Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital city and industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is located in the southeast of the country, at 44°25'N 26°06'E, and lies on the banks of the Dāmbovita River.

By European standards Bucharest is not an old city, its existence being first referred to by scholars as late as 1459. Since then it has gone through a variety of changes becoming the state capital of Romania in 1862 and, by the present day, the centre of the Romanian mass media, culture and the arts.

Its eclectic architecture - which is a mix of historical, Communist-era and modern - is not the least of them. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite gave Bucharest the nickname of the "Paris of the East" or "Little Paris".

Although much of the historic center was damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes and Nicolae Ceau?escu's program of systematization, much survived, and in recent years the city is experiencing an economic and cultural boom. According to the 2002 census, Bucharest has a population of 1,921,751 inhabitants in the city proper.

There are approximately 2.3 million inhabitants in the greater metropolitan area. Economically, the city is by far the most prosperous in Romania and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of the region. As the most important city in Romania, Bucharest has a broad range of educational facilities.