BRAILA COUNTY - Geography and history
Geography and history
Located in the South-East of Romania, with an area of only 4 766 km2 (2% of the total area of the country), Braila is one of the smallest counties. As of 31 December 2000, the administrative organisation of this county included 3 towns, 1 municipality, 39 communes and 140 villages. The county's capital city is Braila.
To the east it is surrounded by the following counties: Tulcea and Constanta, to the north by Vrancea and Galati, to the west by Buzau and to the south by Ialomita.
The Braila county's territory is mainly plains - the Central and Northern Baragan - and on the Danube meadow - known as the Braila Moor. These are completed by the meadows of the Siret, Buzau and Calmatui rivers.
The city of Braila was attested in documents since the middle of the 14th century. Its commercial importance grew since 1368, Braila being the main import-export gate for the maritime trade of Walachia. Braila was the first free harbour on the Danube where several ethnic groups (Greeks, Turks, Russians, Bulgarians, Jews, and Armenians) lived in harmony and mutual respect, enriching the spiritual life of the town.
From a cultural and historical point of view, Braila was a bridge between the eastern world and the southern one.
The subsoil resources are relatively poor. Clays of sedimentary rocks of quaternary deposits are used in the manufacture of bricks and tiles, and sands of several pits are used as raw materials in constructions (Braila, Faurei and Însuratei).
Following the geological explorations, oil deposits were discovered and exploited in the western area (around the lakes of Balta Alba and Ciulnita), in the central area (around the lakes of Ianca and Plopu, in the Calmatuiriver valley). Natural gas is extracted at Ulmu.
The water and the mud of the salt lakes have special therapeutic properties. Treatment facilities were installed around these salt lakes. However, theLacu Sarat resort is the only one that remained opened. A source of mineral thermal sulphurous water with special therapeutic properties was identified in Însuratei, with an external temperature of 60°C.
The temperate climate with semiarid tendencies, the low energy of the geography and the permeability of loessoide and sand deposits are factors that led to the lack of a local hydrographical network. The county has few important water ways (the Danube, Siret, Buzau, and Calmatui rivers).
According to Law 5 of 2000, the county has 2 natural reservations with a total area of 931 ha.
The Small Island of Braila, a real inner delta with an area of 15 000 ha, was declared a natural reservation for flora and fauna.
The Jirlau Lake (8.9 km2) is recognised as an ornithological refuge and recorded together with the Danube Delta and other reservations of the country on the list of 2 440 aqua-fauna areas of an European importance published in 1989 in England.
In the Great Island of Braila, created by the drainage of the Braila Moor, there is "Popina Blasova", a testimony of the Hercynian erosion of the Dobroudja Mountains, recognised in 1994 as natural monument.
Economy
In 2000, there were 5 078 active companies on the county's territory , more than 99% with with private capital. By their main activity, industry accounted for 10.6%, while services represented 80%.
Activities significant to the development of the local economy are agriculture and industry.
At the end of 2000, the agricultural land totalled 386 thousand ha: arable land represented 343.1 thousand ha, pastures and meadows 34 thousand ha, and vineyards and orchards 8.9 thousand ha. Forests and forest vegetation totalled 26 thousand ha.
Having excellent soils (chernozem), in 2000 the county had good crops for corn, sunflower, wheat, barley and sugar beet; the vegetal production represented 1.7% of the national production. The irrigated area represents 86.1% of the total agricultural area, making the county the first at a national level from this point of view.
The cereal crops obtained in 2000 accounted for 425 2 thousand tons as follows: grain corn 244.7 thousand tons, sunflower 65.4 thousand tons and soy 16.9 thousand tons.
At the end of 2000, there were 56.4 thousand cattle, 141.4 thousand pigs, 222.1 thousand sheep and goats and 1 350 thousand poultry.
The average wool production of 3.07 kg/sheep obtained in 2000 gave the county the 5th position at a national level.
The county has an important productive potential, the industrial production capacities being concentrated in several large companies in the city of Braila: Braiconf (textiles), Braila Shipyard, Promex (excavators and hydraulic equipment), Celhart Donaris (cellulose and paper), and Laminorul (rolled steel and coil steel).
The main economy is the processing industry with its main fields: food and beverage industry, cellulose, paper and cardboard industry, textile/garment industry, and transportation means - shipbuilding and renovation.
Braila is the first harbour on the Danube River in the country, the Danube being navigable from Braila to Sulina for vessels up to 20 000 tdw. The harbour can accomodate 4 simultaneous vessels in 4 quays up to 8 000 tdw. The outer harbour area can accommodate more than 3 vessels of 20 000 tdw.
The harbour and its docks play an important role in the economy of the county. The arrangement of the "free zones" near the port of Braila, with a total area of 65.5 ha, encourages the economic development of the county.
Together with Bucharest and Galati, Braila was one of the first stock markets (established 1881). Reopened in 1995, the General Stock Market of Braila is meant to play an important role in the invigorating of the economic activity of the county.
At the end of 2000, the county had a railway network of 168 km, of which 126 km were electric lines. The density of the railway lines was 35.2 km/1 000 km2, under the national average (46.2 km/1 000 km2). The road network of the county had 1 190 km, where 233 km modernised. From the total length of public roads, 212 km were national and 978 km were county and communal roads.
The tourist capacity of accommodation, as of 31 July 2000, was 2 395 places: 1 176 in hotels and motels, 230 in villas, 108 in camping locations, 780 in student camps, 86 in chalets and 15 in inns.
Population and social environment
As of 1 July 2000, the county's population was 385 749 inhabitants, decreasing by 1.3% compared to 1 July 1996. The population's density in 2000 was 80.9 inhabitants per km2 compared to the 94.1 national average.
The young population (0-24 years) accounted in 2000 for 32.6%, under the national level and lower than in 1996 (35.2%). The population of 65 years and over had a share of 14.2% compared to the 13.3% national average; compared to 1996 (12.5%) there was an aging of the population.
The average age of the county's population was 38.1years, 0.9 years over the average age of the population at a national level.
The birth rate was 9.2 per 1 000 inhabitants, over the figure of 1996 (8.8 per 1 000 inhabitants), but under the national average. The overall mortality of 11.8 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants, in 2000, determined a negative natural growth of 2.6 persons per 1 000 population. The infant mortality was 14.5 deaths in children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, 22% under the national average.
In 2000, the marriage rate was 5.9 per 1 000 inhabitants (6.9 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996), and the divorce rate was 1.79 per 1 000 inhabitants (1.87 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996).
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 66.4 years for males and 75.3 years for females, under the national average for males, but over the national average for females.
In 2000, the civil active population was 170.3 thousand persons. The activity rate of the labour force was 74.1%.
The employment rate fell from 64.4% in 1996 to 62.8% in 2000, due to the process of population aging and to the lack of jobs, which resulted in an increase of the unemployment rate from 8.2% in 1996 to 15.3% in 2000. This made Braila county be the 4th among the counties with a high rate of unemployment.
The share of employed females was 54.9%, and the unemployment rate for females was 11.9%, much lower than for males (19.2%).
The highest unemployment rate between 1996 and 2000, was reached in 1999 (18%).
In the school year 2000/2001, the education network included 360 units, most of them for the pre-school education (49.4%), and primary and secondary education (41.9%).
The healthcare system has been changed as a result of the reform in the last years. In 2000, the county had 7 hospitals, 6 clinics, 20 medical consultation centres, 90 pharmacies, 2 health centres and other 352 de units performing various medical activities.
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