Galati COUNTY - Geography and history
The county is located in the eastern part of the country, on the border with the Republic of Moldova, having an area of 4 466 km2, which represents 1.9% of the country's total area. It is neighboured to the south by Tulcea county, to the south-west by Braila and to the west by Vrancea county. 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 Galati. To the east of the county, the Prut river forms a county's natural boundary and also the country's border with the Republic of Moldova.
Its position, outside the Carpathian Mountains, gives the landscape gentle crests, between 310 m in the north and 5-10 m in the south and is characterised by the contact area between the South-East hills of the Moldova plateau, the Walachian Plain and the Dobroudja Plateau.
The county's territory has a continental climate with some differences depending on the geography and the orientation of the hydrographical network.
The main waterway is the Danube river, but the Siret, Buzau and Bârlad rivers are more important in length.
It is to mention that around Galati important historical events of the Romanian spirituality took place. The prince of the 1859 Union was born in Galati, the first monument dedicated to the great poet Eminescu was built here, the "International" movement was led in the Romanian way by a man born here, the song "the Danube Waves" was composed and played for the first time in Galati. The general Eremia Grigorescu was born in this county, and became famous for his words addressed to the enemy: "No passage here!". Victor Valcovici, the famous mathematician placed near Bernoulli for his researches on the theorems of mechanics and for his universal studies concerning the - Bernoulli-Valcovici surfaces-, was also born here. In the past, the city of Galati was located at an important crossway of waterways and roads, and was "the most famous commercial town on all the Danube". It was also a customs and a dock where merchandise for the Ottoman Empire was shipped, a significant market since the 17th century in the transit trade and cargo trade between 1837 and 1883.
Located at the crossroad of ancient and significant commercial roads, at the confluence between the Danube and the most important rivers of Moldova, the Siret and the Prut, the county played an important economic, social and cultural role. The Danube borders the territory along 22 km.
The rich network of rivers running across the county allows an intensive agriculture, on an agricultural land holding 80.3% of the total area, and of which 81.3% are arable lands. Forests and other lands with forest vegetation occupy 8.1% of the territory. The city of Galati has resources of oil and natural gas.
Economy
8 415 companies were active on the county's territory in 2000, more than 99% with private capital. Considering the distribution by fields of activity, industry accounted of 8.3%, while services represented 86%.
The Galati county's industry is represented by metallurgy, shipbuilding and food industry. The metallurgical industry generates 74% of national steel production, 99% of pig iron production, 70.1% of full rolled steel and hot rolled steel production. The county participates with 1.4% in the national production of meat, with 6.4% in the production of sugar and with 2.5% in the production of beer. The shipbuilding, a traditional branch in Galati county, provides both for the maritime and fluvial fleet ships up to 55 000 tdw (barges, tankers, ore tankers, tug-boats, and oil carrier) and platforms for marine drilling.
The county also has other industrial branches such as: electric and thermal power generation, textile and garment industry, chemical industry, synthetic fibres, furniture, metalworking and metallic products, etc.
Agriculture is one of the main components of the geographic landscape of the county, also being one of the oldest economic activities of the local population.
At the end of 2000, the agricultural area was 358.8 thousand ha, with 292.2 thousand ha of arable land. Forests and other lands with forest vegetation occupied 36.3 thousand ha.
The geographic position of the county and the climate conditions allowed the integration and the intensive development in a successful succession of crops and farming.
In 2000, the total production of grains was 297.7 thousand tons, of which barley and two-row barley 12.2 thousand tons, corn 178 thousand tons. The sunflower amounted to 35.0 thousand tons and the vegetables to 129.1 thousand tons.
Farming is an ancient occupation of the local population, carried out from pasturage to modern breeding farms. The feed used in farming is provided from green plant crops, completed by cereal crops, and from natural pastures and meadows.
At the end of 2000, there were 53.6 thousand cattle, 66.4 thousand pigs, 200.3 thousand sheep and goats and 2 366 thousand poultry.
Transportation represents a complementary activity of the economy, which provides with local, national and international connections. The railways measured, at the end of 2000, a total of 288 km (with 108 km electrified) with a density of 64.5 km of railway line per 1 000 km2 of territory. The international railway transportation is characterised by the railway to Ukraine that crosses the Prut river to the fluvial and maritime port of Reni.
The public road network amounts to 1 461 km (with 277 km of modernised roads and 647 km of roads with thin asphalt covers). Of the total public roads, 220 km were national , which provide for merchandise and passenger freights to and from Dobrudja, Moldova and Walachia.
The water transportation is carried out through four ports, one for passengers and three for merchandise, fitted with loading-unloading facilities.
The tourist capacity of accommodation as of 31 July 2000 in Galati county was 1 385 places, as follows: 571 places in hotels, 57 places in villas and 757 places in student camps.
The Galati Free Zone was established in 1993 and is located on the Danube shore, in the south-east of the city of Galati, at 80 km from the Black Sea and very near to the border with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. It covers an area of 137 ha and constitutes an advantage in the access of the important arteries of fluvial transports (The Rhin-Main-Danube Canal), of railway transports (including the transfer to broad gauge) and road transports as well as the access to the quay and port installations.
Population and social environment
The county's population increased from 641 561 as of 1 July 1996 to 644 077 as of 1 July 2000 (by 0.4%). The population density in 2000 was 144.2 inhabitants per km2, compared to the 94.1 national average; the degree of urbanisation was 59.8%.
The young population (0-24 years) had in 2000 a share of 36.5%, over the national average, but lower than in 1996 (39.1%). The population of 65 years and over had a share of 11.3% as compared to the 13.3% national average; compared to 1996 (10%) we note an aging of the population.
The average age of the county's population was 35.8 years, 1.4 years under the national average.
The birth rate in 2000 was 11.1 per 1 000 inhabitants, above the figure of 1996 (10.9 per 1 000 inhabitants) and above the national average. The overall mortality rate, 9.7 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000 determined a positive natural growth of 1.4 persons per 1 000 inhabitants. The infant mortality rate was 16.9 deaths of children under 1 year, per 1 000 live births, 1.7% under the national average.
In 2000, the marriage rate was 6.8 per 1 000 inhabitants (7.5 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996), and the divorce rate was 1.94 per 1 000 inhabitants (1.82 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996).
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 66.99 for males and 74.95 for females, above the national average for females.
At the beginning of 2001, the civil active population totalled 265.7 thousand, of which 54.4% were males and 45.6% females. The civil employed population represents 57.4% of the total labour force and the most important share by fields of activity is held by agriculture with 38.7%, followed by industry with 24.2%.
The number of registered unemployed persons at the end of December 2000, was 33.6 thousand, with an unemployment rate of 12.6%. The female share in total unemployment was 51.6%. By social and professional categories, workers have the highest share in the number of unemployed persons, representing 79.4%, the persons with an medium education level account for 16.8%, and the persons with higher education account for 3.8%.
The net nominal salary is 12.4% above the national average and 10.9% above the average of the South-East Region. The educational system includes 449 units, with 165 kindergartens, 244 primary and secondary schools, 33 high-schools, 2 apprentice schools, 3 specialised postgraduate and technical schools and 2 universities with 10 faculties. Some of these faculties, such as the Faculty of Naval Architecture and Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Food Industry, and Aquaculture and Fishing are unique in the country.
The healthcare services are provided through a network of public, private and mixed medical units. In 2000 the healthcare system included 12 hospitals with a total of 4 008 beds, 4 clinics, 22 medical consultation centres, 3 nurseries with 260 beds, 11 pharmacies - in the public sector; the private sector was represented by 92 medical cabinets, 87 dentist clinics, 64 pharmacies and 31 drugstores, and the mixed sector by 29 pharmacies and 9 drugstores.
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