About 53 percent of the population live in cities. Other large cities are Brasov, Timisoara, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Galati, Craiova, Ploiesti, and Braila. Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 16. There are also several institutes and colleges of higher education. Romania has a rich and varied folk culture.
Folk music is popular, as is folk poetry.
Each of the country's regions has its own costumes, art, and customs. From this folk culture modern Romanian artists, musicians, and writers have gained much of their inspiration. Romania Index Economy and Transportation Agriculture still plays a large role in the Romanian economy, with about 20 percent of the population engaged in farming. Agriculture was collectivized by the government in 1949, but a land reform program begun in 1991 returned more than 80 percent of the country's agricultural land to nearly 5.5 million small farmers. Romania is noted for its orchards and vineyards, and a variety of wines are produced and exported.