Murfatlar

Murfatlar
Town

Coat of arms

Location of Murfatlar
Coordinates: 44°10′25″N 28°24′30″E / 44.17361°N 28.40833°E / 44.17361; 28.40833Coordinates: 44°10′25″N 28°24′30″E / 44.17361°N 28.40833°E / 44.17361; 28.40833
Country  Romania
County Constanța County
Status Town
Component villages Siminoc
Government
  Mayor Valentin Saghiu[1] (Social Democratic Party)
Area
  Total 69.25 km2 (26.74 sq mi)
Population (2011[2])
  Total Decrease9,634
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Website http://www.primaria-murfatlar.ro/

Murfatlar (Romanian pronunciation: [murfatˈlar]) is a town in Constanța County, Romania.

Etymology

The name of the town originates from the Turkish word murvet (meaning "generous man").[3]

Between 1921 and 1965, and from 1975 to 2007, the locality was known as Basarabi. On June 26, 2007 the lower house of Romania's Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, approved a proposal to have the name changed back to Murfatlar,[4] which was also ratified by the Senate and promulgated by the president of Romania on December 20, 2007.[5]

Administration

Murfatlar is a port on the Danube–Black Sea Canal and has a population of 11,070. A complex of caves was found carved in the hills nearby, see the Basarabi Cave Complex.

The village of Siminoc (historical name: Turc-Murfat) is administered by the town of Murfatlar. The name of the village comes from the flower Helichrysum arenarium (siminoc in Romanian), which can be found abundantly in the area.[6]

The Murfatlar Vineyard and Basarabi Cave Complex are located nearby.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1992 10,742    
2002 10,857+1.1%
2011 9,634−11.3%
Source: Census data

At the 2011 census, Murfatlar had 8,657 Romanians (89.86%), 547 Tatars (5.68%), 236 Roma (2.45%), 134 Turks (1.39%), 9 Hungarians (0.09%), 3 Aromanians (0.03%), 16 others (0.17%), 32 with undeclared ethnicity (0.33%).

Natives

Murfatlar is the birthplace of the former Romanian president, Traian Băsescu.

References

  1. "Elected mayors at the 2012 local election" (PDF) (in Romanian). Central Electoral Committee. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  2. "Constanța County at the 2011 census" (PDF) (in Romanian). INSSE. February 2, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  3. (in Romanian) Murfatlar's History, Murfatlar City Hall, accessed on June 23, 2008
  4. (in Romanian) România Liberă, Oraşul natal al lui Băsescu nu se mai numeste Basarabi, ci Murfatlar (Băsescu's hometown is no longer called Basarabi, but Murfatlar), June 26, 2007
  5. (in Romanian) Law No. 370/21.12.2007 regarding the name change of town of Basarabi, Constanţa County, into Murfatlar, Chamber of Deputies, accessed June 23, 2008
  6. (in Romanian) Murfatlar's History, Murfatlar City Hall, accessed on June 23, 2008
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