European Brown Bear
Romania's Carpathian Mountains are home to the largest population of brown bears in all of Europe, with thousands living in the forested highlands.
Flag of Romania
Field Report
Romania is a country in southeastern Europe, tucked between the Carpathian Mountains and the Black Sea, with a history stretching back to the ancient Roman Empire. It is about the size of the state of Oregon and is home to nearly 19 million people who speak Romanian, a language that grew directly out of Latin. Romania has deep forests, medieval castles, and a rich culture — and it is a place where God is at work through His people.
From the Field Notebook
European Brown Bear
Romania's Carpathian Mountains are home to the largest population of brown bears in all of Europe, with thousands living in the forested highlands.
White Stork
White storks migrate each spring to Romanian villages, where they build enormous nests on rooftops and chimneys, and locals consider their arrival a sign that warm weather has finally come.
European Bison
Once extinct in the wild, European bison have been carefully reintroduced into Romanian forests and are slowly returning to the land where they once roamed in great herds.
Sarmale
These are cabbage rolls stuffed with seasoned pork and rice, simmered slowly and often served at family celebrations with sour cream on top.
Mămăligă
A thick, golden porridge made from cornmeal, mămăligă is a humble everyday staple that is sometimes eaten in place of bread and pairs well with cheese or stew.
Cozonac
This sweet, soft bread is swirled with walnuts, cocoa, or Turkish delight and is baked at Christmas and Easter as a beloved family tradition.
Romania is home to one of the world's largest and heaviest buildings — the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, which has over 1,000 rooms and took 13 years to build.
The region of Transylvania, famous in stories, is a real place in central Romania with medieval castles, cobblestone towns, and mountain passes that have existed for centuries.
Romania was the first country in the world to have a gymnast score a perfect 10 in Olympic competition — Nadia Comaneci achieved this at the 1976 Montreal Olympics at just 14 years old.
The Danube River, one of Europe's longest rivers, forms much of Romania's southern border before fanning out into a vast delta where it meets the Black Sea — a delta so large it is still growing each year.
Romania joined the Roman Empire around 106 AD, and the Romanian language today still sounds closer to Latin than almost any other living language on Earth.
Daily Life
77
Years life expectancy
99%
Can read and write
82%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
Romania is home to 21 distinct people groups — 6 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
Most Romania's people follow Christianity (93.6%). Evangelical Christians make up about 6.4% of the population.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Deaf
25,000 people
Tatar
21,000 people
Turk
20,000 people
Tatar, Crimean
17,000 people
Jewish, Romanian
2,300 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.