
Soviet
occupation following World War II led to the formation of a Communist "peoples
republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long
rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who took power in 1965,
and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive
and
draconian through the 1980s. Ceausescu was overthrown and
executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government
until
1996, when they were swept from power by a fractious coalition
of centrist parties. Currently, the Social Democratic Party forms
a nominally minority government, which governs with the support
of the opposition Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania. Bucharest
must address rampant corruption, while invigorating lagging economic
and democratic reforms, before Romania can achieve its hope of
joining the European Union. . LOCATION:
Southeastern Europe, bordering
the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine CLIMATE: Temperate;
cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers
with frequent showers
and thunderstorms BORDERS:
Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km,
Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362
km, Ukraine (east) 169 km