Metropolitan areas in Romania

The current legislation in Romania regulates the status of the 265 cities according to their population and regional importance:

• Rank 0 – Bucharest, the capital of Romania – municipality of European importance
• Rank I – municipality of national importance, with regional role and potential influence at European level
• Rank II – municipality of national, regional or county-level importance, or with equilibrium role in the network of cities
• Rank III – cities

Legislation also restricts the possibility to engage into a metropolitan area project to only those cities that are of rank 0 or I.[1] Here is a list of the municipalities that as of 2007 can for metropolitan areas around them with approximate populations.[2] Only three zones have been officially constituted by the end of 2007: Oradea, Iasi and Constanta.[3] At least 9 others are at the level of project.

• Bucharest metropolitan area[16] – As of 2011, it has a population of about 2.2 million and is only slightly larger than the city proper. There are plans to greatly enlarge the metropolitan area all the way to the Danube. A possible name would be Greater Bucharest.[17] Currently, the project advances slowly.[18]
• Timișoara metropolitan area[19][20] – In 2016, the population of the metropolitan population was 468,162 with a total area of 2439,19 km².
• Danube metropolitan area[21] – It is formed by the cities of Galaţi and Brăila and is estimated to have a population of about 500,000.
• Bacău metropolitan area[22][23] – It includes the urban area of Bacău and other surrounding localities, with a total population of around 200,000.
• Ploiești metropolitan area[24] – It is made up of the urban area of Ploieşti and other surrounding localities. It has a population of more than 300,000.
• Suceava–Botoșani conurbation[25] – It includes the metropolitan areas of Suceava and Botoșani, with a total population of over 250,000 inhabitants.

^*Timișoara and Arad intend to form the Arad–Timișoara Conurbation.[26] ^**Suceava and Botoșani might form a conurbation

In the EU, as defined by Eurostat, a functional urban area (FUA) – formerly known as larger urban zone (LUZ) – consists of a city and its commuting zone.

• 
  Bucharest
• 
  Iași
• 
  Cluj-Napoca
• 
  Galați
• 
  Brașov
• 
  Ploiești
• 
  Oradea
• 
  Bacău
• 
  Craiova
• 
  Pitești

• List of cities in Romania