Location : Lat 44*57'06" N
        Long 26*01'15" E
        Grid  KN34AW

  Ploiesti is the capital city of Prahova judet (county), southeastern Romania.It is situated between the valleys of the Prahova and Teleajen rivers, north of Bucharest (60 km).According to legend the city was named after its founder, Father Ploaie, an escapee from Transylvania.The city is first documented in the 16th century as a military camp for the army of Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazu), but not until the mid-19th century did Ploiesti begin to develop rapidly.In 1856 one of the first oil refineries in the world was opened near Ploiesti, and the city's growth since that time has been directly related to that of the expanding Romanian petroleum industry.Ploiesti is the country's primary petroleum centre, having refineries, storage tanks, oil field equipment works and a distillery.Other products include textiles, drilling equipment, hardware, paper and cardboard,glass and leather goods, furniture and clay products.Coca-Cola company has a factory in Ploiesti and also British American Tobacco and Efes Pilsener Breweries.At Brazi, south of the city, is a giant petrochemical complex.
  Asa cultural centre, the city has six museums, including Clock Museum, Art Museum and Oil Museum wich traces the development of the Romanian petroleum industry, two theaters and two concert halls.
     During World War II, Ploiesti was repeatedly bombed by planes of the United States, Great Britain and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.The first US raid on the oil refineries at Ploiesti, on August 1, 1943, was one of the largest of the war and it destroyed nearly 50% of theire productive capacity.
     In 1992 population was 252.073 inhabitants.