Bistrita Nasaud County - Geography and history
Bistrita-Nasaud county is located in the central-eastern part of Romania, between the 46o47' and 47o37' north latitude parallels and between 23o37' and 25o36' east longitude meridians, on the head waters of the Great Somes river. To the north it borders Maramures county, Suceava county to the east, Mures county to the south, and Cluj county to the west. The county's area is 5 355 km2, which is 2.2% of the country's area. As of 31 December 2000, Bistrita-Nasaud county administratively consisted of 3 towns and one municipality, 53 communes and 235 villages. The county's capital city is Bistrita.
Bistrita-Nasaud county has a various and complex geography withthe shape of a natural amphitheatre, widened in steps towards the Transylvania Plain, with three zones of geography: the mountain zone - consists of a mountain wreath belonging to the Eastern Carpathian Arch, the northern and central group, including the Tibles, Rodna, Suhard, Bârgau and Calimani massifs; this step has the shape of a circular arc, with the convex side set to Maramures and Moldova, with the average heights of 1 500 m, but with high peaks in the Rodna Mountains (the Ineu Peak 2 279 m and the Calimani Peak 2 100 m); the hilly zone - lies in the central-western part of the county occupying 2/3 of its area; the meadow zone - joining the waters of the main rivers, especially of the Great Somes river and its influents, representing only about 3% of the county's area.
Bistrita-Nasaud county has a temperate-continental climate.
The hydrographical network consists of the Great Somes river and its influents.
Inside the county a few natural zones and natural protected monuments were established, such as the National Reservation in the Rodna Mountains, botanical reservations, the Posmus Forest, La Saratura (At the Sourness), Piatra Losnei (the Losna Stone), Piatra Fântânele (the Wells Stone), Poiana cu narcise (Saca) (the glade with roses of May), Poiana cu narcise de la Mogoseni (the Mogoseni glade with roses of May), Sesul Valea Budacului and Drumul de la Larion (the Budac Valley and the Road of Larion); the geological reservationof the Salse of Monor, the dolls precipice, the Salty Massif and the Tausoare Cave; landscape reservations: the Keys of the Transylvanian Bistrita and the Rocks of Tatarca; hydrological reservations: the Borcut Park, the Zagra Lake and the Goddess' Tarn.
The city of Bistrita is the largest of the county. The first attestation to the town is dated 16 July 1264. The archaeological discoveries in the town pointed out traces that certify the Thracians' habitation since the Bronze Age and Dacian artefacts since the Iron Age. During the 12th century, the Transylvanian Saxon colonization took place in this region , with positive influences upon the city of Bistrita.
Due to the variety of the geography and the geological strata, the subsoil of the county contains a wide range of natural resources: deposits of non-ferrous metals, deposits of kaolin, graphite, salt, natural gases, construction materials, and mineral waters.
Economy
In 2000, there were 3 972 active companies in the county, of which more than 98% with private capital. Of the total number, 22% were dealing with industry, while 69.8% with services.
Agriculture has always been the main branch of the county's economy, with animal breeding having the main share. Thus, at the end of 2000 there were 71.7 thousand cattle, 262.3 thousand sheep and goats, and the number of pigs increased up to 69.5 thousand. The number of poultry was 733 thousand in 2000.
Regarding the sheep, the county holds a relatively high share of the national livestock. In 2000, Bistrita-Nasaud county held 3.3% of the total number of the country's sheep, placed on the 9th place among Romanian counties. The average production of sheep milk was 55 litres per animal, higher than the national average representing 43 litres per animal. Concerning the vegetal production, in 2000 the average productions of potatoes was remarkable (18 765 kg/ha) - the first place in the country and corn (2 512 kg/ha) - the sixth place at a national level. The value of the agricultural production was 4.5% higher in 2000 than in 1999, the growth representing a greater volume of the final vegetal production (+9.4% than 1999).
Among the most appreciated industrial products on the domestic and external market produced by the county's units are: lead storage batteries, aluminous radiators, cool-processed steel wires, power cables and electrical conductors, hewn timber and wooden furniture, glassware for house wares, and plastic processed products.
