The Most Fascinating Facts About Romania

Today, we're sharing with you guys, the most fascinating facts about Romania, a country found in Eastern Europe. In case you're wondering what Romania means, it means "citizen of the Roman empire". If your curiosity has been stirred up, you can proceed with the most interesting facts. We end with general facts as usual.

1. In 1857, Romania's capital Bucharest, became the first city in the world to be illuminated with kerosene lamps.

2. The highest rock sculpture in Europe is found in Romania. It is a sculpture of Decebalus, the last king of Dacians considered to be the ancestor of the Romanians. The sculpture is 42.9 m in height and 31.6 m in width. It is located near the city of Orsova in Romania, on the Danube Gorges.

3. The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest is the heaviest building in the world. It weighs about 4,098,500,000 kilograms and contains 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze, 900,000 square meters of wood a million square feet of marble, and 3,500 tonnes of crystal. It has 1,100 rooms. The Palace of Parliament also happens to be the second largest administrative building in the world. The largest building in the world is the Pentagon.

4. Timisoara, a Romanian city, was the first European city to have electric street-lighting (in 1889).

5. The world's largest flag was unfurled in Romania. It weighed five tons and measured 349 meters by 227 meters, and used 44 miles of thread. It took 200 people several hours to roll out the flag.

6. Francesco Illy, the creator of the automatic stream espresso coffee machine, was born in the Romanian city of Timsoara.

7. The largest virgin forests in Europe are found in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. Virgin forests are forests that have developed exclusively under the influence of natural factors, void of direct or indirect human influence. Romania's virgin forests hold over 10,000 species ranging from unicellular organisms to animals. They are home to more than 400 unique mammal species.

8. The Cimitirul Vesel or Merry Cemetery in Romania is probably the most colorful cemetery in the world. It was designed in 1940 by a local woodcarver, Stan Ioan Pătraș. It is located in the village of Săpânța, Maramureş county, Romania. Each [plot is adorned with a beautifully painted cross with a photo of the deceased in which they are doing their favorite activity. The cross also beard the deceased life's story and final moments.

General Facts about Romania

Area: 238,391 sq. km

Population: 19,401,658 (2019)

Capital: Bucharest

Largest city: Bucharest

Currency: Romanian Leu

Official Language: Romanian

Form of Government: Semi-presidential democracy based on a bicameral Parliament

President: Mr. Klaus Werner Iohannis 

Prime minister: Viorica Dăncilă