Caraș-Severin County

Caraș-Severin County
Județul Caraș-Severin
County

Coat of arms

Caraș-Severin county, territorial location
Coordinates: 45°09′N 22°04′E / 45.15°N 22.07°E / 45.15; 22.07Coordinates: 45°09′N 22°04′E / 45.15°N 22.07°E / 45.15; 22.07
Country  Romania
Development region1 Vest
Historic region Banat
Capital city (Reședință de județ) Reșița
Government
 • Type County Board
 • President of the County Board Sorin Frunzăverde ((Democratic-Liberal Party))
 • Prefect2 Ioan Anton Paulescu
Area
 • Total 8,514 km2 (3,287 sq mi)
Area rank 3rd in Romania
Population (2002)
 • Total 274,277
 • Rank 32nd in Romania
 • Density 39/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code 32wxyz3
Area code(s) +40 x554
Car Plates CS5
GDP US$ 2.73 billion (2008)
GDP/capita US$ 9,953 (2008)
Website County Council
County Prefecture
1The developing regions of Romania have no administrative role. They were formed just to attract funds from the European Union
2 as of 2007, the Prefect is not a politician, but a public functionary. He (or she) is not allowed to be a member of a political party, and is banned from any political activity in the first six months after resignation (or exclusion) from the public functionary corps
3w, x, y, and z are digits that indicate the city, the street, part of the street, or even the building of the address
4x is a digit indicating the operator: 2 for the former national operator, Romtelecom, and 3 for the other ground telephone networks
5used on both the plates of the vehicles that operate only in the county limits (like utility vehicles, ATVs, etc.), and the ones used outside the county

Caraș-Severin (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈkaraʃ seveˈrin]) is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Reșița. The Caraș-Severin county is part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisza Euroregion.

Name

In Serbian and Croatian, it is known as Karaš Severin/Караш Северин or Karaš-Severinska županija, in Hungarian as Krassó-Szörény megye, in German as Kreis Karasch-Severin, and in Bulgarian as Караш-Северин (translit. Karash-Severin).

Demographics

The county is part of the Danube-Kris-Mureș-Tisza euroregion.

In 2011, it had a population of 274,277 and a population density of 33.63/km2.

The majority of the population (89.23%) are Romanians. There are also Roma (2.74%), Croats (1.88%), Germans (1.11%), Serbs (1.82%), Hungarians (1.19%) and Ukrainians (0.94%).[1]

Year County population[2]
1948 302,254
1956 Increase 327,787
1966 Increase 358,726
1977 Increase 385,577
1992 Decrease 375,794
2002 Decrease 333,219
2011 Decrease 274,277

Geography

With 8,514 km2, it is the third largest county in Romania, after Timiș and Suceava counties. It is also the county through which the Danube River enters Romania.

The mountains make up 67% of the county's surface, including the Southern Carpathians range, with Banat Mountains, Țarcu-Godeanu Mountains and Cernei Mountains and elevations between 600 and 2100 meters. Transition hills between mountains and the Banat Plain lie in the western side of the county.

The Danube enters Romania in the vicinity of Baziaș, bordering Serbia. Timiș, Cerna, Caraș and Nera cross the county, some of them through spectacular valleys and gorges.

Neighbours

History and economy

In 1718 the county was part of the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria, part of the province of Banat. The county seat, Reșița, was founded in 1771 and became a modern industrial center under Austrian rule. The area received considerable attention due to its mining industry. In 1855, the entire Banat area, with its supplies of mineral deposits and timber, was transferred from the Austrian Treasury to a joint Austrian-French mining and railroad company named StEG. StEG built the Oravița-Baziaș line, Romania's oldest railroad track.

After World War I, StEG, Banat and most Austro-Hungarian property were taken over by a company named UDR. During the last years of World War II, when Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany, a partisan group, led by Ștefan Plavăț, was active in the mountainous area of the county.[3] The arrival of the communist regime in Romania after World War II and that regime's campaign of nationalization of the mining industry brought tremendous social upheaval in the area.

Tourism

Archaeological findings show the area has been populated since Paleolithic times. There is a County Museum of History in Reșița, displaying archeological artifacts, and, in the town of Ocna de Fier, the Constantin Gruiescu Mineralogical Collection. The county hosts the regional daffodil and lilac festivals in the Spring. Sites worth visiting:

Politics

The Caraș-Severin County Council, elected at the 2016 local government elections, is made up of 31 counselors, with the following party composition:[4]

    Party Seats Current County Council
  Social Democratic Party 14                            
  National Liberal Party 13                            
  People's Movement Party 2                            
  National Union for the Progress of Romania 2                            

Administrative divisions

Reșița

Caraș-Severin County has 2 municipalities, 6 towns and 69 communes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caraș-Severin County.
  1. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația după etnie" Archived 16 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Covaci, Maria (1969). "Ștefan Plavăț" in Anale de Istorie, Vol. XV, Nr. 4. Institutul de Studii Istorice și Social-Politice de pe lîngă C.C. al P.C.R, Bucharest. p. 145.
  4. ↑ "Mandate de CJ pe judete si competitori" (in Romanian). Biroul Electoral Central. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
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