Arad County Explained

Arad County
Native Name:Județul Arad
Settlement Type:County
Shield Link:Coat of arms of Arad County
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Romania
Subdivision Type1:Development region1
Subdivision Type2:Historic region
Subdivision Type3:Capital city (Reședința de județ)
Government Type:County Council
Leader Title:President of the County Board
Leader Name:Iustin Cionca
Leader Title1:Prefect2
Leader Name1:Czaba Tóth
Established Title:Județul Arad
Established Date:1968
Area Total Km2:7754
Elevation M:1486
Elevation Ft:4875
Coordinates:46.36°N 21.8°W
Population Density Km2:auto
Utc Offset:+2
Utc Offset Dst:+3
Postal Code:31wxyz3
Area Code:+40 x574
Blank Info:AR5
Blank1 Info:US$ 7.130 billion (2024)
Blank2 Info:US$ 21,350 (2022)
Footnotes: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 utilitary vehicles and ATVs, etc.), and the ones used outside the county
Website:County Council
County Prefecture

Arad County (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /aˈrad/) is an administrative division (județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative center of the county lies in the city of Arad. The Arad County is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion.

Name

In Hungarian, it is known as Hungarian: Arad megye, in Serbian as Serbian: Арадски округ, and in German as German: Kreis Arad. The county was named after its administrative center, Arad.

Geography

The county has a total area of, representing 3.6% of national Romanian territory. The terrain of Arad County is divided into two distinct units that cover almost half of the county each. The eastern side of the county has a hilly to low mountainous terrain (Dealurile Lipovei, Munții Zărandului, Munții Codru Moma) and on the western side it's a plain zone consisting of the Arad Plain, Low Mures Plain, and The High Vinga Plain. Taking altitude into account we notice that it follows a stepped pattern as it drops as we go from the east to the west of the county from 1489 m to below 100 m. In the east there are the Zarand Mountains and the Codru Moma Mountains, all subdivisions of the Apuseni Mountains, a major group of the Western Carpathians.

Neighbours

Climate and precipitation

In terms of climate, the characteristics of Arad county have a typical temperate continental climate with oceanic influences, with a circulation of air masses with a predominantly western ordered direction visible from west to east, with increasing altitude. Average annual temperatures range from 10 °C in the lowlands, the hills and piedmonts 9 °C, 8 °C and 6 °C in the low mountains in the area of greatest height.Average amounts of precipitation is between annually in the lowlands, annually in the hills and piedmonts and annually in the mountainous area.

Hydrographic network

The hydrographic network is composed of the two main rivers plus their tributaries and channels.

Lakes, ponds and channels

Economy

Along with Timiș County it forms one of the most developed regions in Romania. Due to its proximity to the border, it attracts a great number of foreign investments. The agricultural potential is greatly put into value, Arad plains being considered one of the most important cereal and vegetable producing basins.

The predominant industries in the county are:

Natural resources in Arad, are worthy to be taken into account as there are oil and associated gases, points of extraction in the west of the county, molibden mines in the Săvârșin area, marble quarries at Căprioara and Moneasa, mineral waters at Lipova, Moneasa, Dorobanți, Curtici, Macea and uranium deposits in the NE part of the county.

Tourism

The main tourist destinations are:

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, the county had a population of 410,143 and the population density was .[1]

YearCounty population[2]
1948476,207
1956475,620
1966481,248
1977512,020
1992487,370
2002461,791
2011430,629
2021410,143

Politics

The Arad County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:[3]

   PartySeatsCurrent County Council
 National Liberal Party (PNL)17                                  
 Save Romania Union (USR)5                      
 Social-Liberal Christian Platform (PSD)3                    
 PRO Romania (PRO)3                    
 People's Movement Party (PMP)2                   
 Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ)2                   

Administrative divisions

Arad County has 1 municipality, 9 towns and 68 communes with approximately 180 villages.

Municipalities
Towns
Communes

Historical county

Official Name:Județul Arad
Settlement Type:County (Județ)
Subdivision Type2:Historic region
Subdivision Type3:Capital city (Reședință de județ)
Established Title:Established
Established Title2:Ceased to exist
Established Date2:1950
Area Total Km2:6248
Population As Of:1930
Population Total:423469
Population Density Km2:auto
Utc Offset:+2
Utc Offset Dst:+3

Administration

In 1930, the county was divided into nine districts (plăși):[4]

  1. Plasa Aradul-Nou (comprising 22 villages)
  2. Plasa Chișineu-Criș (comprising 19 villages)
  3. Plasa Hălmagiu (comprising 45 villages)
  4. Plasa Ineu (comprising 15 villages)
  5. Plasa Pecica (comprising 12 villages)
  6. Plasa Sfânta Ana (comprising 13 villages)
  7. Plasa Sebiș (comprising 37 villages)
  8. Plasa Șiria (comprising 11 villages)
  9. Plasa Radna (comprising 36 villages)

Subsequently, a tenth district was established having been carved out of Plasa Ineu:

  1. Plasa Târnova (comprising 16 villages)

Administration was re-organized in 1947, comprising 13 districts:[5]

  1. Plasa Aradul-Nou
  2. Plasa Chișineu-Criș
  3. Plasa Curtici
  4. Plasa Gurahonț
  5. Plasa Hălmagiu
  6. Plasa Ineu
  7. Plasa Pecica
  8. Plasa Radna
  9. Plasa Săvârșin
  10. Plasa Sebiș
  11. Plasa Sfânta Ana
  12. Plasa Șiria
  13. Plasa Târnova

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 423,469 inhabitants, 61.0% Romanians, 19.5% Hungarians, 12.3% Germans (Banat Swabians), 2.8% Slovaks, 2.1% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, 55.8% declared Eastern Orthodox, 26.5% Roman Catholic, 5.5% Reformed, 4.2% Greek Catholic, 3.2% Lutherans, 2.4% Jewish, 1% Baptists, as well as other minorities.[6]

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 77,181 inhabitants, 39.3% Romanians, 38.8% Hungarians, 9.1% Jews, 7.1% Germans (Banat Swabians), 1.7% Serbs and Croats, 1.4% Slovaks, as well as other minorities. In the urban area, languages were Hungarian (53.3%), Romanian (37.0%), German (6.0%), Serbian (1.4%), Yiddish (0.9%), as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of Roman Catholics (38.5%), Eastern Orthodox (33.8%), Jewish (10.1%), Reformed (9.9%), Greek Catholics (4.0%), Lutherans (2.6%), as well as other minorities.[6]

Industry

The county's capital, Arad, was the location of Romania's first automotive factory. During the 1920s, Astra cars and commercial vehicles were made at Arad.[7] ASTRA Arad manufactured automobiles from 1922 to 1926.[8] The factory had an output of 2 automobiles per working day as of 1922.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rezultate definitive: Caracteristici etno-culturale demografice. Recensamantromania.ro. 28 July 2023.
  2. National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992, 2002 şi 2011"
  3. Web site: ro. Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020. Json. Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. 2020-11-02.
  4. http://romaniainterbelica.memoria.ro/judete/arad/ Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Arad
  5. http://www.arhivelenationale.ro/images/custom/image/Pdf-uri/DJAN-uri/Arad/Pref%20jud%20Arad%201867-1947.pdf Arhivele Naționale ale României - Prefectura județului Arad 1867-1947
  6. Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 525-528
  7. Gerald Taylor Bloomfield, David and Charles, 1978, The World Automotive Industry, p. 243
  8. Georgano, George Nick, New York: Dutton Press, 1982, The New Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present (3rd ed.), p. 59
  9. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, 1922, Commerce Reports, Volume 1, p. 105