At the end of 2000 the railway network of the county totalled 321 km, with a density of 59.9 km per 1 000 km2 of territory. The length of the public roads was 1 504 km, with 349 km modernised roads. Of the total public roads, 309 km were national and 1 195 km were county and communal roads.
The resort of Sângeorz-Bai has miraculous treatment waters. Recreation and winter sports are provided by the Eastern Carpathians in the defile of the Bârgau Mountains, where at the famous castle of Count Dracula one can recognize moments of legend.
In 2000, the county had 23 tourist accomodation units, with an accomodation capacity of 2 883 rooms, of which 11 hotels with 2 124 rooms. The total number of tourists in 2000 was 57 782, which represents a loss of 29.3%. The index of the net utilisation of the operational capacity was 34%, close to the national level (35.2%).
Population and social environment
The period between 1996 and 2000 is defined by a decrease of the county's population. If as on 1t July 1996 the county had 327 262 inhabitants, on 1 July 2000 the county's population was 326 278, resulting in a loss of 984 inhabitants (-0.3%). The county's population density marked a loss in the period between 1996 and 2000 from 61.1 inhabitants/km2 in 1996, to 60.9 inhabitants/km2 in 2000. The characteristic of the demographic phenomena in the county is given by the natural growth. While at a national level the negative natural growth in 2000 was 0.9 per 1 000 inhabitants, the county's natural growth was positive, +2.3 per 1 000 inhabitants (the birth rate 12.2 per 1 000 inhabitants and death rate 9.9 per 1 000 inhabitants). In 2000, the infant mortality rate of the county was 14 per 1 000 live births, 31% lower than in 1996. The marriage rate (6.5 marriages per 1 000 inhabitants) and the divorce rate (1.48 per 1 000 inhabitants) in 2000 were over the national average.
The majority of the population (63%) lives in the rural area.
The comparative analysis regarding the structure of the population by ages shows the demographical aging phenomena. If in 1996 the population aged 65 and over represented 10.9% of the total population, in 2000, after only 4 years, the share of this age group reached 11.8%. The population average age in 2000 was 35.1 years, under the national average.
The life expectancy in 1998 and 2000 was 71 years, over the national average.
The employed population featured a decreasing trend, more pronounced between 1996 and 2001. As of 1 January 1996, the employed civil population of the county was about 126.3 thousand persons, while as of 31 December 2000 it was almost 118.8 thousand persons, 7.5 thousand persons less (-5.9%).
The structure of the civil employed population distributed by economic sectors revealed the growing trend employed in agriculture, whereas the population that works in industry and constructions continuously decreased. In 1996, 46.8% of the civil employed population worked in agriculture, in 2000 it reached 53.6%. The share of the civil population employed in industry and construction fell from 27.9% in 1996 to 20.2% in 2000. The number of the civil population employed in processing industry has been reduced considerably (-30.1% in 2000, as compared to 1996). Growths in the number of civil employed population were registered in real estate (52.9%) and public administration (68.4%).
A real problem Bistrita-Nasaud county faces is the high unemployment rate . Although, in time, the rate showed a reducing trend, it is constantly above the national average. Thus, from a value of 8.4% in December 1996, it reached 12.7% at the end of 2000, Bistrita-Nasaud county being on the eighth place among the other counties.
In 2000, the employees represented 39.8% of the county's civil employed population , equally distributed between industry and services. Average net monthly salary was 1 899.9 thousand lei, representing the average level in the North-West Region, but 11.2% under the national average.
The educational process in 2000 took place in 448 units, of which 59.2% elementary and primary schools , and 34.6% pre-school units.
The healthcare network included 426 sanitary units, with 3 hospitals, 2 clinics, 14 medical consultation centres, 193 medical cabinets, 68 pharmacies. The patients-per-physician ratio was 630 persons, higher than the North-West Region level (368 persons) and the national level as well (415 persons).
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