Dolj County (Romanian pronunciation: [dolʒ] ; originally meant Dol(no)-Jiu, "lower Jiu", as opposed to Gorj (upper Jiu))[citation needed] is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova.

Dolj County
Județul Dolj
County
Coat of arms of Dolj County
Coordinates: 44°10′N 23°42′E / 44.17°N 23.7°E / 44.17; 23.7
Country Romania
Development region1Sud-Vest
Historic regionOltenia
Capital cityCraiova
Government
 • TypeCounty Council
 • President of the County CouncilVasile Dorin-Cosmin [ro]
 • Prefect2Dan Diaconu [ro]
Area
 • Total
7,414 km2 (2,863 sq mi)
 • Rank7th in Romania
Population
 (2021-12-01)[1]
 • Total
599,442
 • Rank7th in Romania
 • Density81/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
20wxyz3
Area code+40 x514
ISO 3166 codeRO-DJ
Car PlatesDJ5
GDP nominalUS$9.400 billion (2024)
GDP per capitaUS$6,512 (2015)
WebsiteCounty Council
County Prefecture
1 The development regions of Romania have no administrative role and were formed in order to manage 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 having any political activity in the first six months after his resignation (or exclusion) from the public functionaries' 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

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In 2011, the county had a population of 660,544 and a population density of 89/km2 (230/sq mi).

Year County population[3]
1948 615,301  
1956 642,028  
1966 691,116  
1977 750,328  
1992 761,074  
2002 734,231  
2011 660,544  
2021 599,442  

Geography

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This county has a total area of 7,414 km2 (2,863 sq mi).

The entire area is a plain with the Danube on the south forming a wide valley crossed by the Jiu River in the middle. Other small rivers flow through the county, each one forming a small valley. There are some lakes across the county and many ponds and channels in the Danube valley. 6% of the county's area is a desert.[4]

Neighbours

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Economy

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Agriculture is the county's main industry. The county has a land that is ideal for growing cereals, vegetables, and wines. Other industries are mainly located in the city of Craiova, the largest city in southwestern Romania.

The county's main industries:

  • Automotive industry – Ford has a factory.
  • Heavy electrical and transport equipment – Electroputere Craiova is the largest factory plant in Romania.
  • Aeronautics
  • Chemicals processing
  • Foods and beverages
  • Textiles
  • Mechanical parts and components

There are two small ports on the shore of the Danube river – Bechet and Calafat.

People

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Tourism

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Major tourist attractions:

Politics

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The Dolj County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 36 counsellors, with the following party composition:[5]

    Party Seats Current County Council
  Social Democratic Party (PSD) 16                                
  National Liberal Party (PNL) 13                                
  PRO Romania (PRO) 3                                
  People's Movement Party (PMP) 2                                
  Ecologist Party of Romania (PER) 2                                

Administrative divisions

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Craiova
 
Calafat
 
Danube at Bechet

Dolj County 3 municipalities, 4 towns and 104 communes

Municipalities
Towns
Communes

Historical county

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Județul Dolj
County (Județ)
 
The building of the Dolj County prefecture from the interwar period.
 
 
Country  Romania
Historic regionOltenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Craiova
Area
 • Total
6,538 km2 (2,524 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total
485,149
 • Density74/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Historically, the county was located in the southwestern part of Greater Romania, in the southwest part of the historical region of Oltenia. Its capital was Craiova. The interwar county territory comprised the central and southwestern part of the current Dolj county. It was bordered to the north with by the counties of Gorj and Valcea, to the west by Mehedinți County, to the east by Romanați County, and to the south by the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Administration

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Map of Dolj County as constituted in 1938.

The county was originally divided into six administrative districts (plăși):[6]

  1. Plasa Amaradia, headquartered at Melinești
  2. Plasa Bârca, headquartered at Bârca
  3. Plasa Calafat, headquartered at Calafat
  4. Plasa Gângiova, headquartered at Gângiova
  5. Plasa Ocolul, headquartered at Ocolul
  6. Plasa Plenița, headquartered at Plenița

Subsequently, four districts were created in place of two of the prior districts (Plasa Bârca and Plasa Gângiova):

  1. Plasa Bechet, headquartered at Bechet
  2. Plasa Brabova, headquartered at Brabova
  3. Plasa Filiași, headquartered at Filiași
  4. Plasa Segarcea, headquartered at Segarcea

Population

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According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 485,149 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 96.7% Romanian, 0.5% Jews, 0.3% Germans, 0.3% Hungarians, as well as other minorities.[7] From the religious point of view, the population was 98.4% Eastern Orthodox, 0.7% Roman Catholic, 0.5% Jewish, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

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In 1930, the county's urban population was 91,788 inhabitants, comprising 90.2% Romanians, 2.4% Jews, 2.2% Romanies, 1.7% Germans, 1.3% Hungarians, as well as other minorities.[7] From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 92.7% Eastern Orthodox, 3.1% Roman Catholic, 2.5% Jewish, 0.7% Lutheran, 0.3% Calvinist, 0.3% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.

References

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  1. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  2. ^ "Populația după etnie" (PDF). National Institute of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2009.
  3. ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Verde - Avem desertificare. Cum procedam? - Jurnalul National Online". Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  5. ^ "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json) (in Romanian). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  6. ^ Portretul României Interbelice – Județul Dolj
  7. ^ a b Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 166
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