECAUSE OF THE

WORK • THEY WANT THEIR SUPPER SERVINGS TO BE SMALLER

THOUGH, BECAUSE THEY WANT LUNCH TO BE THE CENTER OF THEIR MEALS

• THEIR FAVORITE MEAL IS MITITEI, A COMBINATION OF MEATS SERVED TOGETHER LIKE A SALAD WOULD BE IN AMERICA

• THE ANCESTORS OF CURRENT ROMANIANS WERE CALLED GETO-DACIANS, AND THE ROMANIANS RESPECT THOSE PEOPLE VERY MUCH, MUCH LIKE THE PEOPLE IN INDIA RESPECT COWS

• THE AVERAGE ROMANIAN LIVES ABOUT SEVENTY FOUR YEARS

• THEY ALSO LIKE SOUP, ESPECIALLY A SOUP CALLED CIORBA, MADE FROM WHEAT AND VEGETABLES

ROMANIAN STYLE! (CONTINUED)• BY A.D. 106, ROMANS HAD TAKEN OVER ABOUT NINE

TENTHS OF THE LAND• THEIR SCHOOL SYSTEMS CONSIST OF PRIMARY SCHOOL

FOR CHILDREN AGES SEVEN THROUGH TEN, LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL WHICH CONSISTS OF CHILDREN ELEVEN THROUGH FOURTEEN, AND UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR AGES FIFTEEN THROUGH EIGHTEEN

• THEIR HEALTH CARE IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE ENTIRE POPULATION, SO THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO KEEP THEIR PEOPLE HEALTHY

• ROMANIANS PREFER MEAT INSTEAD OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, SO THEIR MEAT PRICES ARE VERY HIGH, AND THEIR DINNER TABLE CONSISTS OF MOSTLY MEAT, AND SOMETIMES A VEGETABLE

ROMANIAN STYLE! (CONTINUED)• ROMANIANS’ FAVORITE SPORTS ARE

SOCCER, TENNIS, AND TABLE TENNIS• HOLIDAYS ARE FLAG DAY, NATIONAL

ANTHEM DAY, AND CONSTITUTION DAY

• MOST OF ROMANIA IS PROTESTANT• THEY USE INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS

ALPHORNS, PANPIPES AND BAGPIPES• THEIR MEDIA AND CONTENT IS NOT

RESTRICTED FROM THE PEOPLE LIKE IT USED TO BE IN THE 1990S

CURRENT EVENTS• ROMAINANS HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED

THAT MUCH OF THE MEAT THAT THEY’VE BEEN SOLD THAT WAS LABELLED BEEF IS ACTUALLY HORSE MEAT

• THE HORSE MEAT WAS A CAUSE OF SOME SICKNESS IN ROMANIA, AND ROMANIA WAS ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH HEALTH CARE ISSUES AND SHORTAGES, SO THEY ARE CONSIDERING HIRING AMERICAN DOCTORS TO HELP

• THE HORSE MEAT INCIDENT IS VERY BIG IN ROMANIA, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO EAT MEAT