| Gorj County | |
| Native Name: | Județul Gorj |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Development region1 |
| Subdivision Type2: | Historic region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Capital city (Reședință de județ) |
| Government Type: | County Council |
| Leader Title: | Council President |
| Leader Title1: | Prefect2 |
| Area Total Km2: | 5602 |
| Coordinates: | 45.04°N 23.3°W |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Postal Code: | 21wxyz3 |
| Area Code: | +40 x534 |
| Blank Info: | GJ5 |
| Blank1 Name: | GDP |
| Blank1 Info: | US$2.824 billion (2015) |
| Blank2 Info: | US$8,450 (2015) |
| Blank4 Name: | GDP per capita rank |
| 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 utility vehicles, ATVs, etc.), and the ones used outside the county |
| Website: | County Council County Prefecture |
Gorj County (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /ɡorʒ/) is a county of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. Gorj comes from the Slavic Gor(no)-Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolj (“lower Jiu”).
At the 2011 census, the county had a population of 334,238 and its population density was .
At the 2021 census, Gorj County had a population of 314,685.
| Year | County population[2] | |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 280,524 | |
| 1956 | 293,031 | |
| 1966 | 298,382 | |
| 1977 | 348,521 | |
| 1992 | 400,100 | |
| 2002 | 387,308 | |
| 2011 | 334,238 | |
| 2021 | 314,685 |
Gorj County has a total area of .
The North side of the county consists of various mountains from the Southern Carpathians group. In the West there are the Vâlcan Mountains, and in the East there are the Parâng Mountains and the Negoveanu Mountains. The two groups are split by the Jiu River.
To the South, the heights decrease through the hills to a high plain at the Western end of the Wallachian Plain.
The main river, which collects all the smaller rivers, is the Jiu River; its tributaries include the Tismana, Gilort, and Motru rivers.
The predominant industries in the county are:
In the North of the county, coal is extracted near Motru and Rovinari. There are two big thermo electrical power plants at Rovinari and Turceni, and some hydro-electrical power plants. The county is the biggest electricity producer in Romania, with 36% of the country's electricity.
Due to the decrease in mining activity, the county has one of the highest unemployment levels in the country.
The main tourist destinations are:
The Gorj County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:[3]
| Party | Seats | Current County Council | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| National Liberal Party (PNL) | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| People's Movement Party (PMP) | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| PRO Romania (PRO) | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gorj County has 2 municipalities, 7 towns and 61 communes
| Official Name: | Județul Gorj |
| Settlement Type: | County (Județ) |
| Subdivision Type2: | Historic region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Capital city (Reședință de județ) |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Title2: | Ceased to exist |
| Area Total Km2: | 4579 |
| Population As Of: | 1930 |
| Population Total: | 206339 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
Historically, the county was located in the southwestern part of Greater Romania, in the northern part of the historical region of Oltenia. Its capital was Târgu Jiu. The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Gorj County.
It was bordered to the west by Mehedinți County, to the north by the counties of Hunedoara and Sibiu, to the east by Vâlcea County, and to the south by Dolj County.
The county was originally divided into four administrative districts (plăși):[4]
Subsequently, two more districts were established:
According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 206,339 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 97.9% Romanians, 1.7% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.6% Eastern Orthodox, as well as other minorities.
In 1930, the county's urban population was 13,030 inhabitants, comprising 90.0% Romanians, 4.6% Romanies, 1.1% Germans, 0.9% Hungarians, 0.8% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 95.8% Eastern Orthodox, 2.2% Roman Catholic, 0.8% Jewish, as well as other minorities.
In the county capital of Târgu Jiu, there was a factory producing roof tiles as of 1931.[5]