The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (Romanian: Zona Metropolitană București) is a metropolitan area project formally established since 2016 that includes Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, and surrounding communes. If completed, it would have a population of about 2.3 million,[8] only slightly larger than that of the city proper (1.9 million). It would also be a member of the METREX network.[9]
Bucharest Metropolitan Area | |
|---|---|
Metropolitan area | |
 Bucharest skyline | |
 Bucharest (in red) and Ilfov county (in orange) | |
| Country |  Romania |
| County | Ilfov, Călărași, Ialomița, Dâmbovița, Giurgiu |
| Largest city | Bucharest |
| Component localities | 40 (first stage) 62 (intermediate stage)[1] |
| Functional | 2016[2]-2017[3] |
| Area (first stage)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,811 km2 (699 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,272,163 (first stage) |
| • Density | 1,254/km2 (3,250/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Metro | €66.0 billion |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal Code | 0 S NNNN1 |
| Area code | +40 x12 |
| Website | BMA official site |
| 1S is the number of the Sector, and NNNN is used to differentiate between streets and/or subzones. 2x is a digit indicating the operator: 2 for the former national operator, Romtelecom, and 3 for the other ground telephone networks. | |
According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a functional urban area of 2,412,530 residents (as of 2015[update]).[10]
History edit
The "Metropolitan Area" project has been initiated in 2003.[11] A survey in 2008 showed that about 70% of the population of the area favors the project.[12] The city proper has now 228 km2, but the metropolitan zone would reach 1,800 km2 in a first phase.[1] A possible name for it will probably be "Greater Bucharest".[13]
In an initial stage, the zone would include Bucharest and Ilfov County.[1] Then, there are several plans to further increase the "Metropolitan Area of Bucharest" to about 20 times the area of the city proper (from 228 km2 to 5,046 km2). It would include 6 cities and 87 communes from the Ilfov, Giurgiu and Călărași counties, and would extend all the way towards the border with Bulgaria in the south, and towards the Prahova County in the north. In an intermediate stage, the extension of the zone would include 62 out of the proposed 93 candidate localities.[12] The "Bucharest Metropolitan Area" may become the biggest port on the Danube upon completion of the Danube–Bucharest Canal.
The enlarged "Metropolitan Area" Council will have 105 councilors, twice as many are now, and the Government will appoint a governor, a position which would be homologized to the prefect of Bucharest.
Subdivisions edit
| Hierarchy of planning bodies[1] | Major localities | Area (first stage) |
Population[4] (first stage) |
Area (intermediate stage) |
Population[4] (intermediate stage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucharest | 228 km2 | 1,883,425 | 228 km2 | 1,883,425 | |
| Ilfov County (all localities) | 1,285 km2 | 388,738 | 1,285 km2 | 388,738 | |
| ↓ | Voluntari | 37 km2 | 42,944 | 37 km2 | 42,944 |
| Pantelimon | 69 km2 | 25,596 | 69 km2 | 25,596 | |
| Buftea | 55 km2 | 22,178 | 55 km2 | 22,178 | |
| Popești-Leordeni | 56 km2 | 21,895 | 56 km2 | 21,895 | |
| Bragadiru | 22 km2 | 15,329 | 22 km2 | 15,329 | |
| Chitila | 13 km2 | 14,184 | 13 km2 | 14,184 | |
| Otopeni | 32 km2 | 13,861 | 32 km2 | 13,861 | |
| Măgurele | 45 km2 | 11,041 | 45 km2 | 11,041 | |
| Giurgiu County (11 localities) | 656 km2 | 65,825 | |||
| ↓ | Bolintin-Vale | 41 km2 | 12,929 | ||
| Mihăilești | 69 km2 | 7,923 | |||
| Călărași County (5 localities) | 295 km2 | 23,492 | |||
| ↓ | Fundulea | 23 km2 | 6,851 | ||
| Dâmbovița County (3 localities) | 206 km2 | 16,059 | |||
| Ialomița County (2 localities) | 56 km2 | 4,054 | |||
| BMA | 1,811 km2 | 2,272,163 | 2,726 km2 | 2,381,593 |
Economy edit
In 2020 Bucharest's gross metropolitan product was €61 billion. This puts Bucharest in 37th place among cities in European Union.[14]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Map of the BMA". 13 June 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "BMA will be extended to the Danube". 13 June 2011. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016.
- ^ "BMA ready in 10 years". 7 May 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "Population at 20 October 2011" (in Romanian). INSSE. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "ZONA METROPOLITANĂ BUCUREŞTI ÎN CIFRE Capitala ar câştiga peste 430.000 de locuitori". adevarul.ro. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". www.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions". ec.europa.eu.
- ^ "Adevarul: The BMZ in numbers". Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "METREX - The Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas". Eurometrex.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- ^ "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex - functional urban areas". Eurostat. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ http://www.clubafaceri.ro/info_stiri/2008/01/07/15601/Bucuresti+2009,+orasul+interzis.html. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)[dead link] - ^ a b [1] Archived August 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Zona Metropolitana Bucuresti ar urma sa se intinda pana la Dunare" (in Romanian)
- ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat".
External links edit
- springerlink.com
- (in Romanian) "Metropolitan Zone of Bucharest will be ready in 10 years" Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
- (in Romanian) "Official site of Metropolitan Zone of Bucharest Project"
- 9am.ro Archived 2007-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
- wall-street.ro
- romanialibera.ro Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
- The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (PDF)