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Ploieşti
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Ploieşti
Ploieştiployĕsht', city (1990 pop. 259,014), S central Romania, in Walachia. It is the chief center of the Romanian petroleum industry and of the Ploieşti oil region. The city is a railroad hub and is linked by oil pipelines with Bucharest and the ports of Giurgiu on the Danube River and Constanţa on the Black Sea. It has large refineries and oil storage installations and is an industrial center with varied manufactures. Founded in 1596 by Prince Michael the Brave of Walachia, Ploieşti grew in the 19th cent. into the largest oil-producing center of SE Europe. After Romania signed (1940) a mutual cooperation pact with the Axis powers that provided substantial Romanian oil to Germany, the Allies heavily bombed the city. An earthquake in 1940 also inflicted severe damage. After World War II, Romania nationalized the Ploieşti oil industry, which until then had been owned largely by foreign interests. Under Communist rule, massive investments in the petroleum and petrochemical industries were made in the drive to modernize.

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Wikipedia search results for: Ploieşti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ploieşti is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia, Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest. In 2002, it had a population of 232,527, making it the ninth-largest city in Romania. The town was established in 1596, during the reign of Mihai Viteazul. It rapidly flourished as a center for 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 1882. Many schools and hospitals were built around this time. In the mid-19th century, the Ploieşti region was one of the world's leading oil extraction and refinery...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Ploieşti
Results 1 - 4  of 4
  • Giurgiu

    Giurgiu, city (1990 pop. 71,875), S Romania, in Walachia, on the Danube River opposite Ruse, Bulgaria, with which it is linked by a bridge. An important inland port, Giurgiu is connected by tw...

  • Cîmpina

    Cîmpina, town (1990 pop. 40,473), S central Romania, in Walachia. It is a major petroleum center; chemical and engineering works are also located there. In the foothills of the Transylvanian A...

  • Constanţa

    Constanţa, city (1990 pop. 355,402), SE Romania, on the Black Sea. It is the administrative center of Dobruja and a major railroad junction and industrial city, but its chief importance derive...

  • Walachia

    Walachia or Wallachia, historic region (29,568 sq mi/76,581 sq km), S Romania. The Transylvanian Alps separate it in the NW from Transylvania and the Banat; the Danube separates it from Serbia...

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