| Mehedinți County | |
| Native Name: | Județul Mehedinți |
| Native Name Lang: | ro |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Map Alt: | Administrative map of Romania with Mehedinți county highlighted |
| Coordinates: | 44.63°N 22.88°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Romania |
| Subdivision Type1: | Development region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sud-Vest |
| Subdivision Type2: | Historical region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Oltenia, Banat |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Drobeta-Turnu Severin |
| Government Type: | County Council |
| Leader Party: | PSD |
| Leader Title: | President of the County Council |
| Leader Title1: | Prefect |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 4,933 |
| Area Rank: | 30th |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Rank: | 39th |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Area Code: | (+40) 252 or (+40) 352[1] |
| Iso Code: | RO-MH |
| Website: | County Council County Prefecture |
| Blank1 Name: | GDP (nominal) |
| Blank1 Info: | US$ 1.278 billion (2015) |
| Blank2 Name: | GDP per capita |
| Blank2 Info: | US$ 5,024 (2015) |
Mehedinți County (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /meheˈdint͡sʲ/) is a county (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: [[județ]]) of Romania on the border with Serbia and Bulgaria. It is mostly located in the historical province of Oltenia, with one municipality (Orșova) and three communes (Dubova, Eșelnița, and Svinița) located in the Banat. The county seat is Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
The county's name is or in Hungarian. The Romanian form originates from the first one, and a third originates from the Romanian: . The territory was famous for its apiaries, that's why it was named from the Hungarian word meaning bee.[2]
In 2011, it had a population of 254,570 and the population density was 51.6/km2.
| Year | County population[4] | |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 304,788 | |
| 1956 | 304,091 | |
| 1966 | 310,021 | |
| 1977 | 322,371 | |
| 1992 | 332,091 | |
| 2002 | 306,732 | |
| 2011 | 254,570 | |
| 2021 | 234,339 |
This county has a total area of 4,933 km2.
In the North-West there are the Mehedinți Mountains with heights up to 1500 m, part of the Western end of the Southern Carpathians.
The heights decrease towards the East, passing through the hills to a high plain - the Western end of the Romanian Plain.
In the South the Danube flows, forming a wide valley, with channels and ponds. Another important river is the Motru River in the East side, an affluent of the Jiu River. Also, in the West side there is the Cerna River forming a passage between the Oltenia region and the Banat region.
The energetic sector is highly developed in the county, on the Danube being two big hydro electrical power plants (Iron Gates I and Iron Gates II). Also in NE of Drobeta-Turnu Severin there is a heavy water complex (Romag Prod).
The predominant industries in the county are:
In the North, coal and copper are extracted.
The South is mainly agricultural, suited for growing cereals on large surfaces. Also vegetables are cultivated and there are important surfaces of wines and fruit orchards.
The main tourist destinations are:
The Mehedinți 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) | 15 | |||||||||||||||||
| National Liberal Party (PNL) | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| PRO Romania (PRO) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| People's Movement Party (PMP) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Mehedinți County has 2 municipalities, 3 towns and 61 communes
| Official Name: | Județul Mehedinți |
| 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: | 5320 |
| Population As Of: | 1930 |
| Population Total: | 303878 |
| 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 western part of the historical region of Oltenia. Its capital was Târgu Jiu. The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Mehedinți County. At present, its territory comprises a large part of the current territory of Mehedinţi County except for the northern part belonging to Gorj County, while a small part of the former Severin County where Orsova was located is currently part of Mehedinti County.
It was bordered on the west by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in the northwest by Severin County, to the north by Hunedoara County, to the east by the counties of Gorj and Dolj, and in the south by the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
The county was originally divided into four administrative districts (plăși):[6]
Subsequently, Plasa Câmpul was disbanded and replaced with five more districts:
According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 303,878 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 98.7% Romanians, 1.2% Romanis, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.0% Eastern Orthodox, 0.5% Roman Catholic, 0.2% Jewish, as well as other minorities.
In 1930, the county's urban population comprised 91.3% Romanians, 2.5% Germans, 1.3% Romanies, 1.3% Jews, 1.1% Serbs and Croats, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 92.9% Eastern Orthodox, 4.3% Roman Catholic, 1.5% Jewish, 0.4% Greek Catholic, 0.4% Lutheran, as well as other minorities.