Constanța (, , ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

historical region History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. A

port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...

, it is the capital of

Constanța County Constanța () is a Counties of Romania, county (județ) of Romania on the Bulgaria–Romania border, border with Bulgaria, in the Dobruja region. Its capital city is also named Constanța. Demographics In 2021, it had a population of 655,997 ...

and the country's fourth largest city and principal port on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

coast. It is also the oldest continuously inhabited city in the region, founded around 600 BC, and among the oldest in Europe. As of the 2021 census, Constanța has a population of 263,688. The Constanța metropolitan area includes 14 localities within of the city. It is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Romania. Ethnic

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

became a majority in the city in the early 20th century. The city still has small Tatar and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

communities, which were substantial in previous centuries, as well as Turkish and Romani residents, among others. Constanța has a rich multicultural heritage, as, throughout history, it has been part of different cultures, including Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman. Following the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Romania, Principality of Serbia, Serbia, and Principality of ...

, Constanța became part of Romania, and the city, which at the time had a population of just over 5,000 inhabitants, grew significantly throughout the 20th century. The Port of Constanța has an area of and a length of about . It is the largest port on the Black Sea, and one of the largest ports in Europe.

History

Ancient history

Tomis was founded in the 6th century BC as a Greek colony as were nearby the colonies of Histria, Orgame and Kallatis in the same era. The site had the advantage of a fine harbour, the Carasu valley offering an inland shortcut from the sea to the Danube, and fertile land nearby. The peninsula on which it was sited has high cliffs protecting Tomis from cold winds and from attack. Most of the ancient city is covered by the modern day Constanta, making archaeology difficult. In the 5th century BC it was under the influence of the

Delian League The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

, passing in this period from

oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Members of this group, called oligarchs, generally hold usually hard, but sometimes soft power through nobility, fame, wealth, or education; or t ...

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

. The war for the ''emporion'' of Tomis took place in the middle of the 3rd century BC. In 29 BC the Romans captured the region from the Odrysian kingdom and annexed it as far as the Danube. It was a member, perhaps the capital, of the Hexapolis alliance of Greek cities with Histria, Callatis, Dionysupolis, Odessos and Mesambria. In AD 8, the Roman poet

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

(43 BC–17 AD) was banished to Tomis by Emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

for the last eight years of his life. He lamented his Tomisian exile in his poems '' Tristia'' and '' Epistulae ex Ponto''. Tomis was "by his account a town located in a war-stricken cultural wasteland on the remotest margins of the empire". A number of inscriptions found in and around the city show that Constanța stands over the site of Tomis. Some of these finds are now preserved in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

in London. The city was afterwards included in the Province of

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

and, from the time of

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

, in Scythia Minor of which it was the capital. In 269 the city was attacked by the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

who succeeded in destroying only suburbs outside the walls. The city lay at the seaward end of the Great Wall of Trajan. Tomis was later called Constantiana, possibly in honour of Constantia, the half-sister of Roman Emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

or his son

Constantius II Constantius II (; ; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civ ...

, a name mentioned for the town by

Procopius of Caesarea Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Emperor Justinian's wars, Procopius became the pr ...

. In 395, Tomis was assigned to the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Middle Ages

During

Maurice's Balkan campaigns Maurice's Balkan campaigns were a series of military expeditions conducted by Byzantine emperor, Roman Emperor Maurice (emperor), Maurice (reigned 582–602) in an attempt to defend the Balkans, Balkan provinces of the Byzantine Empire, Roman Empi ...

, Tomis was besieged by the Avars in the winter of 597/598. It was conquered at the Battle of Ongal by the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...

in 680. It stayed under Bulgarian rule until the Byzantines under John I Tzimiskes retook it in the Rus-Byzantine War of 970-971. Tomis was then seized by the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

during the Uprising of Asen and Peter in 1186. By the 14th century Italian nautical maps used the name Constanza. After almost 200 years as part of Bulgaria, and becoming subsequently an independent principality of Dobrotitsa/Dobrotici and of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

under

Mircea I of Wallachia Mircea the Elder (, ; 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after whose death he inherited the throne. After the dea ...

, Constanța fell under Ottoman rule around 1411.

Recent history

A railroad linking Constanța to

Cernavodă Cernavodă () is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021. The town's name is derived from the Bulgarian ''černa voda'' ( in Cyrillic), meaning 'black water'. This name is regarded by some s ...

was laid in 1860. In spite of damage done by railway contractors considerable remains of ancient walls, pillars, etc. came to light. What is thought to have been a port building was excavated, and revealed the substantial remains of one of the longest

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

pavements in the world. In 1878, after the Romanian War of Independence, Constanța and the rest of

Northern Dobruja Northern Dobruja ( or simply ; , ''Severna Dobrudzha'') is the part of Dobruja within the borders of Romania. It lies between the lower Danube, Danube River and the Black Sea, bordered in the south by Southern Dobruja, which is a part of Bulgaria. ...

were ceded by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

to Romania. The city became Romania's main seaport and the transit point for much of Romania's exports. The Constanța Casino, a historic monument and a symbol of the modern city, was the first building constructed on the shore of the Black Sea after Dobruja came under Romanian administration, with the cornerstone being laid in 1880. On 22 October 1916 (during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

), the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

(German, Turkish and Bulgarian troops) occupied Constanța. According to the Treaty of Bucharest of May 1918, article X.b. (a treaty never ratified by Romania), Constanța remained under the joint control of the Central Powers. The city came afterwards under Bulgarian rule after a protocol regarding the transfer of the jointly administered zone in Northern Dobruja to Bulgaria had been signed in Berlin on 24 September 1918, by Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. The agreement was short-lived: five days later, on 29 September, Bulgaria capitulated after the successful offensive on the Macedonian front (see the Armistice of Salonica), and the Allied troops liberated the city in 1918. In the interwar years, the city became Romania's main commercial hub, so that by the 1930s over half of its exports were exiting via the port. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when Romania joined the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

, Constanța was a major target for the Allied bombers. While the town was left relatively unscathed, the port suffered extensive damage, recovering only in the early 1950s. Following the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the blockading of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports led to renewed interest in the port of Constanta as one possible outlet for transporting grain to the rest of the world.

Geography

Constanța is the administrative center of the county with the same name and the largest city in the Southeastern development region of Romania. The city is located on the

coast, with a beach length of .

Main sights

Ovid's Square

The

Emperor Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

exiled the Roman poet

to what was then Tomis in 8 AD. In 1887, the sculptor

Ettore Ferrari Ettore Ferrari (Rome, 25 March 1845 – Rome, 19 August 1929) was an Italian sculptor and Grand Master Mason. Biography Born in Rome to an artistic family (his father was also a painter), Ferrari was one of the members of the artistic rebirth ...

designed a statue of Ovid which gave its name to this square in the old town. In 1916, during the occupation of Dobruja by the

, it was taken down by Bulgarian troops, and was later reinstated by the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. The statue is in front of National History and Archaeology Museum is housed in the old City Hall.

Genoese Lighthouse (''Farul Genovez'')

The Genoese Lighthouse is high.

Casino (''Cazinoul'')

Commissioned by King Carol I in 1910 and designed by architects Daniel Renard and Petre Antonescu right on the seashore, the derelict Constanța Casino features sumptuous Art Nouveau architecture. Once a huge attraction for European tourists, the casino lost its customers after the collapse of Communism. In 2021 renovation of the building finally began. The Constanța Aquarium is nearby.

Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was built between 1883 and 1885.

Grand Mosque of Constanța (''Marea Moschee din Constanța'')

Built in 1910 by King Carol I, the Grand Mosque of Constanța was originally called the Carol I Mosque.

Hünkar Mosque (''Geamia Hunchiar'')

The Hünkar Mosque was completed in 1869.

Climate

Constanța has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'' in

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

). Summer (early June to mid September) is hot and sunny, with a July and August average of . Most summer days see a gentle breeze refreshing the daytime temperatures. Nights are warm and somewhat muggy because of the heat stored by the sea. Autumn starts in mid or late September with warm and sunny days. September can be warmer than June, owing to the warmth accumulated by the Black Sea during the summer. The first frost occurs on average in mid November. Winter is milder than other cities in southern Romania. Snow is not abundant but the weather can be very windy and unpleasant. Winter arrives much later than inland and December weather is often mild with high temperatures reaching – . The average January temperature is . Winter storms, which occur when the sea becomes particularly treacherous, are a common occurrence between December and March. Spring arrives early but it is quite cool. Often in April and May the Black Sea coast is one of the coolest places in Romania found at an altitude lower than . Four of the warmest seven years from 1889 to 2008 have occurred after the year 2000 (2000, 2001, 2007 and 2008). As of September 2009, the winter and the summer of 2007 were respectively the warmest and the second warmest in recorded history with monthly averages for January (+6.5 °C) and June (+23.0 °C) breaking all-time records. Overall, 2007 was the warmest year since 1889 when weather recording began.

Demographics

, 263,688 inhabitants live within the city limits, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census. After

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, the capital city, Romania has a number of major cities that are roughly equal in size: Constanța,

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

, and

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

. The metropolitan area of Constanța has a permanent population of 425,916 inhabitants (2011), i.e. 61% of the total population of the county, and a minimum average of 120,000 per day, tourists or seasonal workers, transient people during the high tourist season.

Economy

As of 1878, Constanța was called a "poor Turkish fishing village." As of 1920, it was called "flourishing", and was known for exporting oil and cereals. Constanța is one of Romania's main industrial, commercial and tourist centers. During the first half of 2008, some 3,144 new companies were established in Constanța and its neighbouring localities, a number surpassed in Romania only in Bucharest and Cluj County. The Port of Constanța is the largest on the Black Sea and the fourth largest in Europe. The city also boasts a comparably large shipyard. Constanța has been promoted as a seaside resort since the time of Carol I of Romania, the development of naval industry has had a detrimental effect on the city's beaches.

Transport

The opening, in 1895, of the railway to

, which crosses the

Danube River The Danube ( ; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important riv ...

at the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, brought Constanța considerable transit trade in grain and petroleum, which are largely exported; coal and coke head the list of imports, followed by machinery, iron goods, cotton and woollen fabrics. Portul Turistic Tomis

The Port of Constanța includes the North Port and the South Port, and is the fourth largest in Europe. It is protected by breakwaters, with a lighthouse at the entrance. The port is sheltered from the northerly winds, but southerly winds can prove dangerous at times. The Black Sea squadron of the Romanian fleet is stationed here. A large canal (the Danube-Black Sea Canal) connects the Danube River to the Black Sea at Constanța. The city is served by Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport. Constanta pink bus

Constanța's public transport system is run by ''CT Bus'' (formerly ''Regia Autonomă de Transport în Comun Constanța'' - RATC), and consists of 19 year-round bus lines, and two seasonal lines, including a sightseeing double decker open top bus line. In the early 2000s, the city bought 130 new MAZ buses to replace the aging fleet of DAC buses. There is also a fleet of double decker

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

buses that run in the summer, providing access to and from the resort of

Mamaia Mamaia () is a resort on the Romanian Black Sea shore and a district of Constanța. Considered to be Romania's most popular resort, Mamaia is situated immediately north-east of Constanța's city center. It has almost no full-time residents, being ...

. As of October 2013, the cost of a return ticket is 3 lei. Trams were active until the late 2000s when they were decommissioned in favour of long-wheelbase buses. Two trolley bus lines were active until the early 2010s – now also decommissioned and replaced by buses. In 2019 Constanta's new

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

minibusses entered service. In October 2022 Constanta's new BYD electric buses entered service with CT Bus. Constanța is one of the main focuses of the Rail-2-Sea project which aims to connect it to the Polish

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

port of

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

with a long railway line passing through Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.

Politics

List of mayors (1990–present)

As of 2020 the mayor of was Vergil Chițac ( National Liberal Party). The mayors elected since the 1989 revolution have been the following:

City Council

The Constanța Municipal Council is made up of 27 councilors, with the following party composition:

Media

Sports

Constanța is home to several

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs, with FCV Farul Constanța playing in the Romanian first division. The rugby team RC Farul Constanța play in Divizia Națională. The Romanian

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

clubs, HCD Constanța is also based in the city.

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Constanța is twinned with: *

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Egypt * Brest, France *

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...

, Peru * Cartagena, Colombia *

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

, United States *

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey *

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

, Turkey *

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

, Indonesia * Mobile, United States *

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

, Russia *

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

, Ukraine *

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands *

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia * Santos, Brazil *

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China *

Silivri Silivri, formerly Selymbria (Greek language, Greek: Σηλυμβρία), is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 217,163 (2022). It lies along the Sea of Marmara, outsi ...

, Turkey *

Sulmona Sulmona (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of L'Aquila, in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in prehistoric times. In the ancient era, it was ...

