CONSTANTA COUNTY - Geography and history
The Constanta county is located in the South-Eastern part of Romania and has an area of 7 071 km2 (representing3% of the total area of the country), being the 8th largest county of Romania. As of 31 December 2000, the administrative organisation of this county was the following: 8 towns and 3 municipalities, 54 communes and 189 villages. The county's capital city is Constanta.
The county is surrounded to the north by Tulcea county, to the east by the Black Sea, to the south by Bulgaria, and to the west by the Danube, which forms a natural border with the Calarasi and Ialomita counties.
Regarding the geography, a low elevation plateau structure is predominant (the Dobroudja Plateau).
In the eastern part of the county there is the littoral of the Black Sea, very well exploited from a tourist point of view.
The climate is temperate-continental with an average annual temperature of 10-11°C. Rainfalls are under the national average. The Black Sea influences the climate over a few tens of kilometres inside the county.
Specific to this county are the meadow natural lakes, marine refuges and lagoons (Oltina, Sinoe, Tasaul, Techirghiol, and Mangalia).
The soil is mainly constituted of chernozems characteristic to the Dobroudja steppe (carbonate chernozem, brown chernozem, chocolate chernozem and levigate chernozem). Forests are few, with various species characterised by low productivity with respect to the wood mass.
The county is rich in vestiges belonging to the historical past, some of them dating from the 7th century BC, when the Greeks founded here a number of colonies (Histria, today's Istria, Callatis, today's Mangalia and Tomis, today's Constanta). Thereafter, since the 1st century BC, the territory came under Roman occupation, and was crossed by migrating populations and troubled by wars.
The name of "Dobroudja", as attested by historical documents, comes from Dobrotici, a Byzantine despot who lived during the 14th century. The land he ruled was named Dobrugi-ieli, Dobrugi, i.e. Dobroudja. As for the name of "Constanta", apparently it comes from the word Constantziana, a name which arose in the 4th century AD, and was given in the Middle Age by the Genoveses to this city.
Due to the heroism of the Romanian army in the war of 1877-1878, the country became independent, free and sovereign, and Dobroudja was united with Romania. Thus a second stage in the unification of Romania came true.
The county includes a part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation.
The county's subsoil contains phosphate rocs, iron ore and mineral waters. The common rocks include green schists, lime, chalk, argil, dolomite, diatomite, and melting sand. An important place among the natural resources is held by the Techirghiol Salt Lake and by the Nuntasi Lake, with significant deposits of sapropelic mud, used for therapeutic purposes. The continental platform of the Black Sea contains important deposits of hydrocarbons and minerals.
Economy
The county's economy includes industry, agriculture, transports and tourism. The distribution of companies underlies the industrial area located on the Constanta-Navodari axis, on the one hand, and the area of Constanta-Medgidia-Cernavoda, on the other. In 2000 there were 13 479 active companies, more than 98% with private capital. By their main activity, industry accounted for 10.1% while services represented 81%.
The industry of Constanta county is highly concentrated in four towns: Constanta, Navodari, Medgidia, and Cernavoda. The significant activities are the production of nuclear power, chemistry and petrochemistry, oil extraction and processing, food and beverage processing, shipbuilding and renovation, cement and asbestos production, etc.
In 2000, the cereal crops amounted to 607.1 thousand tons, of which 139.6 thousand tons were corn and 104.7 thousands tons were sunflower. At the end of 2000, the livestock counted 42.5 thousand cattle, 110.1 thousand pigs, 267.1 thousand sheep and goats and 2 264 thousand poultry.
The county has a developed transportation network. Due to its geographic position, the county has all types of transportation means: maritime navigation, railway, roads and air navigation. The Constanta harbour plays an important role in the county's economy. It is located on the western coast of the Black Sea, about 182 marine miles away from the Bosphorus and about 85 maritime miles away from the mouth of the Sulina branch through which the Danube river issues into the sea.
