Satu Mare County

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Satu Mare
County

Coat of arms
Coordinates: 47°41′N 22°53′E / 47.69°N 22.89°E / 47.69; 22.89Coordinates: 47°41′N 22°53′E / 47.69°N 22.89°E / 47.69; 22.89
Country Romania
Development region Nord-Vest
Historic region Transylvania
Capital Satu Mare
Area
 • Total 4,418 km2 (1,706 sq mi)
Area rank 36th
Population (2007)[1]
 • Total 366,270
 • Rank 31st
 • Density 83/km2 (210/sq mi)
Telephone code (+40) 261 or (+40) 361[2]
ISO 3166 code RO-SM
Website County Council
Prefecture

Satu Mare County (Romanian: Judeţul Satu Mare, pronounced [ˌsatu ˈmare]) is a county (judeţ) of Romania. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians (58.8% of the population), Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians (35.2%).

Name

In Hungarian, it is known as Szatmár megye, in German as Kreis Sathmar, in Ukrainian as Сату-Маре, and in Slovak as Satu Mare.

Demographics

Satu Mare is a multicultural city, with a population mix of Romanian, Hungarian, Roma, German and other ethnicities.

In 2002, Satu Mare County had a population of 367,281 and the population density was 83/km².[3][4]

In 2011, its population was 329,079 and population density was 74.48/km².[5][6]

Hungarians mostly reside along the border with Hungary, but some are also scattered throughout the whole county.

Historically, Hungarians were concentrated in the cities, where administration resides, while the Romanian population was larger in the villages throughout the county. In 1930 the Hungarians were representing 41,9% of the urban population in Satu-Mare Conty and only 20,0% of the population in the villages according to census data.[7] The proportion of different ethnic groups varied throughout the history, due to regime and political changes. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 the Hungarian population increased its proportion greatly, in 1880 representing 44.4% and in 1910 reaching 55.1% of the county population, according to Árpád E. Varga.[8] After World War I the Hungarian and German population declined.

Year County population Romanians Hungarians Germans
1880[9] 194,326 76,668 95,681 13,449
1890 216,158 85,663 114,836 14,030
1900 245,855 93,591 138,086 12,165
1910 267,310 92,264 166,369 6,709
1920 262,937 124,476 81,242 34,982
1930[7] 294,875 178,523 74,191 9,530
1948[10] 312,672
1956 337,531 180,930 145,880 3,588
1966 359,393
1977 393,840
1992 400,789
2002 367,281
2004 371,759
2007 366,270

Geography

This county has a total area of 4,418 square kilometres (1,706 sq mi).

In the north are the Oaş Mountains, part of the Eastern Carpathians. This makes up around 17% of the area. The remainder is hills, forming 20% of the area, and plains. The western county takes up the Eastern part of the Pannonian Plain.

The county is crossed by the Someş River and also Tur River and Crasna River.

The county lies partly in the historical region of Maramureş and partly in the historical region of Crişana.

Neighbours

It is a member of the Carpathian euroregion.

Economy

Satu Mare County benefits from its position, close to the border of Romania with Hungary and Ukraine, and it's one of the places which attracts foreign investment in industry and agriculture.

The predominant industries in the county are:

  • Textiles industry.
  • Machine and automotive components.
  • Food industry.
  • Wood and furniture industry.

Tourism

The main tourist attractions in the county are:

  • The "Oaş Country", with its strong Romanian folk traditions, on the North Eastern side of the county.
  • The Oaş Mountains.
  • The cities of Satu Mare and Carei.
  • Tăşnad Resort.
  • The fortifications from Ardud and Medieșu Aurit

Administrative divisions

Satu Mare County has 2 municipalities, 4 towns and 59 communes:

References

  1. ↑ INSSE Statistic
  2. ↑ The number used depends on the numbering system employed by the phone companies on the market.
  3. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia după etnie"
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia după etnie"
  6. ↑ Structura Etno-demografică a României
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Recensământul general al populației României din 29 Decemvrie 1930", vol. II, pag. 394, Institutul Central de Statistica, (published in French and Romanian)
  8. ↑ "Árpád E. Varga, Hungarians in Transylvania between 1870 and 1995, Original title: Erdély magyar népessége 1870–1995 között, Published in Magyar Kisebbség 3–4, 1998 (New series IV), pp. 331–407, Translation by Tamás Sályi, Linguistic editing by Rachel Orbell, Published by Teleki László Foundation. Budapest, March 1999"
  9. ↑ Erdély etnikai és felekezeti statisztikája
  10. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 şi 2002"

External links

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Counties (județe) of Romania
Satu Mare County, Romania
Cities
Towns
Communes
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