Alba County

Alba County (Romanian pronunciation: [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 County

Județul Alba
County
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Alba County in Romania
Country Romania
Development region1Centru
Historic regionTransylvania
County seatAlba Iulia
Government
 • TypeCounty Board
 • President of the County BoardIon Dumitrel (PDL)
 • Prefect2Dan Simedru-Coriolan
Area
 • Total6,242 km2 (2,410 sq mi)
Area rank16th in Romania
Population
 • Total327,224
 • Rank29th in Romania
 • Density52/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
51wxyz3
Area code(s)+40 x584
Car PlatesAB5
GDPUS$ 2.940 billion (2015)
GDP per capitaUS$ 8,970 (2015)
WebsiteCounty Board
County Prefecture
1The developing regions of Romania have no administrative role. They were formed to attract 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 to have 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

Name

"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.

Demographics

In October 31, 2011, it had a population of 327,224 and the population density was 52/km².

Year County population[3]
1948 361,062
1956 370,800
1966 382,786
1977 409,634
1992 414,227
2002 382,747
2011 327,224

Geography

This county has a total area of 6,242 km², with mountains occupying about 59% of its surface.

The Apuseni Mountains are in the northwest; the northeastern side of the Parâng 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.

Neighbors

Economy

The predominant industries in the county are:

  • Food industry
  • Textile industry
  • Wood industry
  • Mechanical components
  • Paper and packaging materials industry
  • Chemical industry

The mineral resources exploited in Alba county are metals (gold, silver, copper), salt and construction materials, including marble and granite.

Tourist attractions
Gold in quartz, Roșia Montană. Size 4.3 × 2.7 × 1.3 cm.

The main tourist attractions in the county are:

  • The city of Alba Iulia
  • The Apuseni Mountains
    • Scărișoara karst complex
    • Maidens' Fair on the Găina Mountain
    • The Dealul cu melci ("Snail Hill") west of Vidra
    • Barren Detunata and Shaggy Detunata (Detunatele)
  • The Câlnic Castle and the castle of Gârbova
  • The towns and churches of Sebeș and Aiud
  • The Ocna Mureș resort
  • The Țara Moților ethnographical area. Situated in the Apuseni Mountains, Țara Moților is a region with strong and distinct Romanian traditions.
  • Roșia Montana Mining Cultural Landscape - Mining began 2000 years ago on Mt. Kirnik, with well-preserved Roman galleries. A Canadian company attempted an open-pit mine, but abandoned the project around 2007. Roșia Montană is a famous locality among mineral collectors for fine native gold specimens.[4][5]

Politics

The Alba County Council, elected at the 2016 local government elections, is made up of 33 counselors, with the following party composition:[6]

    Party Seats Current County Council
  National Liberal Party 19                                      
  Social Democratic Party 9                                      
  Alliance of Liberals and Democrats 3                                      
  People's Movement Party 2                                      

Administrative divisions
Alba Iulia
Blaj
Sebeș
Abrud
Baia de Arieș

Alba County has 4 municipalities, 7 towns and 67 communes.

Historical county
Județul Alba
County (Județ)
The Alba County Prefecture building of the interwar period, currently the headquarters of the Alba County Schools Inspectorate.
Coat of arms
Country Romania
Historic regionTransylvania
Capital city (Reședință de județ)Alba-Iulia
Established1925
Area
 • Total2,433 km2 (939 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total213,795
 • Density88/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

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.

Administration
Map of Alba County as constituted in 1938.

The county originally consisted of seven districts (plăṣi):[7]

  1. Plasa Abrud (headquarters at Abrud)
  2. Plasa Aiud (headquarters at Aiud)
  3. Plasa Ighiu (headquarters at Ighiu)
  4. Plasa Ocna Mureș (headquarters at Ocna Mureș)
  5. Plasa Sebeș (headquarters at Sebeș)
  6. Plasa Teiuș (headquarters at Teiuș)
  7. Plasa Vințu de Jos (headquarters at Vințu de Jos)

Subsequently, Plasa Ighiu was abolished and two other districts were established, leaving these:

  1. Plasa Abrud (seven villages, headquarters at Abrud)
  2. Plasa Aiud (thirty-three villages, headquarters at Aiud)
  3. Plasa Alba Iulia (eighteen villages, headquarters at Alba Iulia)
  4. Plasa Ocna Mureș (twenty-one villages, headquarters at Ocna Mureș)
  5. Plasa Sebeș (twenty-one villages, headquarters at Sebeș)
  6. Plasa Teiuș (twenty villages, headquarters at Teiuș)
  7. Plasa Vințu de Jos (thirteen villages, headquarters at Vințu de Jos)
  8. Plasa Zlatna (eighteen villages, headquarters at Zlatna)

There were four towns: Alba-Iulia, Abrud, Aiud and Sebeș.

Population

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]

Urban population

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 1938

After the 1938 Administrative and Constitutional Reform, this county merged with the counties of Ciuc, Odorhei, Sibiu, Târnava Mare, Târnava Micǎ 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.

People

Notable natives include:

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2012-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "COMUNICAT DE PRESĂ : 2 februarie 2012 privind rezultatele provizorii ale Recensământului Populaţiei şi Locuinţelor – 2011" (PDF). Recensamantromania.ro. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  3. National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992, 2002 şi 2011" Archived 2006-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Roşia Montană (Verespatak; Vöröspatak; Goldbach), Roşia Montanã Commune, Alba Co., Romania". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  5. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Roșia Montană Mining Cultural Landscape - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  6. "Mandate de CJ pe judete si competitori" (in Romanian). Biroul Electoral Central. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  7. Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Alba
  8. Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pp. 522-524

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