Historical Regions of Romania

At various times during the late 19th and 20th centuries, Romania extended over the following historical regions:

Wallachia:

  • Muntenia or Greater Wallachia: as part of Wallachia, joined Moldavia in 1859 to create modern Romania;
  • Oltenia or Lesser Wallachia: as part of Wallachia, joined Moldavia in 1859 to create modern Romania;

Moldavia:

  • western Moldavia: joined Wallachia in 1859 to create modern Romania; the Hertza region is today in Ukraine;
  • Bucovina: in Romania between 1918 and World War II, today divided between Romania and Ukraine;
  • Bessarabia (eastern Moldavia) (including Budjak): in Romania between 1918 and World War II, today divided between Moldova and Ukraine.

Dobruja:

  • Northern Dobrogea (including Snake Island): today in Romania (excepting some Danubian islands and the Snake Island which are located in URSS since 1948 and in Ukraine since 1991);
  • Southern Dobruja or Cadrilater: in Romania between 1913 and 1940, today in Bulgaria.

Wallachia, western Moldavia, and Dobruja are sometimes referred collectively as the Regat (The Kingdom), as they formed the Romanian "Old" Kingdom before World War I.

Transylvania (and Partium):

  • former principality of Transylvania: in Romania since 1918;
  • Banat (part of the historic Partium region): since 1918 divided between Romania, Serbia and Hungary;
  • Crişana (part of the historic Partium region): since 1918 divided between Romania and Hungary;
  • Maramureş (part of the historic Partium region): southern part in Romania since 1918, northern part currently in Ukraine.

During or after World War II Romania lost some of the above mentioned regions: Southern Dobruja (in 1940), Northern Bukovina and Hertza (in 1940), the Snake Island (in 1948) and Bessarabia (in 1940). Transnistria was also occupied for a short time during World War II by Romania (from 1941 to 1944).

Famous quotes containing the words historical and/or regions:

    “This seems a long while ago, and yet it happened since Milton wrote his Paradise Lost. But its antiquity is not the less great for that, for we do not regulate our historical time by the English standard, nor did the English by the Roman, nor the Roman by the Greek.... From this September afternoon, and from between these now cultivated shores, those times seemed more remote than the dark ages.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “In common with other rural regions much of the Iowa farm lore concerns the coming of company. When the rooster crows in the doorway, or the cat licks his fur, company is on the way.”
    —For the State of Iowa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)