and Southeastern Europe
, on the Lower Danube
, within and outside the Carpathian arch
, bordering on the Black Sea
. Romania shares a border with Hungary
and Serbia
to the west, Ukraine
and Moldova
to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria
to the south.
At 238391 square kilometres (92,043.3 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union
by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with 20.2 million people.
1862 Bucharest proclaimed capital of Romania.
1862 Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated.
1863 In Romania the mountain railway from Anina to Oravita is used for the first time.
1870 The ''Republic of Ploieşti'', a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.
1877 Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. This day became the Independence Day of Romania.
1877 Romania declares itself independent from the Ottoman Empire following the Senate adoption of Mihail Kogălniceanu's Declaration of Independence. This act is recognized on March 26, 1881 after the end of the Romanian War of Independence.
1878 Treaty of Berlin: the European powers redraw the map of the Balkans. Serbia, Montenegro and Romania become completely independent of the Ottoman empire.
1913 Second Balkan War: delegates from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece sign the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the war.
1916 Romania declares war against Austria-Hungary, entering World War I as one of the Allied nations.
1916 World War I: Germany declares war on Romania.