CLIMATE

Romania is famous for its cold winters - temperatures can fall below 00 C - with heavy snowfall and great skiing from December to April. Summers are usually sunny and hot - perfect for lounging by the seaside. Spring and Fall have mild temperatures and bring exquisite changes to the city's vegetation, making these seasons the ideal time to visit. Average rainfall is 600 - 700mm, most of it falling between July and October. The annual average temperature in Timis county is +110C The lowest temperature that has ever been registered in Timisoara was -35.50C, in 1963; the highest one was +420C, registered in 1952, at Teremia Mare.

LANGUAGE

Like French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, Romanian is a Romance language, but it shares stronger similarities with classical Latin than with other Romance languages. Romanian established its Latin roots during the Roman Empire's occupation of the region during the third century and, although the language incorporated some Slavic words, maintained its Latin heritage in a land surrounded by Slavic dialects. Speakers of Portuguese and Italian may find that Romanian sounds like a combination of the two. English and French are common second languages spoken; German is more prevalent in the Transylvanian region.

GOVERNMENT

Romania is a constitutional republic with a multi-party, bicameral parliamentary system divided into a Senate and House of Representatives. Its constitution is based on that of France's Fifth Republic. Bucharest is the political and administrative center of Romania. Parliamentary elections take place every four years, and allocation of parliamentary seats is based on the percentage of the popular vote (3% minimum) each party receives. Those minorities receiving less than three percent are awarded one deputy seat as mandated in the Constitution. Headquarters for the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Justice, the General Headquarters of the Police and all foreign embassies are also located in Bucharest.

RELIGION

The main religion of Romania (87% of the population) is Romanian Orthodox. Of the remaining population approximately 6.5% is Roman Catholic, 5% is Protestant, 1% is Greek Orthodox, 0.3% is Muslim and 0.2% is Jewish. The seat of the Romanian Orthodox Church - the Patriarchy - is located in Bucharest near Piata Unirii.

TIME

Romania is in the Eastern European time zone (GMT +2) and changes to Daylight Savings Time (GMT +3). from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday in October.

MONEY

The official Romanian currency is the leu (plural: lei) and the fractional coin is ban (plural: bani). Bank notes come in denominations of: 500 lei, 100 lei, 50 lei, 10 lei, 5 lei, and 1 leu; coins in 50, 10, 5 and 1 ban. At the time of publication (July 2005), the exchange rate was approximately 2.80 lei per US$ and 3.60 lei per Euro. Currency can be exchanged at hotels, banks or official exchange offices (Casa de schimb valutar). Exchange rates may vary drastically between banks and private exchange offices. Travelers' checks in US dollars are easiest to exchange (usually for a seven percent fee), but they are only accepted at banks, tourist offices and some large hotels. Changing money on the street is illegal and inadvisable, as scam artists are more than willing to take advantage of gullible tourists.

CREDIT CARDS

While their use is becoming more common, credit cards are not widely accepted in Romania. Within Timisoara, most major hotels, some restaurants and a few shops will accept Visa or MasterCard. Be sure to ask before counting on credit card payment for accommodation, meals or purchases. Cash advances on credit cards can be taken out at most city banks. ATMs, called Bancomats, are slowly beginning to spread throughout the country. You can get cash from most ATMs in lei.

BUSINESS HOURS

In general, banking hours are weekdays between 9 a.m. and 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. Most shops and markets are closed on Sundays. While supermarkets stay open later, many small shops close around 6:00 p.m. on weekdays. The shopping centers are open 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week.

MEDIA

English-language newspapers and magazines are no longer hard to come by in Romania, and some of the major newspapers publish weekly English editions. You can also find weekly, locally published, English-language business and tourist publications at some newsstands and in hotel lobbies. Some bookstores in the center of town carry popular magazines in French and a few in English. Maps and guides to the city can be purchased from hotels, tourist offices and some roadside kiosks. Romania has seven major television stations, all based in Bucharest. Aside from national programming, many English, Spanish and French television shows and movies are shown in their original language with Romanian subtitles. Cable, with access to international news networks and shows is widely available.

MAIL

Post offices (Posta Romana) are spread throughout the city; the main one is located at 2, Revolutiei Blvd. Post offices are usually open Monday through Friday 7:30 - 19:00, Saturday 7:30 - 14:00 and closed on Sunday. Mailboxes are red and located throughout the cities. When sending purchases home you may be asked to pay an export fee. All parcels must be inspected before shipment, so bring them to the post office unsealed.

TELEPHONE

International, local or long-distance calls can be made from the orange public telephones located throughout the cities. The phone card values are: 10.00 lei, 15.00 lei, 20.00 lei and can be purchased at post offices, and shops displaying Romtelecom logo, or from the ROMTELECOM office. When dialing an International destination you can dial directly or through an international operator. To get an international connection you must first dial (00) followed by the country code (without the first 0), the area code and then the individual number. Romania's international operator is reached by dialing 971. Dial 021-800-4444 for British Telecom, 021-800-4288 for AT&T USA Direct and 021-800- 1800 for MCI Worldwide. Romania's country code is (4); the city code for Bucharest is (021)and for Timisoara is (0256). Cellular phones are extremely popular -you can purchase a phone and basic calling plan for about US $ 50 a month or less. Mobile phones can be rented at the airport or at most major hotels.

EDUCATION

Romania boasts a 97 percent literacy rate and school is compulsory through the eighth grade. Within Timisoara there are 34 juniorhigh schools, 40 high schools and vocational schools, and 4 state and private universities.

FESTIVALS

“Summertime may as well translate to festival in Romanian”, especially in the resorts along the Black Sea coast that thrive on an almost-constant barrage of festivals and popular Romanian music concerts. Some of the country's better-known parties include Bucharest's three-day carnival in June, Brasov's Golden Stag international pop music festival in August and Transylvania's medieval festival in July. Also popular are Hora la Prislop, a folklore festival in Maramures in July and the August International Festival of Danubian Folklore in Tulcea, which hosts performers from all countries touched by the Danube river.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Public holidays in Romania are New Year's (January 1 and 2), Easter Monday, National Day (December 1) and Christmas (December 25 and 26). National Day is the anniversary of the 1918 union of all regions of Romania into a single country. The school year runs from September 15 to June 15, with holiday periods at Christmas and Easter, while university classes usually begin in mid- October.

DANGERS AND ANNOYANCES

While the crime rate in Timisoara is fairly low, pickpockets are becoming more daring. Watch your bags and pockets when using public transportation. Women may receive unwanted attention in the form of stares, hisses and honks from some members of the local male population.