MARAMURES COUNTY - Geography and history
Maramures county is located in the northern part of Romania. The county's area is 6 304 km2, representing 2.6% of the national territory. The county borders Ukraine (through the Tisa river to the north) and Suceava county (to the east), Bistrita Nasaud, Cluj, Salaj counties (to the south) and Satu Mare (to the west). The county's capital city is Baia Mare.
The geography is diverse, the mountain area represents 43% of the territory, with the Pietrosul Rodnei Peak the highest, with 2 303m, the hills and plateau area representing 30% of the area, while the lower zone includes lowlands, meadows, and terraces, which represent 27%.
The climate is temperate-continental, almost 275 days per year have positive temperatures; the average annual temperature oscillates between 7.4oC and 9.4oC with remarkable low temperatures in the mountains, relatively abundant annual rainfalls, between 700 mm and 1500 mm.
The first attestation to the county dates since 1199, and the historical existence of the Romanians in the Maramures area is proven by the villages of Sarasau and Sighetu Marmatiei.
The Maramures became a district in 1326, and a shire in 1368, and along with the Hungarian penetration towards Transylvania, in 1453 it was included in the Transylvania Principality.
Temporarily occupied by the Horthyst regime under the Vienna Dictate of 30 August 1940, the county knew the terror of this occupation, as the Moisei slaughter in the autumn of 1944, and the Sighetu Marmatiei Prison witnesses for the communist terror .
For many years, the historical "counties" of Maramures, Lapus, Chioar and Codru experienced the same destiny. Historians characterised Maramures as "a classic county of the knezes and voivodes", that could be organised as a district only in the second half of the 14th century, remaining among the latest territories conquered by the Hungarian Royalty. The Romanians from Maramures, Chioar, Codru and Lapus participated in the anti-Habsburg riot initiated by Francisc Rakoczi II (1703-1711), for the conquest of Baia Mare; The famous outlaw and soldier Grigore Pintea, killed on 12 August 1703 in the fight at the fortress gates was remarked here . This leader remained a legend in the history under the name of Pintea the Brave, one of the most famous Romanians of his times. The Maramures gave famous voivodes, educated people and remarkable political leaders to the Romanian history.
The natural resources of the county consist of: ferrous and non-ferrous ores rich in gold and silver, lead, zinc, copper, iron and manganese ores, bentonite, calcareous rocks, more than 100 mineral water springs with therapeutic effects, with the most known at Sapânta, Stoiceni, Ocna Sugatag, Baia Borsa, Costiui, and Carbunari.
The preserved areas cover 5 415 ha. There are 19 natural reservations in the county, the most important being the Pietrosul Rodnei, from a geological, fauna and floral point of view. The edible chestnut reservation of Baia Mare covers 500 ha, the Creasta Cocosului Reservation (in the Gutâi Mountains) 50 ha, the Oak Forest of Bavna covers 26 ha, between the villages of Fersig and Miresu Mare, Mlastina Poiana Brazilor - 3 ha, the village of Sapânta, The Fossiliferous Reservation of Chiuzbaia - 50 ha, the TatarulQuais - 15 ha, the village of Mara.
Economy
In 2000, Maramures county was the only producer of electrolytic refined copper, the main producer of copper converter, timber and other wood processing products (including furniture). The economical activities took place in 2000 in 6 642 active companies. By their main activity, industry represented 23%, had while services accounted for 69.5%.he trading companies based on the contribution of foreign capital increased from 457 at the end of the 1996, to 939 in 2000.
Agriculture is traditional in Maramures county. Regarding the use of the land, the agricultural land represents 49.4% of the county's area, while the arable land is 13.3%, with an average of 0.59 ha of agricultural land per inhabitant and 0.16 hectares of arable land.
As for the agricultural land, 27% is arable, 71% pastures and hays and 2% vineyards and orchards.
The structure of crops is typical of the mountainous counties: fodder plants, potatoes and a few cereals.
The cereal crop is developed in the Somes meadow and partially on the main river valleys, while potatoes, because of the pedoclimatic conditions in the depressions, have a good potential of development, the orchards of the county represent a priority for the private companies with domestic or foreign capital, for the consumption production and the industrialisation of juices, jams, and alcoholic drinks. The potatoes production obtained in 2000, including the autumn sort, was the biggest of the North-West Region to which the county belongs, the average potatoes production reached 14 579 kg and exceeded the national average of 12 249 kg. Although the corn was not cultivated on a wide area, this activity gave an average production of 2 369 kg per hectare, above both the regional average (2 076 kg per hectare) and the national average (1 603 kg per hectare).
At the end of 2000, the livestock was 106.8 thousand cattle, 104.7 thousand pigs, and 177.5 thousand sheep and goats.
Two known cattle races are bred in the county: the Bruna of Maramures (in the Maramures Depression: at Sighet-Viseu-Borsa) and Baltata Româneasca (in the lowland and meadow: the Somes Valley and Forest Zone). The cow milk obtained in 2000 was 1 816 thousand hl and placed Maramures in second place among the six North-West Region's counties.
At the end of 2000, the public road network totalled 1 569 km (1 501 km in 1996), the national road network totalled 304 km and the county and village road network totalled 1 265 km. The operating railway lines were 222 km.
As of 31 July 2000 the tourist accommodation capacity was 3 398 places, of which 1 970 places in hotels and motels.
Population and social environment
The economical and social mutations in Maramures county influenced the demographical phenomenon both positively and negatively. In 1996 the county had 535 124 inhabitants and in 2000 there were 530 955 inhabitants, decreasing in average by 1 042 inhabitants per year. The share of the county's population in the national population is 2. 4%.
As of 1 July 1996, 53.3% of the total population lived in urban areas , in 1997-53.5%, in 1998-53.5%, in 1999-53.6%, and in 2000-53.5%.
The natural growth of the population in the same period was positive.
In 1996 the density of the population was 84.9 inhabitants/km2, 84.7 inhabitants/km2 in 1997, 84.6 inhabitants/km2 in 1998, 84.4 inhabitants/km2 in 1999, and 84.2 inhabitants/km2 in 2000.
The birth rate in 2000 was 11.5 live births per 1 000 inhabitants, decreasing compared to 1996 (12.2), but over the national average. The fertilitybirth rate was 43.7 live births per 1 000 females of fertile age (15-49 years), compared to 40.3 for the whole country.
The overall mortality of 10.8 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000 determined a positive natural growth of 0.7 persons per 1 000 inhabitants.
The infant mortality was 15.3 deaths of children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, 17.7% lower compared to the national level.
The marriage rate in 2000 was 6.6 marriages per 1 000 inhabitants (6.9 in 1996, and the divorce rate was 1.53 divorces per 1 000 inhabitants (1.52 in 1996).
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 65.5 years for males and 72.8 years for females, below the national average both for males and females.
At the end of 2000, the civil active population represented 73.7% of the labour force, and the labour force employment rate was 66.9% (65/% males, 69% females).
The civil employed population (211.1 thousand persons) decreased compared to 1996 by 7.7%. The distribution of the employed population by sectors of activity revealed that most work in agriculture (50%), industry (20%), and trading (7.5%). At the end of the 2000, the registered number of unemployed was 21.3 thousand persons, and the unemployment rate was 9.2% (8.5% for females, 9.9% for males).
The educational system in the 2000/2001 school year had 366 units and 7 318 teachers for 109 475 pupils.
The healthcare network was undergoing a reorganisation process during the last years. In 2000, the network comprised 9 hospitals, 36 medical consultation centres, 3 health centres, 97 pharmacies and 567 other medical units.
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