a city in southern Rumania; administrative center of Prahova District. Population, 170,000 (1972). Ploieşti is an important transportation junction, with seven railroad lines, as well as highways and oil and gas pipelines. It is the center of Rumania’s main oil-producing region. Natural gas and oil are extracted nearby, as well as brown coal and rock salt. Among the leading industries are petroleum refining and machine building; the latter is represented by enterprises that produce bearings, transportation equipment, and equipment for the petroleum and chemical industries. The products of local food-processing enterprises include meat, milk, flour, wine, spirits, and baked goods. Ploieşti’s chemical industry produces plastics, detergents, toxic chemicals used in agriculture, paints, and rubber goods. Other industries include printing and the production of woolen textiles, glass, faience, leather goods, and building materials. There is a steam electric power plant in Ploieşti.