Craiova

From left: Dolj County Prefecture • Constantin Mihail Palace • Bibescu Manor House • Carol I National College • Museum of Oltenia• University of Craiova

Coat of arms

Nickname(s): Bans' Citadel
(Romanian: Cetatea Băniei)

Craiova

Location of Craiova

Coordinates: 44°20′N 23°49′E / 44.333°N 23.817°E

Romania

Government

• Mayor

Lia Olguța Vasilescu (Social Democratic Party)

Area

• City

81.41 km² (31.43 sq mi)

• Metro

1,498.6 km² (578.6 sq mi)

Elevation

100 m (300 ft)

Population (2011 census)

• City

269,506

• Density

2,994/km² (7,750/sq mi)

• Metro

356,544

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

• Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Postal code

200xxx

Area code(s)

(+40) 51

Vehicle registration

Website

www.primariacraiova.ro

Coordinates: 44°20′00″N 23°49′00″E / 44.333333°N 23.816667°E / 44.333333; 23.816667

Craiova (Romanian pronunciation: [kraˈjova]), Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians (north) and the River Danube (south). Craiova is the chief commercial city west of Bucharest and the most important city of Oltenia. The city prospered as a regional trading centre despite an earthquake in 1790, a plague in 1795, and a Turkish assault in 1802 during which it was burned.

Eight villages are administered by the city: Făcăi, Mofleni, Popoveni, Șimnicu de Jos, Cernele, Cernelele de Sus, Izvoru Rece and Rovine. The last four were a separate commune called Cernele until 1996, when they were merged into the city.

There are two possible etymologies for Craiova: Old Slavonic ("king"), which has been borrowed in Romania as and Slavonic krajina ("border" or "edge"). Since no source prior to 1475 mentions the city, it's impossible to tell which of the two words is the real etymology. The name is probably of Bulgarian or Serbian origin, due to historical autochthonous minorities in the area.

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Wikipedia