What is the capital of Romania?
Bucharest lies on the Dâmbovița river on the plain of southern Romania.
Bucharest is the capital and seat of government of Romania, a role it has held since 1862. Romania itself has an estimated population of 19,020,271 (2025).
Bucharest is also the largest city in Romania, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Bucharest at a glance
| City population | 1,877,155 (2021 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 2,313,519 (2021 census) |
| Country | 🇷🇴 Romania |
| Founded | 1459 |
| Capital since | 1862 |
| Largest city in Romania | Bucharest |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| Currency | Romanian leu (RON) |
About Bucharest
Bucharest first appears in records in 1459, in a document issued by Vlad the Impaler.
Bucharest has been the capital of Romania since 1862, Bucharest became the capital of Romania in 1862, after the union of Wallachia and Moldavia.
Bucharest is by far Romania's largest city and its political and economic centre.
Its grand early-20th-century architecture once earned it the nickname 'Little Paris'.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Bucharest.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Romania?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Romania on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.