Bucharest, Romania

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Bucharest – the capital and largest city of Romania.

Zoom in to see this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more about the features in it.

Bucharest lies on the southeast corner of the Romanian Plain, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, a small tributary of the Danube. The city covers an area of around 225 sq km, in an area once covered by the Vlăsiei forest, which, after it was cleared, gave way to a fertile flatland.

The city is characterised by a number of main squares from which streets and boulevards radiate. One of the main boulevards, Bulevardul Unirii, can be spotted in the middle of the city and leads the way to the Palace of Parliament.

An icon of the country’s capital, this monumental building is the largest in Europe and the world’s second-largest administrative building after the Pentagon in the United States. It is home to the Parliament of Romania as well as the National Museum of Contemporary Art.

Several lakes stretch across the northern part of the city, the most important of which are Lake Herăstrău, Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei, and Lake Colentina. In the centre of the capital is a small artificial lake – Lake Cişmigiu – surrounded by the Cişmigiu Gardens.

Văcărești Nature Park can be seen in the southern part of the city. Covering an area of around 190 hectares, the park contains the wetlands surrounding Lake Văcărești and hosts close to 100 species of birds, half of which are protected.

Agricultural fields dominate the rest of this week’s image. Romania is one of the biggest agricultural producers in the European Union, exporting mainly maize, wheat and other grains.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission to supply the coverage and data delivery needed for Europe’s Copernicus programme. The mission’s frequent revisits over the same area and high spatial resolution allow changes in inland water bodies to be closely monitored.

This image is also featured on the Earth from Space video programme.