The city of Bucharest is the capital of Romania. It is the most important political, economic and cultural center of the country. In addition, Bucharest is one of the most beautiful, most populated cities in the South-East of Europe.
From the history
The city of Bucharest is located in the southeastern part of Romania, in the Lower Danube lowland on the small river Dymbovice, 45 km from the Danube. There is a chain of lakes in the northern part of the city, the largest is Lake Floreasca. The first mention of the city of Bucharest dates back to 1459, found in the documents of Vlad Tepes. At that time, Vlad Tepes (ruler of Wallachia) built a fortress on the site of present-day Bucharest to protect against the Turks, which was erected in the Wallachian kodr (forests).
Active settlement began on the cleared lands. A large city has gradually grown, it, like Rome, is located on seven hills at an altitude of 55.8 m above sea level, and its southeastern part, in the area of the Militari Church, rises 91.5 meters.
200 years later, Bucharest becomes the capital of Wallachia (present-day Romania). After the formation of the Romanian state in 1862, Bucharest was proclaimed its capital.
Handsome Bucharest grows
In the next century, the city continues to expand and develop intensively, using the French style "Bezar". Wide city boulevards, immersed in greenery, are designed to resemble Ottoman Paris. In the very center of the city there is an artificial lake called Cismigiu, which is lost in gardens and parks.
For centuries in a row, Bucharest has been surrounded by countryside. After the events of 1989, the city began to grow rapidly due to the construction and development of suburban areas. Today the area of the city is 238 square kilometers.
Bucharest population
Romania, in essence, was an agricultural country until the middle of the twentieth century, and therefore a rural population predominated there. The population in Bucharest has started to increase in the last two centuries, due to the urbanization of Romania. Currently, Bucharest is home to about 9% of the total population of the country.
The bulk of Bucharest's population is ethnic Romanians, who make up about 97%. Roma make up 1.4% of the population. Hungarians, Jews and Chinese - ranging from 0.3-0.1% of Bucharest residents.
According to data from 2000-2002, the average life expectancy in Bucharest was about 73 years, throughout Romania - 71 years, ie. 2 years less.
More than 96% of Bucharest residents profess the Orthodox religion, followed by Roman Catholics, Muslims and Greek Catholics.
The unemployment rate in the capital is also lower than throughout Romania, 2.7% in Bucharest and 5.5% in the country. Currently, Bucharest (together with the suburbs) is home to 1.8 million people. Bucharest is the most populous city in Southeast Europe.
