Capital: Bucharest (Bucure¿ti). Major Cities: As of 2003, Bucharest is the largest city in Romania, with 1.93 million inhabitants. Other major cities, in order of population, are Iäi (313,444), Constan¿a (309,965), Timi¿oara (308,019), Craiova (300,843), Galati (300,211), Cluj-Napoca (294,906), Bräov (286,371), and Ploe¿ti (236,724). Independence: July 13, 1878, from the Ottoman Empire; kingdom proclaimed March 26, 1881; Romanian People's Republic proclaimed April 13, 1948. Public Holidays: Romania observes the following public holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Epiphany (January 6), Orthodox Easter (a variable date in April or early May), Labor Day (May 1), Unification Day (December 1), and National Day and Christmas (December 25).