Dāmbovita COUNTY - Geography and history
Located in the central-southern part of the country, down the Meridional Carpathian, on the the Ialomita and Dâmbovita rivers, the county with an area of 4 054km2 (representing 1.7% of the national area), as of 31 December 2000, included 5 towns and one municipality, 76 communes and 361 villages. The county's capital city is Târgoviste.
Dāmbovita has a various geography, which includes mountains, hills and plains.
The Carpathian mountains situated in the north include two massifs: the Leaota and Bucegi Mountains - completely different in geological structure and appearance. The Leaota Massif is constituted from crystalline schists, with its highest altitude in Leaota Peak, 2 133 m.
The Bucegi Massif is made up of gritstones and pudding stones and only partially of limes, it has several peaks over 2 000 m: The Omul Peak 2 505 m, the Doamnele Peak 2 402 m, the Batrâna Peak 2 181 m. The interchange of gritstones, marls and pudding stones, the lithologic heterogeneity led to the creation by decomposition and differentiated erosion, of a residual geography with towers and columns of bizarre forms: the Babele, the Sfinx, etc. In the high basin of Ialomita the karstic geography is predominant with abrupt and brinks (Hornurile Tapului), kettles, gorges (Horoabele, Ursilor, Tatarului, Zanoagei, Orzei), and caves (Ialomitei).
The Ialomita Subcarpathians form a high hill, which constitutes the central-northern part of the county, with a succession of hills and depressions. The Cândesti Piedmont is situated at west of the Dâmbovita river's valley and forms a lower hill.(300-550 m).
The Walachian Plain occupies about a half of the county's territory, being represented by the high plains of Dâmbovita and Ialomita and the low Plain of Titu.
The temperate climate is humid and cold in the high areas, and with the lowest precipitation and higher temperatures in the low areas.
The research and archaeological discoveries carried out on the valleys of the Arges, Ialomita and Dâmbovita rivers, and in the historical city of Târgoviste, attest to the existence of an intense life here since the Palaeolithic period.
As a natural result of the development during the feudal period, Mircea The Old (1386 - 1418) was interested in Târgovistea and established his residence here , a real citadel; where he analysed and organised the battles for independence and freedom.
During the following centuries, Târgoviste kept its role of main princely citadel, under Vlad Tepes, Radu the Great, Neagoe Basarab, Radu from Afumati and Petru Cercel.
In this political and cultural centre there were printed the first Romanian books on , and Michael the Brave started a campaign here, which led in 1960, to the remarkable union of three Romanian countries.
In 1660, the Ottomans ordered the destruction of the princely residence, and the court was definitively located in Bucharest.
The natural resources include an important range of richness, as follows: oil, natural gas, and an important deposit of black coal exploited since 1880, hard rocks in the mountain area, clays, and limes.
The Subcarpahian area is rich in mineral springs (especially those of Pucioasa, which contain sulphurous waters and chlorine - sulphurous and bicarbonate waters), salted springs, iodated springs - bromides (at Vulcana Bai).
Economy
In 2000, there were 4 254 active companies in this county more than 98% with private capital. Of the total number of companies, industry accounts for 14.7%, while services represent 79.6%.
The processing industry has predominant activities in metallurgic industry, industry of machines and equipment, manufacture of construction raw materials and other non-metallic minerals, industry of electrical machines and equipment, chemical industry, textile and garment industry etc.
Dāmbovita is the sole producer of electric lamps with incandescence (SC Steaua Electrica Fieni and Romlux SA Târgoviste) and the main producer of fridges and freezers (SC Arctic SA Gaesti). There are also produced: special steels, lathes, and cement.
The extractive industry is focused on the exploitation of oil, natural gas, coal, and mineral aggregates for construction.
On the county's territory, the power plant in Doicesti generates electricity on coal, while the micro-plant complex of Dobresti and Scropoasa generates electricity on water.
The agriculture also plays an important role in the county's economy.
From the county's total area, the agricultural land represents 61.6%, and 29.8% forests and lands with forest vegetation. Of the total agricultural area, 70% are arable lands, 17.9% represent pastures, 7.7% meadows and 4% orchards.
Dāmbovita occupied in 2000 the first position in the vegetable production at a national level (135.8 thousand tons). The cereal production was 131.4 thousand tons, and the potato production 88.8 thousand tons.
The livestock at the end of 2000 consisted of 73.6 thousand cattle, 92.7 thousand pigs, 50.4 thousand sheep and goats and 2 768 thousand poultry. As for the egg production, Dāmbovita comes in 4th position at a national level in 2000, with a production of 242 millions eggs.
The length of public roads, at the end of 2000, was 1 774 km. Dāmbovita has the 3rd density of the road network in Romania, with 43.8 km per 100 km2. The railway lines measured 172 km at the end of 2000. The density of the railway network was 42.4 km per 1 000 km2, under the national average of 46.2 km per 1 000 km2.
From the point of view of the structure of tourist accommodation capacity, as of 31 July 2000, there were: 8 hotels, 2 motels, 8 pensions, 5 tourist chalets, 2 tourist villas and 5 student camp, and the total capacity of tourist accommodation in these units was 2 739 places.
Population and social environment
The county's population, as of 1 July 2000, was 551 414 inhabitants with a density of 136 inhabitants per km2, in the 15th position in population number and in the 5th position in the hierarchy of counties concerning density.
The urban population had a share of 31.2%, and the rural population 68.8%, a slight decrease compared to 1996, when it represented 31.5% and 68.5%, respectively.
The population structure by gender, in 2000, reflected a share of the females in the total population of 51.1%.
In 2000, the young population of 0-24 years had a share of 35.4% in the total population, over th the national average, while the old population (over 65 years) represented 13.5% of the population, compared to 13.3% national average. The average age of the population was 36.8 years in 2000.
The birth rate, although above the national average, had fallen from 10.5 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996 to 10.4 per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000. The mortality rate had fallen from 13.0 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996 to 11.5 per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000.
The infant mortality rate decreased as well, from 20.8 deaths in children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, in 1996 to 15.0 per 1 000 live births in 2000, under the national average (18.6%). The marriage rate in 2000 was 5.7 per 1 000 inhabitants (6.6 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996), and the divorce rate was 1.36 per 1 000 inhabitants (1.30 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996). The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 66.9 years for males (under the national average) and 74.9 years for females (above the national average).
As of 1 January 2001, the civil active population of the county was 233.1 thousand persons, 4.7 thousand persons less compared to 1 January 1997.
The global activity rate fell from 45% of the total population, at the beginning of 1997, to 42.1% at the beginning of 2001. The employed civil population recorded the same trend of decrease: 208 thousand persons at the end of 2000, which is 13.9 thousand persons lower than in 1996, due to the decrease of the employees' number. The employment rate of the labour force was 67.4%, as compared to 71.7% in 1996.
In the structure of the employed civil population we note the trend of increase in the population from the agricultural sector (from 41.5% at the end of 1996, to 49.5% at the end of 2000) and a reduction of the population employed in industry and constructions (from 37% to 25.5%).
The unemployment rate at a county level was 10.8% in 2000, compared to 6.7% in 1996, around the average national rates (10.5% and respectively 6.6%).
In Dāmbovita the education is organised in a complex system providing education at all levels. In the 2000/2001 school year the educational process was carried out in 742 scholar units. The Walachia University plays an important role with its 9 faculties and 3 colleges of various specialisations.
The public healthcare network in 2000 included 8 hospitals, a sanatorium for tuberculosis desease, 2 clinics, 3 health centres, 20 medical consultation centres, 11 pharmacies and drugstores and 13 nurseries. The hospitals had 3 128 beds, 5.7 beds per 1 000 inhabitants.
During the last years the private sector developed as well, being represented in 2000 by 52 medical cabinets, 59 dentist clinics, 22 medical laboratories and of dentist technique, 135 pharmacies and drugstores and 5 clinics.
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