Wikipedia

Gorj County

Gorj County (Romanian pronunciation: [ɡorʒ] ⓘ) is a county (județ) 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”).

Gorj County
Județul Gorj
County
Constantin Brâncuși's Endless Column in Târgu Jiu
Constantin Brâncuși's Endless Column in Târgu Jiu
Coat of arms of Gorj County
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 45°02′N 23°18′E / 45.04°N 23.3°E / 45.04; 23.3
Country Romania
Development region1Sud-Vest
Historic regionOltenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Târgu Jiu
Government
 • TypeCounty Council
 • Council PresidentCosmin-Mihai Popescu [ro] (PSD)
 • Prefect2Virgil Drăgușin [ro]
Area
 • Total
5,602 km2 (2,163 sq mi)
 • Rank21st in Romania
Population
 (2021-12-01)[1]
 • Total
314,685
 • Rank28th in Romania
 • Density56/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
21wxyz3
Area code+40 x534
Car PlatesGJ5
GDPUS$2.824 billion (2015)
GDP per capitaUS$8,450 (2015)
WebsiteCounty Council
County Prefecture
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

Demographics

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At the 2011 census, the county had a population of 334,238 and its population density was 59.66/km2 (154.5/sq mi).

At the 2021 census, Gorj County had a population of 314,685.

Year County population[3]
1948 280,524  
1956 293,031  
1966 298,382  
1977 348,521  
1992 400,100  
2002 387,308  
2011 334,238  
2021 314,685  

Geography

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Gorj County has a total area of 5,602 km2 (2,163 sq mi).

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.

Neighbours

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Economy

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The predominant industries in the county are:

  • Mining equipment industry.
  • Food and beverages industry.
  • Textile industry.
  • Mechanical components industry.
  • Glass industry.
  • Wood industry.

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.

Tourism

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Wooden church in Slăvuța, Gorj County

The main tourist destinations are:

Politics

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The Gorj County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:[4]

    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                                

Administrative divisions

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Tudor Vladimirescu monument in Târgu Jiu
 
Gilort river in Târgu Cărbunești

Gorj County has 2 municipalities, 7 towns and 61 communes

  • Municipalities
    • Motru- population: 15,950 (as of 2021)
    • Târgu Jiu – capital city; population: 73,545 (as of 2021)

Historical county

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Județul Gorj
County (Județ)
 
The Gorj County Prefecture building of the interwar period.
 
Coat of arms
 
Country  Romania
Historic regionOltenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Târgu Jiu
Area
 • Total
4,579 km2 (1,768 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total
206,339
 • Density45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

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.

Administration

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Map of Gorj County as constituted in 1938.

The county was originally divided into four administrative districts (plăși):[5]

  1. Plasa Gilort, headquartered at Gilort
  2. Plasa Jiu, headquartered at Jiu
  3. Plasa Novaci, headquartered at Novaci
  4. Plasa Vulcana, headquartered at Vulcana

Subsequently, two more districts were established:

  1. Plasa Amaradia, headquartered at Amaradia
  2. Plasa Ocolu, headquartered at Ocolul

Population

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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.

Urban population

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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.

Industry

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In the county capital of Târgu Jiu, there was a factory producing roof tiles as of 1931.[6]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gorj County.
  1. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  2. ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia după etnie" Archived 16 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json) (in Romanian). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. ^ Portretul României Interbelice – Județul Gorj
  6. ^ H. T. Montague Bell, Near East, Limited, 1931, The Near East Year Book and Who's who: A Survey of the Affairs, Political, Economic and Social, of Yugoslavia, Roumania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, p. 559
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