BUCHAREST
- Location: Southern Romania
- Elevation: 190-295 ft (55-90 m)
- Size: City of Bucharest - 88 sq.miles (228 sq.km); Metropolitan area - 587 sq.miles (1,521 sq.km)
- Population: 1,921000(2014)
- Public transportation: buses, trams, trolleybuses, light rail, minibuses and taxis,metro.
- Airports: Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP) and Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU).
Romanian legend has it that the city of Bucharest was founded on the banks of the Dambovita River by a shepherd named Bucur, whose name literarily means "joy".
The capital of Romania is the sixth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Paris. Economically, it is the most prosperous city in the country and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe. Known for its wide, tree-lined boulevards, glorious Belle Époque buildings and a reputation for the high life which in the 1900s earned the nickname of "Little Paris", today Bucharest is a bustling metropolis.
Bucharest is the center of the Romanian media, culture and art with a mixture of medieval, neoclassical and art nouveau architecture transposed in beautiful buildings (The Palace of Parliament, The Arch of Triumph, Romanian Athenaeum), parks (Herăstrău Park, Cişmigiu Park). In terms of visual arts, the city has museums featuring both classical and contemporary Romanian art, as well as selected international works. The National Museum of Art housed by the Royal Palace features collections of medieval and modern Romanian art that include works by Constantin Brâncuși, as well as an international collection of the Romanian Royal family.
Bucharest is also well known through its Old Town, a good place to stay with friends all over the day and night, full of bars, clubs and historical buildings.
Bucharest's public transport system is the most complex and well developed in Romania. It is made up of the underground Metro as well as the surface transport system which consists of buses, trams, trolleybuses, light rail, minibuses and taxis.
Reaching Bucharest by airway is very easy through the two international airports: Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) and Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU).