What is the only country of Eastern Europe whose language developed from Latin?

Amidst a sea of Slavic languages that dominate Eastern Europe, one country's national tongue stands out as a linguistic outlier. It belongs to the Romance language family, sharing ancient roots with Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. This is because its origins trace directly back to the Vulgar Latin spoken by soldiers and colonists of the Roman Empire.

This unique linguistic heritage dates back to the 2nd century AD, when the Roman Emperor Trajan conquered the ancient kingdom of Dacia, a region that covers much of the modern-day country. For over 150 years, Roman influence was profound, and the local population gradually adopted the Latin language of their rulers.

What makes this history so remarkable is the language's survival. After the Roman Empire withdrew, the Latin-speaking population became an isolated island, surrounded for centuries by migrating peoples speaking Slavic and Hungarian languages. While its core grammar and vocabulary remain Latin-based, the language also absorbed many words from its neighbors (Review), giving it a truly unique character.