Wikipedia

Bacău County

Bacău County (Romanian pronunciation: [baˈkəw] ⓘ) is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania.

Bacău County
Județul Bacău
County
Slănic-Moldova Casino
Ghika Palace, Dofteana
Târgu Ocna town hall
County Prefecture, Bacău
Coat of arms of Bacău County
Coat of arms
Location of Bacău County in Romania
Location of Bacău County in Romania
Coordinates: 46°25′N 26°47′E / 46.42°N 26.78°E / 46.42; 26.78
Country Romania
Development region1Nord-Est
Historic regionWestern Moldavia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Bacău
Government
 • TypeCounty Council
 • President of the County CouncilValentin Ivancea [ro] (PSD)
 • Prefect2Claudiu-Augustin Ilișanu [ro]
Area
 • Total
6,621 km2 (2,556 sq mi)
 • Rank14th in Romania
Population
 (2021-12-01)[1]
 • Total
601,387
 • Rank9th in Romania
 • Density91/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC 3 (EEST)
Postal Code
60wxyz3
Area code 40 x344
Car PlatesBC5
GDPUS$3.495 billion (2015)
GDP per capitaUS$5,672 (2015)
WebsiteCounty Council
County Prefecture
1The development regions of Romania have no administrative role and were formed in order to manage funds from the European Union.
2As of 2007, the Prefect is not a politician, but a public functionary who is not allowed to be a member of a political party, and is banned from engaging in any political activity in the first six months after the 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

Geography

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This county has a total area of 6,621 km2 (2,556 sq mi).

In the western part of the county there are mountains from the Eastern Carpathian group. Here, along the valleys of the Oituz River and Trotuș River, there are two important links between Moldavia and Transylvania. On the East side, the heights decrease and the lowest point can be found on the Siret River valley which crosses the county from North to South down the middle. On the East side there is the Moldavian Plateau crossed by many small rivers.

Flora and fauna

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Bears, wolves, foxes, wild boars, and squirrels inhabit Bacău County's mountains, particularly in its rural Slănic-Moldova region; the remnants of the local deer are preserved in Mănăstirea Cașin.[2]

Neighbours

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Economy

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The county of Bacău was one of the most industrialized regions in the communist period and it remained Moldavia's most important industrial center ever since. There are two large oil refineries at Onești and Dărmănești. Following the collapse of the communist regime, Bacău continued to be the region's most important GDP supplier, but the county became more famous for the controversial figures involved in the local economy than for its performance.

The predominant industries in the county are:

  • The chemical and oil industry.
  • Food industry.
  • Construction materials industry.
  • Wood and paper industry.
  • Textile industry.
  • Mechanical components industry.
  • Aeronautics industry.

In Bacău County there are important reserves of oil and salt. Also coal is exploited.

Tourism

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The main tourist destinations in the county are:

Demographics

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Year County population[3] Population density Romanians Romani people Hungarians
1948 414,996  
1956 507,937  
1966 598,321  
1977 667,791  
1992 737,512  
2002 706,623   113 / km2 97.5% 1.7% 0.7%
2011[4] 616,168   93 / km2 96.1% 1.7% 0.68%
2021 601,387   91 / km2

Some estimates put the total number of Csángós at around 70,000 in 1987.[5]

Politics

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The Bacău County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 36 councillors, with the following party composition:[6]

    Party Seats Current County Council
  Social Democratic Party (PSD) 17                                  
  National Liberal Party (PNL)-Save Romania Union (USR) Alliance 13                                  
  People's Movement Party (PMP) 3                                  
  PRO Romania (PRO) 3                                  

People

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Administrative divisions

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The coat of arms used until 3 March 2008[7]
 
Bacău
 
Onești

Bacău County has 3 municipalities, 5 towns, and 85 communes

Politics

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Bacău became famous after electing Ilie Ilașcu of the Greater Romania Party as their Senator, while he was held in prison in Transnistria.

Historical county

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Județul Bacău
County (Județ)
 
The building of the Bacău Prefecture from the interwar period
 
Coat of arms
 
Country  Romania
Historic regionMoldavia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Bacău
Area
 • Total
4,410 km2 (1,700 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total
260,781
 • Density59/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC 3 (EEST)

Between the world wars, Bacău County had a different territorial extent. The county was located in the east central part of Greater Romania, in the center of Moldavia. Its territory included the central part of the current Bacău County. It bordered on the west with the counties of Trei Scaune and Ciuc, in the north with Neamț and Roman counties, in the east with the counties of Tutova and Tecuci, and in the south with Putna County.

Administration

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The county was originally divided into five districts (plăși):[8]

  1. Plasa Bistrița
  2. Plasa Muntele, headquartered in Moinești
  3. Plasa Oituz, headquartered in Oituz
  4. Plasa Siret, headquartered in Siret
  5. Plasa Tazlău, headquartered in Tazlău

Subsequently, two more districts were established:

  1. Plasa Răcăciuni, headquartered in Răcăciuni
  2. Plasa Traian, headquartered in Traian
 
Map of Bacău County as it existed in 1938

Population

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According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 260,781, comprising 88.6% Romanians, 5.3% Jews, 3.3% Hungarians, as well as other minorities.[9] From the religious point of view, 75.8% were Eastern Orthodox, 18.1% Roman Catholics, 5.5% Jewish, as well as other minorities.[10]

Urban population

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In 1930, the county's urban population was 50,342, of which 70.1% were Romanians, 23.9% were Jews, 2.2% were Hungarians, as well as other minorities. From a religious point of view, the urban population consisted of 64.9% Eastern Orthodox, 24.4% Jewish, 9.3% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bacău County.
  1. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  2. ^ Network of small rural communities of energetic neutrality (RURENER) (Archived from the original), Slănic-Moldova - RURENER Case Study, European Commission, retrieved 24 July 2019. Archived at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992, 2002 și 2011" Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Comunicat de presă: 2 februarie 2012 privind rezultatele provizorii ale Recensământului Populației și Locuințelor – 2011" (PDF). Recensamantromania.ro. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  5. ^ 1987 estimate published in: Tennant, Chris (transl.) (1994) The Hungarian minority’s situation in Ceaușescu's Romania. Boulder: Social Science Monographs. p. 33.
  6. ^ "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json) (in Romanian). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. ^ Bacău County Council - Heraldică
  8. ^ Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Bacău
  9. ^ Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 30
  10. ^ Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 536-541
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