Natural Resources: Romania possesses declining reserves of petroleum and natural gas in modest supply, timber, coal, iron ore, and salt as well as arable land and hydropower resources.
Land Use: According to the Romanian government, arable areas represent 39.2 percent of land; forests, 28 percent; pastures and hayfields, 20.5 percent; vineyards and orchards, 2.3 percent; buildings, roads and railroads, 4.5 percent; waters and ponds, 3.7 percent; and other areas, 1.8 percent.
Environmental Factors: Romania’s past focus on heavy industry has saddled it with a legacy of industrial pollution, and pollution presents a serious threat to Romania’s environment. Under Ceauşescu, Romania’s Environmental Law of 1973 was never fully enforced, and Romania did not update its environmental regulations until 1995, when it passed the Law on Environmental Protection, making it one of the last countries in Eastern Europe to do so. According to Western observers, toxic air emissions present the most significant environmental hazard in Romania. Industrial waste pollution in waterways is also significant. In January 2000, a major cyanide spill in Romania’s mining region flooded the Danube River with toxic waste; the contamination killed fish and polluted drinking water in Romania, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria before dissipating in the Black Sea. Approximately 18 percent of Romania’s water is too polluted even for industrial use. Economic difficulties and political constraints have prevented widespread reform of heavy industry, especially mining, and kept environmental protections generally weak.
Time Zone: Romania is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.