![Romania map](/pix/mini-maps/ro-map.gif)
![Romania flag](/pix/mini-flags/ro-flag.gif)
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 recognitio...more history