Country Romania Historical region Crișana, Maramureș Telephone code (+40) 261 or (+40) 361 Area 4,418 km² | Development region Nord-Vest Area rank 36th ISO 3166 code RO-SM Capital Satu Mare | |
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University Commercial Academy of Satu Mare Points of interest Castelul Károlyi, Szatmári Megyei Múzeum, Firemen's Tower, Muzeul Țării Oașului, Muzeu Carei Destinations Satu Mare, Carei, Negrești‑Oaș, Tășnad, Certeze | ||
Satu Mare County (Romanian: Județul Satu Mare, [ˌsatu ˈmare]) is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Hungary and Ukraine. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians (58.8% of the population), Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians (35.2%).
Contents
- Map of Satu Mare County Romania
- Name
- Demographics
- Geography
- Neighbours
- Economy
- Tourism
- Politics
- Administrative divisions
- References
Map of Satu Mare County, Romania
Name
In Hungarian, it is known as Szatmár megye, in German as Kreis Sathmar, in Ukrainian as Сату-Маре, and in Slovak as Satmárska župa.
Demographics
Satu Mare is a multicultural city, with a population mix of Romanian, Hungarian, Roma, German and other ethnicities.
In 2002, Satu Mare County had a population of 367,281 and the population density was 83/km².
In 2011, its population was 329,079 and population density was 74.48/km².
Hungarians mostly reside along the border with Hungary, but some are also scattered throughout the whole county.
Historically, Hungarians were concentrated in the cities, where administration resides, while the Romanian population was larger in the villages throughout the county. In 1930 the Hungarians were representing 41,9% of the urban population in Satu Mare County and only 20,0% of the population in the villages according to census data. The proportion of different ethnic groups varied throughout the history, due to regime and political changes. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 the Hungarian population increased its proportion greatly, in 1880 representing 44.4% and in 1910 reaching 55.1% of the county population, according to Árpád E. Varga. After World War I the Hungarian and German population declined.
Geography
This county has a total area of 4,418 square kilometres (1,706 sq mi).
In the north are the Oaș Mountains, part of the Eastern Carpathians. This makes up around 17% of the area. The remainder is hills, forming 20% of the area, and plains. The western county takes up the Eastern part of the Pannonian Plain.
The county is crossed by the Someș River and also Tur River and Crasna River.
The county lies partly in the historical region of Maramureș and partly in the historical region of Crișana.
Neighbours
It is a member of the Carpathian euroregion.
Economy
Satu Mare County benefits from its position, close to the border of Romania with Hungary and Ukraine, and it is one of the places which attracts foreign investment in industry and agriculture.
The predominant industries in the county are:
Tourism
The main tourist attractions in the county are:
Politics
The Satu Mare County Council, elected at the 2016 local government elections, is made up of 33 counselors, with the following party composition:
Administrative divisions
Satu Mare County has 2 municipalities, 4 towns and 59 communes: