Here's why:
* History: Romania shares a long and complex history with its Slavic neighbors. The Romanians, descended from Roman colonists, were exposed to Slavic languages for centuries.
* Geographic Proximity: Romania is geographically situated in the heart of the Balkans, surrounded by Slavic-speaking countries like Bulgaria, Serbia, and Ukraine.
* Linguistic Influence: Over time, the Romanian language absorbed numerous Slavic words, particularly related to everyday life, culture, and administration.
Examples of Slavic Words in Romanian:
* Bani (money) - from the Slavic word *bani*
* Cioban (shepherd) - from the Slavic word *čoban*
* Druga (second, other) - from the Slavic word *druga*
* Slavă (glory) - from the Slavic word *slava*
While Romanian has the highest percentage of Slavic loanwords among the Romance languages, other Romance languages like Italian and Spanish also have some Slavic influence, though to a lesser extent.