As for the Danube-Black Sea Canal, it has a favourable impact on maritime transport, Constanta being practically connected to the North Sea. The traffic through this Canal reached 11.3 millions tons in 2000, with an increase of 8.4% as compared to 1996.
The railway network makes the connection between the Constanta harbour and the rest of the country. At the end of 2000, the railway network of Constanta county measured 401 km, including 129 km of electric lines. The density of railway lines was 56.7 km per 1 000 km2 of territory, over the national average (46,2 km/1000 km2). The road network provides with both passenger and merchandise transportation inside the county, and with connections with the rest of the country and with other countries. The length of public roads was 2 308 km, including 507 km modernised roads. Of the total public roads, 466 km were national roads and 1 842 km were county and communal roads.
The air transport is carried out through the Mihail Kogalniceanu international airport, located at 24 km from the city of Constanta, providing with connections to other national and international airports.
The Romanian shore of the Black Sea is a tourist area of large interest. At present, there are 13 resorts from Navodari to Mangalia. There are well known ressorts such as: Mamaia, Eforie, Techirghiol, Costinesti, Olimp, Neptun, Cap Aurora, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mangalia. The tourist accommodation capacity, as of 31 July 2000, exceeded 122 598 places, of which 73 358 in hotels, 6 026 in villas, 19 133 in the camping area, 10 328 in student camps, 4 093 in bungalows, 5 028 in baithouses, 3 741 in treatment hotels, 765 in pensions, 88 in motels and 38 places on passenger boats. The tourist accommodation capacity in Constanta county represented 43.8% of the national total.
Locations such as the city of Histria (7th century BC), the Triumphal Monument of Adamclisi (109 AD), the Baths, the Roman Edifice with Mosaic, and the Archaeological Park have an inestimable archaeological value.
Population and social environment
The county's population, as of 1 July 2000, was 746 041, with a decrease of 0.14% compared to 1 July 1996. In 2000, the population density was 105.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the 94.1 national average.
The young population (0-24 years) had in 2000 a share of 35.2%, above the national average, but lower than in 1996 (37.8%). The population of 65 years and over had a share of 9.9% as compared to the 13.3% national average; as compared with to 1996 (8.6%) the population is older.
The average age of the Constanta county's population was 35.7 years, 1.5 years under the national average.
The birth rate in 2000 was 10.3 per 1 000 inhabitants, increasing compared to 1996 (9.5 per 1 000 inhabitants), but under the national average. The overall mortality of 9.6 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000 led to a negative natural growth of 0.7 persons per 1 000 inhabitants. The infant mortality was 22.3 deaths of children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, 19.9% over the the national average (18.6 per 1 000 live births).
In 2000, the marriage rate was 6.3 per 1 000 inhabitants (6.8 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996), and the divorce rate was 1.69 per 1 000 inhabitants (1.13 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996).
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 65.2 years for males and 72.7 years for females, under the national average for both males and females.
The civil employed population, at the end of 2000, was 275.6 thousand, Constanta county holding 3.2% of the total national level. Of the total civil employed population, 54.7% are males and 45.3% females. The number of employees totalled 165.2 thousand (59.9% of the active population), with 93.8 thousand males and 71.4 thousand females. The average net monthly salary of 2 414.7 thousand lei exceeds by 11.3% the average of the South-Eastern Region and by 12.9% the national average.
The structure of the civil employed population, at the end of 2000, was as follows: 34.7% were employed in agriculture, 23.7% in industry and constructions, and 41.6% in services.
At the end of 2000, the number of registered unemployed was 30.5 thousand. Of the total unemployed persons, 58.2% were females. As of 31 December 2000, the unemployment rate was 10%, compared to 5.7% in the same month of 1996.
The educational system includes 555 units, with 254 kindergartens, 235 primary and secondary schools, 54 high-schools, 6 apprentice schools and 6 higher education units.
Healthcare services are provided through 11 hospitals, 14 clinics and 26 medical consultation centres.
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