Brăila County (Romanian pronunciation: [brəˈila] ) is a county (județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Brăila.
Brăila County
Județul Brăila | |
|---|---|
County | |
 | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 45°07′N 27°41′E / 45.11°N 27.68°E | |
| Country |  Romania |
| Development region1 | Sud-Est |
| Historic region | Muntenia |
| Capital city (Reședință de județ) | Brăila |
| Government | |
| • Type | County Council |
| • President of the County Council | Francisk-Iulian Chiriac (PSD) |
| • Prefect2 | Iulian Timofei |
| Area | |
• County | 4,766 km2 (1,840 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 32nd in Romania |
| Population (2021-12-01)[1] | |
• County | 281,452 |
| • Rank | 30th in Romania |
| • Density | 59/km2 (150/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 172,533 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal Code | 81wxyz3 |
| Area code | +40 x394 |
| Car Plates | BR5 |
| GDP | US$1.930 billion (2015) |
| GDP/capita | US$6,315 (2015) |
| 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 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
editAt the 2021 Romanian census, Brăila County had a population of 281,452 (172,533 people in urban areas and 108,919 people in rural areas.) and the population density was 59.1/km2 (152.9/sq mi).[2]
| Year | County population[4] |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 271,251 |
| 1956 | 297,276 |
| 1966 | 339,954 |
| 1977 | 377,954 |
| 1992 | 392,069 |
| 2002 | 373,174 |
| 2011 | 304,925 |
| 2021 | 281,452 |
Geography
editThis county has a total area of 4,766 km2 (1,840 sq mi).
All the county lies on a flat plane: the Bărăgan Plain, one of the best areas for growing cereals in Romania.
On the east side there is the Danube, which forms an island – the Great Brăila Island –surrounded by the Măcin channel, Cremenea channel, and Vâlciu channel. On the northern side there is the Siret River and on the north-western side there is the Buzău River.
Neighbours
edit- Tulcea County in the east.
- Buzău County in the west.
- Galați County and Vrancea County in the north.
- Ialomița County and Constanța County in the south.
Economy
editThe agriculture is the main occupation in the county. Industry is almost entirely concentrated in the city of Brăila. The predominant industries in the county are:
- Food industry.
- Textile industry.
- Mechanical components industry.
In Brăila there is an important harbour, once the biggest cereal harbour in Romania.
Tourism
editThe main tourist destinations are:
- The city of Brăila.
- The Lacu Sărat resort.
Politics
editThe Brăila County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 30 counsellors, with the following party composition:[5]
| Party | Seats | Current County Council | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| National Liberal Party (PNL) | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| People's Movement Party (PMP) | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Administrative divisions
editBrăila County has 1 municipality, 3 towns, and 40 communes
- Communes
- Bărăganul
- Berteștii de Jos
- Bordei Verde
- Cazasu
- Chiscani
- Ciocile
- Cireșu
- Dudești
- Frecăței
- Galbenu
- Gemenele
- Grădiștea
- Gropeni
- Jirlău
- Mărașu
- Măxineni
- Mircea Vodă
- Movila Miresii
- Racovița
- Râmnicelu
- Romanu
- Roșiori
- Salcia Tudor
- Scorțaru Nou
- Siliștea
- Stăncuța
- Surdila-Găiseanca
- Surdila-Greci
- Șuțești
- Tichilești
- Traian
- Tudor Vladimirescu
- Tufești
- Ulmu
- Unirea
- Vădeni
- Victoria
- Vișani
- Viziru
- Zăvoaia
Historical county
editJudețul Brăila | |
|---|---|
County (Județ) | |
The Brăila County prefecture and court building from the interwar period, now the engineering building of Dunărea de Jos University. | |
|
Coat of arms | |
| Country | |
| Historic region | Muntenia |
| Capital city (Reședință de județ) | Brăila |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,286 km2 (1,655 sq mi) |
| Population (1930) | |
• Total | 219,932 |
| • Density | 51/km2 (130/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Historically, the county was located in the southeastern part of Greater Romania, in the northeastern part of the Muntenia region. Its territory included the portions of the current county to the east and south-east of the Buzău River. It was bordered on the west by the counties of Buzău and Râmnicu-Sărat, to the north by Covurlui County, to the east by Tulcea County, and to the south by the counties of Constanța and Ialomița.
Administration
editThe county was originally divided administratively into four districts (plăși):[6]
- Plasa Călmățui, with headquarters at Făurei
- Plasa Ianca, with headquarters at Ianca
- Plasa Silistraru, with headquarters at Silistraru
- Plasa Viziru, with headquarters at Viziru
Subsequently, Plasa Călmățui, was abolished and two new districts were established in its place:
Population
editAccording to the 1930 census data, the county population was 219,831 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 89.4% Romanians, 3.1% Jews, 2.2% Greeks, 0.7% Hungarians, 0.6% Russians, as well as other minorities.[7] From the religious point of view, the population was 93.6% Eastern Orthodox, 3.3% Jewish, 1.2% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.[8]
Urban population
editIn 1930, the county's urban population was 68,347 inhabitants, comprising 75.4% Romanians, 9.7% Jews, 6.7% Greeks, 1.7% Hungarians, 1.6% Russians, as well as other minorities.[7] Mother tongues among the urban population were Romanian (82.6%), Greek (5.8%), Yiddish (4.8%), Russian (1.9%), Hungarian (1.5%), as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 84.4% Eastern Orthodox, 10.4% Jewish, 3.2% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ "COMUNICAT DE PRESĂ : 2 februarie 2012 privind rezultatele provizorii ale Recensământului Populaţiei şi Locuinţelor – 2011" (PDF). Recensamantromania.ro. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația după etnie" Archived 16 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json) (in Romanian). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ Portretul României Interbelice – Județul Brăila
- ^ a b Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 80-81
- ^ a b Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 561