Cluj-Napoca(pronunciation in Romanian: /'kluʒ na'poka/; Hungarian: Kolozsvár; German: Klausenburg; Latin: Napoca, Castrum Clus, Claudiopolis)
Until 1974 Cluj, is the third largest city in Romania, and the seat of Cluj County, in north-western Transylvania. Geographically, it is roughly equally distant from Bucharest (426 km / 265 mi), Budapest (397 km / 247 mi) and Belgrade (455 km / 283 mi). The city lies in the valley of the Someşul Mic River and is the capital of the historical province of Transylvania.
As of July 2007, 310,243 inhabitants live within the city limits, a slight decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census. The Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area has a population of 360 thousand people, while the population of the peri-urban area (Romanian: zona periurbană) exceeds 400 thousand residents. The new metropolitan government of Cluj-Napoca should be functional as early as June 2008. Lastly, according to an official from City Hall, the total population of the city is as high as 504 thousand, including students and other non-residents (Romanian flotanţi, "floating population").
The city spreads out from St. Michael's Church in Unirii Square, built in the 14th century and named after the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Cluj-Napoca.The boundaries of the municipality contain a relatively small area, of 179.52 square kilometres (69.31 sq mi). According to real estate experts, because of infrastructure development, localities (comune) such as Feleacu, Vâlcele, Mărtineşti, Jucu and Baciu will eventually become neighbourhoods of the city, thereby enlarging its area.
Cluj-Napoca experienced a decade of decline during the 1990s, its international reputation suffering from the policies of its mayor of the time, Gheorghe Funar. His acts of ethnic provocation against the Hungarian-speaking minority did much to deter investors; however, the situation changed dramatically after his ouster, with the city entering a period of rapid growth in terms of economics and demographics—the city's population is projected, according to officials at City Hall, to more than double by the late 2010s.Thus Cluj-Napoca became the only growing city developing between Bucharest and Budapest. Today, the city is one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centres in Romania. Among other institutions, it hosts the largest university in the country, Babeş-Bolyai University, with its famous botanical garden; nationally renowned cultural institutions; as well as the largest Romanian-owned commercial bank. Monocle magazine identified Cluj-Napoca as one of the top five places worldwide that are due their turn in the international spotlight during 2008. According to the American magazine InformationWeek, Cluj-Napoca is quickly becoming Romania's technopolis.
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