Roaming Romania Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black Sea

Romania is Europe's twelfth largest country, with an area of approximately 238,400 square kilometers. It has approximately 3,150 km (1,957 mi) of land borders, and the five countries it borders are, clockwise from the south: Bulgaria (631 km, or 392 mi), Serbia (546 km or 339 mi), Hungary (448 km or 278 mi), Ukraine (649 km or 403 mi), and Moldova (681 km or 423 mi). The Ukrainian-Romanian border is split into two by Moldova.

Romania's coastline is 194 km (or 120 mi) long, and this is completely along the Black Sea, called Marea Neagra in Romanian. Constanta is the most important Romanian city on the coast; it is the largest port on the Black Sea. Founded in 600 BC, it is a major tourist destination, particularly for its archaeological sights.

Answer: Moldoveanu

The Carpathian Mountain Range is Europe's second longest, and travels 1,500 km (932 mi) through various countries in Eastern Europe. Although nearly half is situated in Romania alone, the highest peaks are centered in Slovakia, in the Tatra subdivision. The second highest group within the Carpathians is the Southern Carpathians in Romania, also called the Transylvanian Alps. Romania's highest peak is Moldoveanu in the Fagaras Mountains of the Southern Carpathians, and is 2,544 m (or 8,346 ft) high. It is accessible to hikers, who usually embark from the city of Victoria.

Drocea is situated in the Zarand Mountains in Arad County, and is only 836 m (or 2,743 ft) high. Musala is Bulgaria's highest peak, while Jakupica is a Macedonian range.

Answer: Dambovita

The Dambovita is an indirect tributary of the Danube, flowing first into the Arges River which itself flows into the Danube. The Dambovita's name derives from the word for "oak", so named because it used to flow through oak forests (Codrii Vlasiei) on the Wallachian (or Romanian) plain. The river, which is not navigable, gives its name to Dambovita County.

Bucharest, called Bucuresti in Romanian, has a larger population than any Romanian county, and contains various lakes as well as the Dambovita and its tributaries. Famous landmarks include the Arcul de Triumf, modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and built to commemorate Romanian independence in 1878. Bucharest has many cultural sites, particularly museums, and is home to many summer festivals. It has been the site of six treaties.

Answer: Botosani

Botosani County borders the Ukraine and Moldova, and is largely supported by agriculture. Its capital city, Botosani, is very rich in culture, and its sights include the Nicolae Iorga Memorial House, the County Museum, and is home to the Botosani National Philharmonic. It also contains one of Romania's oldest pre-university establishments, A.T. Laurian National College, which was founded in 1859 and named after August Treboniu Laurian, a politician and historian.

As well as Nicolae Iorga, Botosani natives include poet Mihal Eminescu, psychologist Reuven Feuerstein, actress Luminita Gheorghiu, and biologist Grigore Antipa.

Answer: Fennoscandia

Transylvania, made famous by Bram Stoker's "Dracula", is the best known region of Romania to the rest of the world, and forms much of the northwest of the country. Romanians call it either Transilvania, which comes from the Latin "beyond the forest", or Ardeal.

Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian, not to be confused with the country Moldova) makes up the northeast part of the country, and was called Bogdania for a short time after its founder Bogdan I, while Wallachia (further divided into Muntenia and Oltenia) dominates the south; it was founded by Basarab I the Great. Dobrogea (or Dobruja) forms the eastern coastal region, and also contains parts of Bulgaria.

Fennoscandia is actually a region encompassing Scandinavia, and the Kola and Karelia peninsulas.

Answer: Snake

Not to be confused with the Macedonian island Golem Grad, which is sometimes known as Snake Island, Romania's Snake Island is situated in the Black Sea, and about 100 people live on it. A marine research station was established by the University of Odessa on the island, which was won by Romania in a dispute with Ukraine.

The island has a pier, a lighthouse, and helicopter platform. It was likely named the White Island in history because of its marble formations. Sometimes known as Serpent Island, it is called Insula serpilor in Romanian, and Ostriv Zmiinyi in Ukrainian.

Answer: Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca, also known as just Cluj, is Transylvania's unofficial capital. Naturally sources vary, but it is commonly regarded as Romania's second most populous city behind Bucharest. It is home to Romania's largest university, Babes-Bolyai University, and St. Michael's Church boasts Romania's highest church tower. Cluj is a very cultured city, with many museums and art galleries as well as having a strong music base.

It has beautiful architecture from various periods including Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, and the city is a vital center for mass media.

Answer: Timis

Timis County is named after the river Timis, which flows through Romania and into the Danube in Serbia. Its capital, Timisoara, is one of Romania's largest cities, which boasts seven universities, and whose center largely comprises buildings from the period of the Austrian Empire.

Lugoj is situated upon the Timis River, which splits it into two. Tying Romania again to Dracula, actor Bela Lugosi was born here in 1882 with the name Bela Blasko; he derived his stage surname from the Hungarian name of Lugoj, Lugos. Previously part of the Kingdom of Hungary, Lugoj has a significant Hungarian population of approximately 10%.

Answer: Brasov

Brasov is situated in a county of the same name in the center of Romania, within the Southern Carpathians. The city's industry developed between the two World Wars, producing Romania's first fighter planes, used in WW2. In the 1950s, Brasov was known as Stalin City (Orasul Stalin) after Josef Stalin. 1987 saw a revolt against the economic policies of Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, which reduced food consumption and the wages of workers. About 20,000 workers at a truck manufacturing plant walked off the job to protest, shouting "Down with Ceausescu" and "We want bread!" among other things.

It damaged the Ceausescu regime, which was ousted two years later when rebellion arose again in Brasov, and Ceausescu and his wife became the last people executed in Romania.

Answer: Iron Gates

As a whole, the Iron Gates (Portile de Fier in Romanian) is a 143 km (83 mi) long gorge containing the Danube river that runs along the Romanian-Serbian border. Called Defileul Dunarii (Danube Gorge) in Romanian, the last section of the gorge, just beyond Orsova, contains the two hydroelectric dams and power stations.

The power stations, named rather unimaginatively as Iron Gate I and Iron Gate II, each have a functioning Romanian side and a Serbian side. The construction of the dams led to the submersion of the island of Ada Kaleh, which was about 3 km (1.9 mi) from Orsova.