Iasi

Iași

City

From top left: Palace of Culture, Vasile Alecsandri Statue in front of the National Theatre, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Golia Tower, Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Botanical Garden

Coat of arms

Nickname(s): The Cultural Capital of Romania, The City of Great Loves, The City of the Famous Destinies, The City of Great Ideas, The City of the Three Unions, The City on Seven Hills

Iași

Location of Iași within Romania (in red)

Coordinates: 47°09′25″N 27°35′25″E / 47.15694°N 27.59028°ECoordinates: 47°09′25″N 27°35′25″E / 47.15694°N 27.59028°E

Romania

Iași

Settled

Before 14th century

First official record

1408

Government

• Mayor

Mihai Chirica (PSD)

Area

• City

93.9 km² (36.3 sq mi)

• Metro

808 km² (312 sq mi)

Elevation

60 m (200 ft)

Population (2011 census)

• City

290,422

• Density

3,092/km² (8,010/sq mi)

• Metro

382,484

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

• Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Postal Code

700xxx

+40 x32

Website

Iași ([jaʃʲ]; also referred to as Jassy or Iassy) is the largest city in eastern Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859, then of the United Principalities from 1859 to 1862, and the capital of Romania from 1916 to 1918.

Known as The Cultural Capital of Romania, Iași is a symbol in Romanian history. The historian Nicolae Iorga said "There should be no Romanian who does not know of it". Still referred to as The Moldavian Capital, Iași is the main economic and business centre of the Moldavian region of Romania.

At the 2011 census, the city proper had a population of 290,422, making it the fourth most populous in Romania. With 465,477 residents (as of 2014), the Iași urban area is the second most populous in Romania (after Bucharest), whereas more than 500,000 people live within its peri-urban area. Home to the oldest Romanian university and to the first engineering school, Iași is one of the most important education and research centres of the country, and accommodates over 60,000 students in 5 public universities. The social and cultural life revolves around the Vasile Alecsandri National Theater (the oldest in Romania), the Moldova State Philharmonic, the Opera House, the Iași Athenaeum, a famous Botanical Garden (the oldest and largest in Romania), the Central University Library (the oldest in Romania), the high quality cultural centres and festivals, an array of museums, memorial houses, religious and historical monuments.

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Wikipedia