Oaș Country

Oaș Country (Romanian: Țara Oașului, Hungarian: Avasság) is an ethnographic and historical region of Romania located in the North-East part of Satu Mare County, 50 km from the city of Satu Mare, also 50 km from the city of Baia Mare. The total area is about 755.30 square kilometres (291.62 sq mi). The capital of Oaș Country is Negrești-Oaș town. [1]

Oaș Country

Țara Oașului
Ethnographic region of Romania
Map of Oaș Country
Oaș Country
Location of Oaș Country in Romania
Coordinates: 47°52′N 23°25′E
Country Romania
CountySatu Mare
CapitalNegrești-Oaș
Area
 • Total755.30 km2 (291.62 sq mi)
Population
55,299
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Boundaries

The Oaș Country extends from Turț – Gherța Mare – Gherța Mică (on the western side) all the way to Huta pass situated at an altitude of 604 m (in the East), from Cămărzana (in the North) to the mountains that surround Orașu Nou, Racșa and Vama (in the South).

Communes

The Oaș Country comprises the following communes:

Geography

The Oaș Depression has maximum altitudes of 400–500 m. Most of the human dwellings are situated alongside the river valleys that cross the Oaș Depression. In the Northern part of the depression there is the Lechincioara Basin which includes the Mare, Semănaturii and Lechincioarei valleys. In the southern part of Oaș Country there are the Tur, Alb, and Rău rivers.

History

The first document that mentioned the Oaș Country dates from 1270, when the King of Hungary donated to a nobleman several villages from the southwestern boundary of the "country".

In that document the Oaș Country is mentioned as Terra Awas. Some historians claim that the origin of the word "Oaș" is the "Awas", which means a kind of deforestation or a clearing in the woods.

The Oaș Country was mentioned in the Chronicles of Grigore Ureche.

  • Local folk singer Maria Tripon in traditional costume
  • Local folk singer Ionuț Silaghi de Oaș in traditional costume
  • Wooden Church from Lechința, Open Air Museum of Oaș Country in Negrești-Oaș town, 2008
  • Oaș folk ensemble in the Museum of Oaș Country
  • Open Air Museum of Oaș Country in Negrești-Oaș town
  • Huta pass

References
  1. Negrești-Oaș, capital of Oaș Country
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