Revista Haemus nr. 30-32 - Libraria pentru toti

QYTETE / ORAŞE
Bucharest
Bucharest, the most popullous and most important town of Romania, the
principal political, administrative, economic, financial, banking,
educational, scientific and cultural centre of the country. Located in S-SE
Romania, at an altitude of 60-90 m, on the Dâmbovita and Colentina rivers,
at 44°25'50" Latitude North and 26°06'50" Longitude East, at about the
same latitude as Belgrade, Geneva, Bordeaux, Minneapolis, and the same
longitude as Helisinki and Johannesburg. The town has an area of 228 sq.
km. and a population of 2,021,000 (on 01.01.1998), accounting for 9% of
the total population and for 15% of the urban one. In terms of population
size, Bucharest ranks third in the region after Athens and Istambul.
The climate is one of extremes, with hot summers (July average
temperature, 23° C / 73° F) and cold winters (January average, -3° C / 27°
F). Rainfall is low, averaging 585 mm (23 in) annually, and comes mainly
in summer.
The city has grown rapidly, doubling its size since World War II. The
earliest city lay on rising ground on the left bank of the Dimbovita. This
rural town was replaced beginning in the 1860s by an elegant capital with
French-inspired architecture that caused it to be known as the Paris of the
Balkans.
The Communist planners extended the wide boulevards begin in the 19th
century. They also laid out squares and erected massive buildings-many of
them markedly Soviet in style--including the Communist party headquarters
and the giant building which housed the government printing and publishing
works. Among the post-World War II buildings are many huge, utilitarian
apartment blocks of no particular aesthetic distinction. A number of historic
churches and synagogues were razed by order of Romania's authoritarian
president Nicolae Ceausescu to make way for these building projects.
Under Communist rule many small factories were nationalized and merged
into large state-run enterprises. Since 1950 many new industries have been
established, including clothing, mechanical engineering, and the
manufacture of farm equipment. Bucharest also has many food processing
factories.
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