A plain invaded on many occasions from all sides, bordered in the East by the Carpathian Mountains and by the Black Sea in the West, Romania is a recent country, whose first origins date back to the 14th century. Strongly linked to Western Europe for linguistic and political reasons it almost completely disappeared following the pact concluded between Hitler and Stalin. During the Cold War, it became the Soviet satellite which undoubtedly suffered the worst dictatorship. The economic and political consequences can still be felt and explain why Romania was unable to join the EU only in 2007, after undertaking some major reforms. The seventh most populous country of Europe, close to the gas fields of Central Asia, Romania could soon become a key partner in European integration.