Ploiești is the capital of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located 56 km north of Bucharest. According to the 2002 Romanian census, there were 232,527 people living within the city of Ploiești, making it the 9th most populous city in Romania.

History The town was established in 1596, during the reign of Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave). It rapidly flourished as a center of trade and handicraft manufacturing in the 17th and 18th centuries. The road connecting Ploieşti to Braşov was opened in 1864, and the railway arrived in Many schools and hospitals were built around this time.

The world's first oil refinery opens at Ploieşti, Romania World's first large refinery opened at Ploieşti, in , with US investment.

Demographics The population of Ploieşti went from 56,460, as indicated by the December 1912 census returns, up to 252,715 in January Ploieşti city 5,844 ha (14,440 acres) has become the nucleus of a metropolitan area which includes 14 localities, adding around 100,000 new inhabitants to the administrative area. For 2010, Ploieşti has an estimated population of 227,194, the 9th most populous city in Romania.

Economy After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Ploieşti experienced rapid economic growth due to major investments from foreign companies. The city is situated at just 60 km north from Bucharest, with promising infrastructure projects currently underway. Ploieşti is a strong industrial center, focused especially on the oil production and refining industry.

Transportation Ploieşti is situated on the future highway Bucharest– Braşov, the main path towards the north and west provinces and the Western EU. The Henri Coanda International Airport is just at 45 km distance, and the ski resorts from Prahova Valley can be reached in one hour driving. The scarcity of modern motorways and well-built roads surrounding Ploieşti, and Romania in general makes transport a challenge. Under the scrutiny of the EU, the motorway infrastructure will improve substantially over the next few years.

Culture and education Ploieşti is home to the Oil & Gas University, Ploieşti Philharmonic Orchestra—one of the top-rated philharmonic orchestras in Romania and two prestigious football clubs in Liga 1, Astra and Petrolul. There are many cultural and architectural monuments, including the Cultural Palace; the Clock Museum, featuring a collection of clocks and watches gathered by Nicolae Simache; the Oil Museum; the Art Museum of Ploieşti, donated by the Quintus family; and the Hagi Prodan Museum, dating from 1785: the property of a merchant named Ivan Hagi Prodan, it contains elements of old Romanian architecture and for a short time after World War I it hosted the first museum in Ploieşti, "Prahova's Museum". In August 2011,Ploiesti hosted the Golden Carpathian European Film & Fair and Goran Bregovic concert.