ered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Airports:
2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Reunion

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 183,421 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 142,578 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 7,339 (2005 est.)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Reunion

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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@Romania

Introduction Romania

Background:
The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under
the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their
autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted
the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its
independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and
acquired new territories following the conflict. In 1940, it allied
with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of
the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed
an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of
a Communist "people's 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. In 2000, the center-left
Social Democratic Party (PSD) became Romania's leading party,
governing with the support of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in
Romania (UDMR). The opposition center-right alliance formed by the
National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Party (PD) scored a
surprise victory over the ruling PSD in December 2004 presidential
elections. The PNL-PD alliance maintains a parliamentary majority
with the support of th