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Den | Romania | History | Introduction | Geography

Effect of Geography

Topics covered in this section:

Introduction

Traditionally, scholars have had difficulty deciding what to call the geographic region where present-day Romania sits. Some label the region "Eastern Europe" or even "Central Europe." Some even get long-winded and call it "Central and Eastern Europe." Still others refer to it as the "Balkan Peninsula."

Balkan Peninsula

The term, Balkan Peninsula, is a recent invention. It was coined in 1808 by the German geographer, Johann Zeune. Before that, the Balkans didn't exist as a region on the map. And even today, scholars have trouble agreeing on its obscure definition.

It arose from a long-standing misconception that the Balkan mountain range stretched unbroken from the Black Sea to the Adriatic. Instead, we now know that the Balkan Mountains form the backbone of present-day Bulgaria, which lies south of the Danube, and that it tapers out in eastern Serbia.

Many scholars tell us that the Danube represents the northern border of the Balkan Peninsula. But that would exclude Romania, a country that figures in most Western studies of the Balkans. Even though Romanians often protest being linked to their strife-torn, neighbors to the southwest (such as Bosnia), many of their own historians place their country on the northern edge of the Balkan Peninsula.

The same applies to other Balkan countries as well. For example, during the interwar period (between World War I and II), many historians referred to Hungary as belonging to the Balkan Peninsula — a designation that has fallen out of favor since 1945. Sometimes Poland, far to the north, is included. And occasionally, East Germany is lumped into the mix. Many Croats resent being included and have long insisted that their identity is Central European in nature (though few western historians would agree). Greece is definitely part of the Balkan Peninsula, but they see themselves as a Mediterranean, not a Balkan, culture.

So where is the Balkan Peninsula? As it turns out, there is no clear consensus among scholars.

European Turkey

Many 19th century historians referred to the region as "European Turkey" or "Turkey in Europe," because the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) controlled much of the region at that time.

During that same time, however, the Austrian emperors and the Polish kings and the Russian tsars controlled large chunks of the region. So to label it as the part of Europe belonging to just one of the powerful empires is quite inaccurate.

Romania, as we'll see, had the misfortune of being located smack dab in the middle of these warring empires. And Austria, Poland, Russia, and Turkey all tried to stake their claim to Romanian territory at one time or another.

Eastern Europe

Since I have to call it something, I've decided to call it eastern Europe in these web pages because that's the name by which the region is best known in America today.

Anyone who studies the history of eastern Europe knows how difficult it is to describe its history. From time immemorial, the region has served as the crossroads between western Europe and eastern Asia and between there and northern Africa.

Center of Continent

Look at any atlas. Romania lies halfway between the Equator and the North Pole and equidistant from the westernmost part of Europe (the Atlantic Coast) and the most easterly region of the continent (the Ural Mountains). Romania's geographic location alone makes it worthwhile to study the country.

However, being at the center does not mean that all travelers passed through Romania. In fact, most of the time travelers passed well to the southwest of Romania, preferring to follow the Roman roads nearer the coastline. For centuries, the main trading caravans traveled these roads between Istanbul (former Constantinople) and Vienna, completely bypassing Romania.

Open to Invasion

Unlike the imposing mountain chains guarding the entrance into the heart of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, the Balkans offer little or no barrier against invasion. For millenia, the region was thus left virtually open to easy access and attack from all directions.

On the other hand, the irregular shape of the Balkan mountains hindered movement between one valley and the next. It also occasionally protected those who lived in the mountains from marauders. In Romania, the Carpathians restricted travel to specific riverine passageways through the mountains.

Commerce

Communication in ancient times was often easier with those outside the Balkan Peninsula than with those inside. In this fashion, the mountains have made commerce within the region more expensive and has made the process of political unification more complicated.

Even the Danube, which is so important to trade, has its flip side. It's often difficult to engage in river commerce because the Danube is blocked by narrow mountain passes. And from a merchant's point of view, the Danube boasts an even more unfavorable characteristic for carrying out trade — the Danube bends north in quite the wrong direction before reaching the Black Sea, adding many miles to the journey.

Before the Second World War, the lower Danube iced over for four to five months of the year. And before the early 19th century, while remaining the subject of many skirmishes between the Russians and Turks, it was scarcely used for commerce at all. Instead, trade caravans between the Balkans and central Europe went by road.

Diplomats and other travelers on their way to the Ottoman capital at Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) frequently left the river halfway along its course and completed their journey overland.