Lower Danube metropolitan area

The Danube metropolitan area^[2] or Galați–Brăila metropolitan area is a proposed metropolitan area project in Romania. It would be formed from the cities of Galați and Brăila, and 15 nearby communes from Galați, Brăila and Tulcea counties.^[3][4] Together they have a population of 441,801 people, of whom 372,537 live in the cities of Galați and Brăila (as of 2021).^[1]

Danube metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
Country	Romania
County	Galați County Brăila County Tulcea County
Central Municipalities	Galați, Brăila
Functional	proposed
Area
• Total	1,702.17 km2 (657.21 sq mi)
Population  (2021 census)[1]
• Total	441,801
• Density	260/km2 (700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code	??wxyz1
Area code	+ x??2
1w, x, y, and z are digits that indicate the street, part of the street, or even the building of the address 2x is a digit indicating the operator: 2 for the former national operator, Romtelecom, and 3 for the other ground telephone networks

As defined by Eurostat, as of 2015^[update] the Galați functional urban area has a population of 322,501 residents, whilst the Brăila functional urban area has a population of 217,645 residents.^[5]

Overview

If completed, it would represent one of the largest metropolitan areas in Romania. Several major infrastructure projects have been proposed, or are being actively built: the Brăila–Galați Expressway,^[6] a bridge (the Brăila Bridge) across the Danube connecting Brăila and Galați counties to Tulcea County,^[7] and a new airport in Braniștea-Schela area.^[8]

The metropolitan area has a border checkpoint to Moldova and Ukraine. Galați is located 10 km (6.2 mi) from Giurgiulești and 20 km (12 mi) from Reni.

Demographics

Population census
Year	2011	2021
Pop.	496,844	441,801
±%	—	−11.1%
Source: [1][9]

Subdivisions

Name	County	Population (2011 census)[9]	Population (2021 census)[1]	Area (km2)
Galați	Galați	249,432	217,851	246.40
Braniștea	Galați	3,972	3,956	61.95
Foltești	Galați	3,057	3,262	69.00
Frumușița	Galați	4,800	5,067	101.00
Independența	Galați	4,375	4,371	67.45
Scânteiești	Galați	2,490	2,283	50.23
Schela	Galați	3,690	3,509	44.20
Smârdan	Galați	4,810	5,342	131.57
Șendreni	Galați	3,641	5,065	47.34
Tulucești	Galați	7,200	6,407	77.23
Vânători	Galați	4,864	6,926	44.93
Brăila	Brăila	180,302	154,686	77.9
Chiscani	Brăila	5,340	6,151	299.40
Vădeni	Brăila	4,127	3,700	160.44
Măcin	Tulcea	8,245	7,248	44
I. C. Brătianu	Tulcea	1,187	1,143	48.77
Jijila	Tulcea	5,312	4,834	130.36
Total	-	496,844	441,801	1702.17

References

1. "Population at 2021 Census" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.
2. "Viata Libera - Galati, ROMANIA". Sisnet.ro. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
3. "Municipality of Braila | Members | Black Sea Euroregion". Bser.eu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
4. "Proiectul metropolitan Braila-Galati stinge "razboiul dobrogean" :: Actualitate :: Dosare :: Saptamana Financiara". Sfin.ro. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
5. "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex - functional urban areas". Eurostat. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
6. Melinte, Anca (24 September 2020). "S-a decis cine va construi drumul expres Brăila–Galați. Contract de 371,4 milioane de lei". Viața Liberă (in Romanian). Retrieved 4 December 2020.
7. "The development of the Dunărea de Jos international airport in Brăila County needs a EUR 300 mil. investment". Fivestar-hospitality.ro. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
8. "Aeroportul Internațional Galați-Brăila, etapă nouă: se fac foraje la mare adâncime" (in Romanian). adevarul.ro. 13 February 2023.
9. "Population at 20 October 2011" (in Romanian). INSSE. 5 July 2013.