…Volumul 19, ediţia din 1970, limba engleză. Am citit aseară, din curiozitate, fragmente despre România, la data publicării – Rumania – Republica Socialistă România. Redau aici câteva fraze. Pentru că mi s-au părut interesante.

“Ethnic Origins. – The Rumanian people, like all national groups in Eastern Europe, are of extremly mixed ethnic origins. In the main they appear to derive from the Thracian peoples who lived in the region in late prehistoric and Roman times, but they incorporate many other elements: the Roman settlers of the 2nd century A.D., the Slav invaders of the 7th and 8th centuries, Magyar invaders of the 9th and 10th centuries, as well as Turks, Germans, gypsies, and Jews. […]

This variety of ethnic origin in reflected in the physical diversity of the Rumanian people. In terms of head shape there is a marked contrast between the brachycephalic peoples of the mountains and Transylvania, and the mesocephalic peoples of the eastern and southern plains. This division ignores language and ethnic tradition. In general the Rumanians are medium height, 5ft. 5 1/3in.-5 ft. 5 3/4 in. (166-167 cm) though somewhat shorter in the northwest. Pigmentation shows greater variation; coloration is predominantly dark in the southeast, but over much of the country people are of medium to dark coloration, with a tendency for brunets to predominate. In a few areas, notably Transylvania, a blond tye is numerous. […]

VI. The Economy

Rumania is one of the less-developed European countries, primarily because of its exposure to invasion and its record of unstable internal politics. The country failed during the 20th century to attract adequate investment capital, and during the 1930s came to be attached to the German economy very largery in the role of supplier of unprocessed farm products.”