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The Romania, officially: România (Romania [sometimes Rumania]) is an Eastern European coutntry located north of the Balkan Peninsula on the lower Danube and bordering the Black Sea. The capital and largest city is Bucharest and the official language is Romanian (a Romance language). The oldest European remains of modern humans (Homo sapiens) dating to 42 000 years old have been found in a cave in Romania. Though the earliest historic peoples of Romania are the Dacians who were defeated by the Romans in 106 CE. The Romans brought Latin with them and it is from vulgar Latin that the Romanian language descends. Following the fall of Rome the land of Dacia was invaded by a succession of Germanic and Slavic peoples. During the Middle agaes Romania was divided into three principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania. From the 11th century until the 16th century Transulvania formed an independent part of the Kingdom of Hungary. By 1541 all three regions came under Ottoman suzerainty. But, by 1775 the majority of the territories were part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. In 1859, however, the electors of Moldavia and Wallachia chose Alexandru Ioan Cuza as a prince thus establishing Romania (without Transylvania) as a personal union. During the Russo-Turkish War Romania fought on the Russian side, and in the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, Romania was recognized as an independent state by the Great Powers. In August 1914, when World War I broke out, Romania declared neutrality. Two years later, under the pressure of Allies (especially France desperate to open a new front), the country joined the Allies, for which they were promised support for the accomplishment of national unity, Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary. Since, by the war's end, Austria-Hungary and Hungary renounced in favour of Romania all the claims of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy over Transylvania. The union of Romania with Bukovina was ratified in 1919 in the Treaty of Saint Germain.

During the Second World War, Romania tried again to remain neutral, but on June 28, 1940, it received a Soviet ultimatum with an implied threat of invasion in the event of non-compliance. The authoritarian King Carol II abdicated in 1940, succeeded by the National Legionary State, in which power was shared by Ion Antonescu and the Iron Guard. Within months, Antonescu had crushed the Iron Guard, and the subsequent year Romania entered the war on the side of the Axis powers. During the war, Romania was the most important source of oil for Nazi Germany. In August 1944, Antonescu was toppled and arrested by King Michael I of Romania. Romania changed sides and joined the Allies, but its role in the defeat of Nazi Germany was not recognized by the Paris Peace Conference of 1947. In 1947, King Michael I was forced by the Communists to abdicate and leave the country, Romania was proclaimed a republic. After the negotiated retreat of Soviet troops in 1958, Romania, under the new leadership of Nicolae CeauÅŸescu, started to pursue independent policies. After the revolution of 1989 the National Salvation Front, led by Ion Iliescu, took partial multi-party democratic and free market measures. Post-Cold War Romania developed closer ties with Western Europe, eventually joining NATO in 2004, and hosting in Bucharest the 2008 summit.

The country applied in June 1993 for membership in the European Union and became an Associated State of the EU in 1995, an Acceding Country in 2004, and a member on January 1, 2007. Romania also joined NATO in 2004. Romania is also a member of the Latin Union, of the Francophonie and of the OSCE.

Romanian cuisine is a very important part of the country's cuisine and blendes dishes from several of the cultures and trasitions that the country has come into contact with. For example, the Turks brought meatballs, the Greeks moussaka, from the Bulgarians there are a wide variety of vegetable dishes; from the Austrians there is the schnitzel. Pork is the preferred meat and many sausages are made with lamb or mutton serve at Easter. Wine is the preferred drink, though German-style blonde pilsner beer is also brewed and consumed.