Bucharest Geography

Bucharest is situated on the banks of the Dāmbovita River, which flows into the Argeo River, a tributary of the Danube. Several lakes - the most important of which are Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei and Lake Colentina - stretch across the city, along a tributary of the Dāmbovi?a, named the Colentina River.

In addition, in the center of the capital there is a small artificial lake - Lake Ciomigiu. The lake is surrounded by the Ciomigiu Gardens, which were opened in 1847 after the plans of the German architect Carl F.W. Meyer and are currently the main recreational facility in the city centre.

The Ciomigiu Gardens have a rich history, being frequented by famous poets and writers. Alongside Ciomigiu, Bucharest contains two other large parks and gardens - Herastrau Park and the Botanical Garden. Herastrau is a large public park located in the north of the city, and the site of the Village Museum, while the Botanical Garden is the largest in Romania and contains over 10,000 species of plants, including various exotic ones.

Bucharest is situated in the southeastern corner of the Romanian Plain, in an area once covered by the Vlasiei forest, which, after it was cleared, gave way to a fertile flatland. As with many cities, Bucharest is traditionally considered to have seven hills, in the tradition of the seven hills of Rome. Bucharest's seven hills are: Mihai Voda, Patriarchy Hill, Radu Voda, Cotroceni, Spirei, Vacareoti and Sf. Gheorghe Nou.

The city has a total area of 226 km2. The altitude varies from 55.8 metres at the Dāmbovi?a bridge in Ca?elu, south-eastern Bucharest and 91.5 m at the Militari church. The city has a relatively round shape, with the centre (Km 0) situated at University Square, one of the main squares of the city. Bucharest's radius, from University Square to the city limits in all directions, varies from about 10 to 12 km.

Until recently, the regions surrounding Bucharest were largely rural, but after 1989, new suburbs started to be built around Bucharest, in the surrounding Ilfov county. Further urban consolidation is expected to take place when the Bucharest metropolitan area is formed in 2006, which will incorporate various communes and cities of Ilfov and surrounding counties.