Country in Eastern Europe, bordering Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria, as well as the Black Sea. Called Romania because it was a province of the Roman Empire (which was then called Dacia) and the Latin language stuck, rather than reverting to the previous language after the Romans pulled out of the area (as did surrounding areas). The Romanians still speak a Latin-descended language (with a large Slavic vocabulary that has crept in from surrounding languages) . The country became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1881.