Dâmbovița County (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈdɨmbovitsa] ; also spelt Dîmbovița) is a county (județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administrative and cultural center of the county. It is a traditional administrative unit, first attested in 1512.

Dâmbovița County
Județul Dâmbovița
County
Leaota Mountains
Leaota Mountains
Coat of arms of Dâmbovița County
Coordinates: 44°53′N 25°28′E / 44.89°N 25.47°E / 44.89; 25.47
Country Romania
Development region1Sud
Historic regionMuntenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Târgoviște
Government
 • TypeCounty Board
 • President of the County BoardGheorghe Ana
 • Prefect2Aurelian Popa
Area
 • Total4,054 km2 (1,565 sq mi)
 • Rank37th in Romania
Population
 (2021-12-01)[1]
 • Total479,404
 • Rank15th in Romania
 • Density120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
13wxyz3
Area code+40 x454
Car PlatesDB5
GDPUS$3.153 billion (2015)
GDP per capitaUS$6,078 (2015)
WebsiteCounty Board
County Prefecture
1The development 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 to have 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

Demographics edit

In 2011, it had a population of 518,745 and the population density was 127/km2. It is one of the most densely populated counties in Romania.

Year County population[3][4]
1948 409,272  
1956 438,985  
1966 453,241  
1977 527,620  
1992 559,874  
2002 541,763  
2011 518,745  
2021 479,404  

Name edit

The county is named after the Dâmbovița River, which is a name of Slavic origin, derived from Дъб, dâmb, meaning "oak", as it once flowed through the oak forests of the Wallachian Plain.[5]

Geography edit

Dâmbovița county has a total area of 4,054 km2 (1.7% of the country's surface). It is situated in the south-central part of the country, on the Ialomița and Dâmbovița river basins.

The highest altitude is Omu Peak (2505 m) in the Bucegi Mountains, while the lowest is between 120–125 m, in the Titu Plain. The administrative units of the county are: 2 municipalities, 5 cities, 82 communes, all encompassing an additional 361 villages.

Neighbouring counties edit

Economy edit

One of the biggest steel factories in Romania is located In Târgoviște. Also, oil is extracted and refined in the county.

The predominant industries in the county are:

  • Metallurgical industry.
  • Oil extraction equipment.
  • Food industry.
  • Home appliances.
  • Textile industry.
  • Chemical industry.
  • Construction materials industry.

Tourism edit

The main tourist destinations are:

Trivia edit

Politics edit

The Dâmbovița County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 34 counsellors, with the following party composition:[6]

    Party Seats Current County Council
  Social Democratic Party (PSD) 17                                  
  National Liberal Party (PNL) 13                                  
  PRO Romania (PRO) 4                                  

Administrative divisions edit

 
Târgoviște
 
Moreni

Dâmbovița County 2 municipalities, 5 towns and 82 communes

Historical county edit

Județul Dâmbovița
County (Județ)
 
The Dâmbovița County prefecture building from the interwar period, now an art museum.
 
 
Country  Romania
Historic regionMuntenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Târgoviște
Area
 • Total3,440 km2 (1,330 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total310,310
 • Density90/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Historically, the county was located in the central-southern part of Greater Romania, in the northern part of the historical region of Muntenia. The county included a large part of the present county. It was bordered to the west by the counties of Muscel and Argeș, to the north by Brașov County, to the east by Prahova County, and to the south by the counties of Ilfov and Vlașca.

Administration edit

 
Map of Dâmbovița County as constituted in 1938.

The county was originally divided administratively into six districts (plăși):[7]

  1. Plasa Finta, headquartered at Finta
  2. Plasa Găești, headquartered at Găești
  3. Plasa Pucioasa, headquartered at Pucioasa
  4. Plasa Târgoviște, headquartered at Târgoviște
  5. Plasa Titu, headquartered at Titu
  6. Plasa Voinești, headquartered at Voinești

Subsequently, the territory of the county was reorganized into eight districts by the abolition of Plasa Finta and the establishment of three new districts in its place:

  1. Plasa Bilciurești, headquartered at Bilciurești
  2. Plasa Bogați, headquartered at Bogați
  3. Plasa Ghergani, headquartered at Ghergani

Population edit

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 309,676 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 96.9% Romanians, 2.1% Romanies, 0.2% Jews, 0.2% Hungarians, 0.1% Germans, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 98.9% Eastern Orthodox, 0.3% Roman Catholic, 0.3% Jewish, 0.1% Adventist, 0.1% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Urban population edit

In 1930, the county's urban population was 33,398 inhabitants, comprising 63.2% Romanians, 2.0% Jews, 1.3% Romanies, 1.2% Hungarians, 0.5% Greeks, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 94.8% Eastern Orthodox, 2.1% Jewish, 1.5% Roman Catholic, 0.6% Greek Catholic, 0.3% Calvinist, 0.3% Lutheran, as well as other minorities.

References edit

  1. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  2. ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația după etnie"
  3. ^ "Population at 20 October 2011" (in Romanian). INSSE. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  4. ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucureștilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre, Bucharest, 1966, p.38.
  6. ^ "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json) (in Romanian). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. ^ Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Dâmbovița

External links edit