Maramureș County

Maramureș County
Județul Maramureș
County

Coat of arms
Administrative map of Romania with Maramureș county highlighted
Country Romania
Development region Nord-Vest
Historical region Maramureș
Capital Baia Mare
Area
 • Total 6,304 km2 (2,434 sq mi)
Area rank 15th
Population (2006)[1]
 • Total 516,562
 • Rank 17th
 • Density 82/km2 (210/sq mi)
Telephone code (+40) 262 or (+40) 362[2]
ISO 3166 code RO-MM
Website County Council
Prefecture

Maramureș (Romanian pronunciation: [maraˈmureʃ]) is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare.

Văleni, overlooking Valea Izei

Name

In Hungarian, it is known as Máramaros megye, in Ukrainian as Мараморо́щина, and in German as Kreis Marmarosch.

History

Maramureș County as an administrative division within Romania was formed following the union of Transylvania with Romania. During World War II, it was ceded to Hungary, and after the war returned to Romania (see History of Maramureș).

Demographics

Baia Mare, the largest municipality and the county seat

In 2011, the county had a population of 461,290 and a population density of 73.17 inhabitants per square kilometre (189.5/sq mi).

In 1910, 18.4% of the county were Jewish.

Year County population[4]
1948 321,287
1956 Increase 367,114
1966 Increase 427,645
1977 Increase 492,860
1992 Increase 538,534
2002 Decrease 510,110
2011 Decrease 461,290

Geography

Maramureș County is situated in the northern part of Romania, and has a border with Ukraine. This county has a total area of 6,304 square kilometres (2,434 sq mi), of which 43% is covered by the Rodna Mountains, with its tallest peak, Pietrosul, at 2,303 metres (7,556 ft) altitude. Together with Gutâi and Țibleș mountain ranges, the Rodna mountains are part of the Eastern Carpathians. The rest of the county are hills, plateaus, and valleys. The county is crossed by Tisa River and its main tributaries: Iza, Vișeu, and Mara rivers.

Neighbours

Economy

Maramureș is known for its pastoral and agricultural traditions, largely unscathed by the industrialisation campaign that had been carried on during Romania's communist period. Ploughing, planting, harvesting, and hay making and handling are mostly done through manual labour. The county is also home to a strong mining industry of extraction of metals other than iron. The industrial plants built around Baia Mare during the communist period heavily polluted the area in the past, but recently, due to the decline of the city's industrial activity, the area is less polluted.

Tourism

Typical Wooden Church in Maramureș

The region is known for its beautiful rural scenery, local small woodwork and craftwork industry as well as for its churches and original rural architecture. There are not many paved roads in rural areas, and most of them are usually accessible.

The county's main tourist attractions:

Administrative divisions

Sighetu Marmației
Borșa
Târgu Lăpuș
Vișeu de Sus

Maramureș County has 2 municipalities, 11 towns and 63 communes.

People

Natives of the county include:

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maramureș County.
  1. ↑ INSSE Statistic
  2. ↑ The number used depends on the numbering system employed by the phone companies on the market.
  3. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația după etnie"
  4. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002"

Coordinates: 47°40′22″N 24°00′18″E / 47.67278°N 24.00500°E / 47.67278; 24.00500

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, October 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.