Prahova County


Prahova County is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești.

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/km². It is Romania's third most populated county, having a population density double that of the country's mean.
YearCounty population
1948557,776
1956 623,817
1966 701,057
1977 817,168
1992 873,229
2002 829,945
2011 762,886

The county received an inflow of population who have moved here due to the industrial development.

Geography

This county has a total area of 4,716 km².
The relief is split in approximately equal parts between the mountains, the hills and the plain. In the North side there are mountains from the southern end of the Eastern Carpathians - the Curvature Carpathians group; and the Bucegi Mountains the Eastern end of the Southern Carpathians group. The two groups are separated by the Prahova River Valley.
The south side of the county is a plain, on the North West side of the Romanian Plain.
The main river is the eponymous Prahova River. It flows from the mountains, through the Prahova Valley collecting many other rivers - the Doftana River, the Teleajen River and others.

Neighbours

The area contains the main oil reserves in Romania, with a longstanding tradition in extracting and refining the oil. The county is heavily industrialised, more than 115,000 people being involved in industrial activities. It contributes to over 8% of the country's industrial production. Some of the biggest international corporations like Coca-Cola, Unilever, InBev, Johnson Controls, Cameron, Weatherford, Michelin, Timken and others have invested heavily in the recent years.
The predominant industries in the county are:
Agriculture is also developed - in the southern part mainly extensive agriculture and the hills area is well suited for wines and fruit orchards. In total it realises about 3% of the country's agricultural production.

Tourism

The Prahova Valley is one of the areas with the highest tourist potential in the country having one of the best tourism facilities in Romania.
The main tourist destinations are:
The Prahova County Council, elected at the 2016 local government elections, is made up of 37 counselors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Prahova County has 2 municipalities, 12 towns and 90 communes
Municipalities
Towns
Communes
Historically, the county was located in the south central part of Greater Romania, in the central part of the historical region of Muntenia. Its capital was Ploiești. The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Prahova County, except the town of Mizil and several nearby villages that were then in Buzău County. In addition to the current county's territory, the interwar county contained several communes in its western part, currently in Dâmboviţa County, and some territory northwest of Predeal, now in Braşov County.

Administration

The county was originally divided into seven administrative districts :
  1. Plasa Câmpina, headquartered at Câmpina
  2. Plasa Drăgănești, headquartered at Drăgănești
  3. Plasa Filipești, headquartered at Filipești
  4. Plasa Ploiești, headquartered at Ploești
  5. Plasa Sinaia, headquartered at Sinaia
  6. Plasa Urlați, headquartered at Urlați
  7. Plasa Văleni, headquartered at Văleni
Subsequently, the county established three more districts:

  1. Plasa Câmpu, headquartered at Câmpu
  2. Plasa Podgoria, headquartered at Podgoria
  3. Plasa Vărbilău, headquartered at Vărbilău

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 477,750 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 95.0% Romanians, 1.5% Gypsies, 0.9% Jews, 0.8% Hungarians, 0.7% Germans, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 96.0% Eastern Orthodox, 1.2% Roman Catholic, 1.0% Jewish, 0.6% Lutherans, 0.5% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 105,098 inhabitants, comprising 88.8% Romanians, 3.5% Jews, 1.9% Hungarians, 1.7% Germans, 1.4% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 89.2% Eastern Orthodox, 3.6% Jewish, 3.3% Roman Catholic, 1.5% Lutheran, 1.3% Greek Catholic, 0.6% Reformed, as well as other minorities.