Romania is a republic in Southeastern Europe bordering the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Hungary and Moldova. Apart from the latter two, Roman Romania is surrounded by Slavic lands. The country has many cultures, languages and religions that are mutually influenced. The continental climate (cold winters and warm summers) and the mountain range of the Carpathians provide diverse landscapes with untouched nature, primeval forests and plains. On the Black Sea there are wide sandy beaches and a river delta. On a territory of 238,391 km², Romania has 21,302,893 (2020) inhabitants. The capital Bucharest - called Little Paris in the interbellum - is the city of Romania and a tourist attraction. During the Soviet regime, Romania held a separate place in the Eastern Bloc and enjoyed a relatively independent foreign policy. Romania has been a member of NATO since 2004 and the European Union since 2007. It has the sixth largest population and is the eighth largest country in the EU. The Romanian language belongs to the Romance languages and is related to Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese.