Gorj County - Geography and history
Located in the south-western part of Romania, Gorj county has an area of 5 602 km2, representing 2.3% of the national territory. As of 31 December 2000, the administrative organisation of this county's territory was the following: 5 towns and 2 municipalities, 63 communes and 414 villages. The county's capital city is Târgu-Jiu.
Gorj is surrounded by the following counties: Hunedoara (in the north), Vâlcea (in the east), Dolj (in the south), Mehedinti and Caras-Severin (in the west).
Gorj county has a various geography and can be divided into three geographical units as follows: the Southern Carpathians, represented by the Godeanu, Vâlcan and Parâng Mountains, the Getic Sub-Carpathians between the Motru and Oltet rivers, and the southern hills lying along the Getic Plateau. Elevations vary from 2 518 m in the Parângu Mare Massif to 100 m in the Jiu Valley, in the south of the county.
The county's climate is temperate-continental, obviously with a northern stratification as a consequence to the presence of the mountainous massifs.
The county's hydrographical network is represented by Jiu and Gilort rivers and their influents, the Oltet and Cerna rivers. There are also several important glacial lakes: Gâlcescu, Tauri, Slaveiul, Mija, Pasarea and Godeanu.
Gorj county's territory used to be a part of the historical region of the Northern Oltenia province. This county represented a distinct administrative unit for a long time. Between the 10th century and the 13th century the county represented a distinct part of the political group led by Litovoi. Today's territory was called Jales, documentarily dating since 1385, when it was ruled by Dan I and since 1387, along Mircea the Old's leadership. The name of Gorj as a county is used after the end of the 15th century.
Târgu-Jiu, the most important urban centre of the county, was officially dated first in 1429.
Gorj county's natural resources were determined by the evolution of the geographical forms. The subsoil contains sedimentary deposits. The most important resources are as follows: lignite, anthracite, graphite, natural gas, oil, and construction materials (construction granite, fire clay, and limestone).
Gorj is known by the presence of mineral water springs with certain significant therapeutic properties from Ticleni and Sacelu or Govora and Balanesti, unexploited yet.
The subsoil resources are completed by important soil resources, such as beech forests, coniferous forests, oak and other tree essences, together with the mountain and hill pastures necessary for animal breeding.
Economical and social development would not be possible without the contribution of the human factor in moving of this geographical area's economy. The human capital influences the rhythm and directions of the economical development by number, structure and training degree.
Economy
In 2000 there were 4 483 active companies, over 99% with with private capital. By their main activity, industry accounted for 9.7% and services represented 84.7% of the total.
The various natural soil and subsoil resources of Gorj county favoured the development of industrial branches such as: coal, oil and natural gas extraction, electricity and heating power production, construction materials production, exploitation and processing of wood, glass, rubber, textiles, and food industry. The coal production of this county is the biggest in the country.
Oil and natural gas extraction is provided by the oil wells at Ticleni, Stoina and Turburea. In 2000 the oil production was 351.4 thousand tons and the natural gas production was 234.6 thousand m3.
The electric power production is accomplished by the Rovinari and Turceni electric thermal power plants, the Tg. Jiu hydroelectric plant, and by the microplants on the Motru, Jiu and Tismana rivers.
The processing industry of Gorj county is represented by units producing construction materials (cement, lime, tiles, ceramic and fire bricks, glass), wood processing units (timber, plywood, PAL, aesthetic veneer, and furniture), rubber and plastic materials processing units (rubber band carriers, pressed rubber gaskets, and regenerated rubber), mining machines and gears, textiles, tobacco products, food and beverage products,).
The farming area of Gorj county (2 560.3 thousand ha) represents 44.7% of the county's total area and 1% of the country's area. The arable land represents 41.3% of the county's farming area, pastures 34%, hays 16.2%, and vineyards and orchards 8.5%. Forests and other forest vegetation lands represent 48.9% of Gorj the county's total area.
In 2000 the production of grains was 111.2 thousand tons, of which wheat and rye 26.4 thousand tons and corn 79.9 thousand tons. There were 72.5 thousand cattle in the county, 124.8 thousand pigs, 139.1 thousand sheep and goats, and 2 652 thousand poultry.
At the end of 2000, the Gorj county's public road network totalled 1 912 km, of which 674 were modernised roads. The normal railway network was 254 km long, and the urban road network totalled 317 km.
72 localities of the county have a 693.8 km long water distribution network and a sewarage network in 13 localities on 175.7 km.
17 localities in Gorj county have a natural gas distribution network.
The geographical position, very close to the Parâng and Godeanu mountainous massifs and the Cernei Mountains, places Gorj county among the very few regions harmoniously combining factors that plead for an intense tourist activity.
The tourist places include: the Tismana, Lainici, Polovragi monasteries, the Curtisoara and Glogova treasuries, the Ethnographic Museum of Curtisoara, the wonderful nature-made stone embroideries in the Muierilor Cave, the Quays of the Oltet river, the Galben and Sohodol rivers' valley.
As of 31 July 2000 there were 7 hotels, a hostel, 4 motels, 4 villas, 4 chalets, 2 pensions, 2 camping areas, 6 bungalows and 2 tourist houses. The total tourist accommodation capacity was 1 475 places, of which 857 places in hotels.
Population and social environment
The population of Gorj county at 1st of july 2000 was 394 809 persons (2 181 fewer than at 1st of July 1996), of which 167 984 persons lived in urban areas and 226 825 persons in rural areas. The population density was 70.5 inhabitants/km2 of territory.
The number of persons 65 years and older is increasing (11.2% as of 1 July 1996 and 12.3% as of 1 July 2000), thus one can notice the population's demographic aging process.
The county's population average age was 35.9 years in 2000.
In 2000 the birth rate was 10.6 per 1 000 inhabitants, decreasing from 11.3 in 1996, but over the country's average.
The overall mortality rate of 10.7 per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000 determined a negative natural growth of 0.1 persons per 1 000 inhabitants.
In 2000 the infant mortality rate was 14.7 deaths of children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, under the country's rate.
In 2000 the marriage rate was 6.3 per 1 000 inhabitants (7.5 in 1996) and the divorce rate was 0.74 per 1 000 inhabitants (1.07 in 1996).
Between 1996 and 2000 the life expectancy was 67.7 years for males and 74.4 years for females, over the country's average for both males and females.
The civil active population of Gorj county decreased from 191.5 thousand persons in 1996 to 178.2 thousand persons in 2000, with a fall of 7% in five years.
The employed civil population of Gorj county as of 1 January 2001 was 17% less compared to 1996. Most activities registered decrease in the employment, except for agriculture, post and communication services, education, public administration and real estate, where slight increases of the employed civil population were registered.
The restructuring of Gorj county's economy, as a consequence of the activity limitation, especially for the main activity sector (coal extraction), brought to the increase of the number of unemployed persons from 4.4 thousand in 1996 to 22.9 thousand in 2000. Under these conditions, the unemployment rate reached 12.9% at the end of 2000.
The number of employees decreased from 133.0 thousand persons as of 1 January 1996 to 91.5 thousand persons as of 1 January 2001.
The share of unemployed in the population aged 18-62, registered at 31 December 2000 in Gorj county, was 9.5%, and the unemployment rate was 12.8%.
In the 2000/2001 school year, the educational activity in Gorj county was carried out in 368 kindergartens, 377 primary and secondary schools, 31 high schools (of theoretical, sanitary, technical, farming, economic, and theological orientation), 1 vocational school, 6 apprentice schools and 2 higher education institutions with 10 faculties.
In 2000, the healthcare services in Gorj county were both public and private. Thus, the health system included 7 hospitals, 1 tuberculosis sanatorium at Dobrita, 39 medical consultation centres, 8 pharmacies and 4 health centres. The number of hospital beds was 2 660 and in the tuberculosis sanatorium 355. The private sector included 88 medical cabinets, 43 dentist clinics, pharmacies (+5 compared to 1996), 26 drugstores and 17 medical laboratories.
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