, Italy * Tepebaşı, Turkey *

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, Greece *

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

, Italy *

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

, Finland *

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan

Consulates

* Consulate General of Russia * Consulate General of Turkey * Honorary Consulate of Albania * Honorary Consulate of Austria * Honorary Consulate of Cyprus * Honorary Consulate of Estonia * Honorary Consulate of Finland * Honorary Consulate of France * Honorary Consulate of Italy * Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan * Honorary Consulate of Lebanon * Honorary Consulate of the Netherlands * Honorary Consulate of North Macedonia * Honorary Consulate of Norway * Honorary Consulate of Syria

Natives of Constanța

* Kázím Abdulakim (died 1917), Crimean Tatar hero of the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Forc ...

. * Haig Acterian (1904–1943), theatre director, journalist and fascist activist. * Horia Agarici (1911–1982), aviator and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

. * Simona Amânar (born 1979), Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast. * Elena Băsescu (born 1980), Member of the European Parliament. * Victoria Bezetti (1937–2022), classical soprano. * T. O. Bobe (born 1969), poet and screenwriter. * Sebastian Bodu (born 1970), politician. * Ovidiu Constantinescu (1933–2012), mycologist. *

Constanța Crăciun Constanța Crăciun (; 16 February 1914 – 2 May 2002) was a Romanian politician and educator. Biography She was born in Constanța. She studied literature and philosophy. She became a member of the Romanian Communist Party in 1935. She w ...

(1914–2002), politician and educator. * Ligia Deca (born 1982), politician. *

Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (born Nicolae Georgescu, 4 February 1906 – 30 October 1994) was a Romanian mathematician, statistician and economist. He is best known today for his 1971 Masterpiece, magnum opus ''The Entropy Law and the Economic Pr ...

(1906–1994), mathematician. * Simona Halep (born 1991), tennis player, businesswoman. * Puiu Hașotti (born 1953), MP and senator. * Sîdîyîk Ibrahim H. Mîrzî (1909–1959), Crimean Tatar spiritual leader,

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of the

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community of

, and activist. * Iusein Ibram (1953–2025), politician. * Refiyîk Kadír (1879–1929), Crimean Tatar officer regarded as a

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

of the

. * Ramona Mănescu (born 1972), Member of the European Parliament. * Radu Mazăre (born 1968), ex-politician. * Vasile Moldoveanu (born 1935), operatic tenor. * Taner Murat (born 1959), writer, poet and translator. * Teodor T. Nalbant (1933–2011),

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

. * Nicolae Nemirschi (born 1959), Environment Minister (2008–2009). * Alexandru Pesamosca (1930–2011),

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

and pediatrician. * Marianna Radev (1913–1973), operatic contralto. * Jacques Schnier (1898–1988), artist, sculptor, author, educator, and engineer. * Cella Serghi (1907–1992), prose writer. * Sevil Shhaideh (born 1964), economist, civil servant and politician. * Alexandra Sidorovici (1906–2000), communist politician. * Anastasia Soare (born 1957), American billionaire businesswoman. * Dragoș Sprînceană (born 1979), businessman, political advisor, and informal diplomat. * Alexandra Stan (born 1989), singer and model. * Sebastian Stan (born 1982), actor. * Dan Stoenescu (born 1980), diplomat, political scientist and journalist. * Grigore-Kalev Stoicescu (born 1965), diplomat and politician. * Harry Tavitian (born 1952), jazz pianist and singer. * Ismail H. A. Ziyaeddin (1912–1996), poet.

Education

Local high schools include Mircea cel Bătrân National College, Mihai Eminescu National College and Ovidius High School Colleges include Ovidius University of Constanța and Mircea cel Bătrân Naval Academy

Notes

References

Studies

* Born, Robert (2012). ''Die Christianisierung der Städte der Provinz Scythia Minor. Ein Beitrag zum spätantiken Urbanismus auf dem Balkan'' he Christianisation of the cities of Scythia Minor. A contribution to late antique urbanism in the Balkans Wiesbaden: Reichert, , pp. 19–72. * Livia Buzoianu and Maria Barbulescu, "Tomis", in Dimitrios V. Grammenos and Elias K. Petropoulos (eds), '' Ancient Greek Colonies in the Black Sea'', Vol. 1 (Oxford, Archaeopress, 2001) (BAR International Series; 1675 (1–2)), 287–336.

External links

* *
Constanța Seaport official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constanta Populated coastal places in Romania Populated places in Constanța County Localities in Northern Dobruja Aromanian settlements in Romania Cities in Romania Capitals of Romanian counties Roman towns and cities in Romania Byzantine sites in Romania Pontic Greeks Greek colonies in Scythia Minor Port cities and towns in Romania Port cities of the Black Sea Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC Place names of Greek origin in Romania Moesia Inferior