| Alba County | |
| Native Name: | Județul Alba |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Subdivision Type1: | Development region1 |
| Subdivision Type2: | Historic region |
| Subdivision Type3: | County seat |
| Government Type: | County Council |
| Leader Title: | President of the County Council |
| Leader Title1: | Prefect2 |
| Area Total Km2: | 6242 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Postal Code: | 51wxyz3 |
| Area Code: | +40 x584 |
| Blank Info: | AB5 |
| Blank1 Info: | US$ 2.940 billion (2015) |
| Blank2 Info: | US$ 8,970 (2015) |
| Footnotes: | 1The developing regions of Romania have no administrative role. They were formed to draw 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 any political activity in the first six months after the resignation (or exclusion) from the public functionaries corp 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 utilitary vehicles & ATVs, etc.) and the ones used outside the county |
| Website: | County Council County Prefecture |
Alba County (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /ˈalba/) is a county (județ) of Romania located in the historic region of Transylvania. Its capital is Alba Iulia, a city with a population of 63,536.[1]
"Alba", meaning "white" in Latin and Romanian, is derived from the name of the city of Alba Iulia. In Hungarian, the county is known as Fehér megye (fehér also meaning white), and in German as Kreis Karlsburg.
This county has a total area of, with mountains occupying about 59% of its surface.
The Apuseni Mountains are in the northwest; the northeastern side of the Parâng Mountains group – the Șureanu and Cindrel mountains – are in the south. In the east there is the Transylvanian Plateau with deep but wide valleys. The three main elements are separated by the Mureș River valley.
The main rivers are the Mureș River and its tributaries, the Târnava, the Sebeș, and the Arieș.
The predominant industries in the county are:
The mineral resources exploited in Alba county are metals (gold, silver, copper), salt, and construction materials, including marble and granite.
The main tourist attractions in the county are:
According to the 2021 census, the county had a population of 325,941 and the population density was .[4]
| Year | County population[5] | |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 361,062 | |
| 1956 | 370,800 | |
| 1966 | 382,786 | |
| 1977 | 409,634 | |
| 1992 | 414,227 | |
| 2002 | 382,747 | |
| 2011 | 327,224 | |
| 2021 | 325,941 |
The Alba County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 county councillors, with the following party composition:[6]
| Party | Seats | Current County Council | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal Party (PNL) | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Save Romania Union (USR) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| People's Movement Party (PMP) | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Alba County has 4 municipalities, 7 towns, and 67 communes.
| Official Name: | Județul Alba |
| Settlement Type: | County (Județ) |
| Subdivision Type2: | Historic region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Capital city (Reședință de județ) |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1925 |
| Established Title2: | Ceased to exist |
| Area Total Km2: | 2433 |
| Population As Of: | 1930 |
| Population Total: | 213795 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
Historically, Alba de Jos County was located in the central-western part of Greater Romania, in the southwestern part of Transylvania, with a territory identical with the old Alsó-Fehér County of Hungary. After the administrative unification law in 1925, the name of the county changed to Alba County and the territory was reorganized. It was bordered on the west by Hunedoara County, to the north by Turda County, and to the east by the counties of Sibiu and Târnava-Mică. Its territory included the central part of the current Alba County.
The county originally consisted of seven districts (plăși):[7]
Subsequently, Plasa Ighiu was abolished and two other districts were established, leaving these:
There were four towns: Alba Iulia, Abrud, Aiud, and Sebeș.
According to the census data of 1930, the county's population was 212,749, of which 81.5% were Romanians, 11.3% Hungarians, 3.6% Germans, 1.8% Romanies, 1.4% Jews, as well as other minorities. In the religious aspect, the population consisted of 50.1% Eastern Orthodox, 31.6% Greek Catholics, 7.5% Reformed (Calvinists), 3.4% Roman Catholics, 3.3% Evangelical (Lutherans), 1.2% Unitarians, and other minorities.[8]
In 1930, the urban population of the county was 33,365, of which 58.8% were Romanians, 23.0% Hungarians, 8.2% Germans, 6.2% Jews, 1.6% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was made up of 38.3% Eastern Orthodox, 21.4% Greek Catholic, 14.7% Reformed (Calvinist), 7.2% Evangelical (Lutheran), 6.5% Jewish, as well as other minorities.[8]
After the 1938 Administrative and Constitutional Reform, this county merged with the counties of Ciuc, Odorhei, Sibiu, Târnava Mare, and Târnava Mică to form Ținutul Mureș. The county was re-established in 1940, but dissolved again in 1950. It was re-established in 1968 in its current borders.
Notable natives include: