Harghita COUNTY - Geography and history
Harghita County lies in the central part of the country. The area of the county is 6 639 km2 and represents 2.8% of the country's area, occupying the 13th place in counties' hierarchy. As of 31 December 2000, the administrative organisation of this county's territory was the following: 7 towns and 2 municipalities, 49 communes and 236 villages. The county's capital city is Miercurea Ciuc. It is surrounded by the following counties: Suceava to the north, Neamt and Bacau to the east, Covasna and Brasov to the south and Mures to the west.
The geography of the county includes a big part of the central part of the Eastern Carpathians, a little fragment of the Curvature Carpathians, as well as the south-east extremity of the Transylvanian Sub-Carpathians.
In the south-west of the County there is the zone of the sub-Carpathians hills, intensely fragmentised by the water network of the two Târnava Rivers.
The mountain zone covers over 60% of the territory, the main mountains being Calimani, Gurghiu, Harghita, Giurgeu, Hasmas and Ciucul Mountains. The height of these mountains decreases generally from north to south. In Calimani they reach cotes higher than 2 000 m, while in the other massifs the maximum altitudes are 1 800 metres.
The climate is characteristic to the mountain zones and intra-mountainous depressions, frosty, long winters and chilly summers.
From hydrographical point of view, the county's area looks like a zone which forms the main rivers: Olt, Mures, Târnava-Mica, Târnava-Mare, Trotus and Bistricioara. On the County's territory there are located the following lakes: Sfânta-Ana Lake, the Red Lake, the Rat Lake and Iezer Lake.
In the intra-mountainous depressions there were created water-bearing strata both in quaternary sediments and volcano-sediments deposits next to the lowlands base. The depth water-bearing strata de, frequently loaded with CO2, au encourage formation of different kinds of mineral waters, the number of the springs being higher than 2 000 in Harghita County. The advantageous geothermal conditions, the geological and tectonic structure encouraged the apparition of the thermo-mineral waters, both to the volcanic eastern border and to the western one, the apparitions taking place in the Toplita, Madaras, Miercurea Ciuc, Tusnad and Vlahita zone.
The first evidence of human presence on this territory appeared in Middle Palaeolithic period.
The archaeological discoveries from Meresti, Toplita, Miercurea Ciuc and Odorheiu Secuiesc, prove the presence of cultures characteristic to the Neolithic period, such as: Cris culture, linear culture ceramic, Boian, Precucuteni, Ariusd.
The existence of the mineral and thermal water resources was the basis of the development of the famous resorts from Borsec and Baile Tusnad, as well as the basis of the appearance of many spas and treatment resorts of local interest.
Harghita County has important natural resources: wood, iron ore, pyrite, copper, salt, China clay, basalt, andesite and coal.
A main category of the soil resources is represented by numerous mineral water springs spread over the whole territory of the County.
The natural resources represent the natural capital of the county. The exploitation of the raw materials and their processing determines the future economic and social development and the environmental condition.
Economy
Harghita County presents the characteristics of a medium developed region, with a high share of the inhabitants living and working in a rural area.
The physical settlement of the County and the geopolitical and economic conditions of the zone stand for the possibilities of development of the County.
The economic profile presents a strong dependency on forestry, the agriculture and food industry, wood processing, textile, garments, footwear, and industrial branches intensively using physical work force.
In 2000, of the total of 4 874 active companies, 24 were state property, 61 were mixed property and 4 789 private. 25.6% of them had industry as principal activity and 64.5% had services.
In 2000, agricultural land was 406 436 hectare, of which 22.8% agricultural land, 36.5% pastures, 40.4% hays.
The forests and other lands having forestry vegetation lies on the 232 545 ha and represented about 35% from the total area of the county.
In 2000, the potato production was 197.6 thousand tons, sugar beet was 6.7 thousand tons, and corn was 12.1 thousand tons. The sugar beet average production per hectare of 17 981 kg is higher than national average (13 787 kg per hectare). Thus, Harghita County is one of the most efficient sugar beet areas, together with Mures (21 742 kg per hectare), Satu Mare (19 365 kg per hectare) and Dolj (41 000 kg per hectare).
At the end of 2000 the livestock included 63.6 thousand cattle, 58.6 thousand pigs, 141.7 thousand sheep and goats, and 457 thousand poultry.
The length of public roads in 2000 was 1 646 km, of which the national roads represented 415 km and county roads represented 1 231 km. In Harghita County there were 212 km of railway lines at the end of 2000, of which 165 km were electrified.
The tourist accommodation capacity in the county on 31st of July 2000 was 7 256 places, of which 1 582 places were in hotels, 2 074 places in villas, 601 places in chalets, 334 places in motels, 880 places in camping, 358 places in pensions, 1295 places in camps and 132 places in holiday houses. The index of the functional capacity utilisation was 23.8%, lower than national average (35.2%).
Population and social environment
The stable population of the county as of 1 July 2000 was 341 570 inhabitants, 49.7% male and 50.3% female. From the total number of inhabitants, 45.4% lived in urban area.
The population structure of the county presents a demographic aging process, by increasing share of the elderly population (age of 65 and over), from 11.9% in 1996 to 12.5% in 2000. In 2000, the average age of the county's population was 36.4 years, 0.8 less than the average age of the population of the country.
The birth rate in 2000 was 10.9 live births per 1 000 inhabitants, increasing compared to 1996 (10.6).
In 2000, the overall mortality rate was 10.9 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants, as compared to 12.3 in 1996.
The infant mortality rate was 14.5 deaths of children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, lower compared to the national level (18.6).
In 2000 the marriage rate was 4.6 marriages per 1 000 inhabitants (5.4 in 1996), and the divorce rate was 0.97 divorces per 1 000 inhabitants (1.28 in 1996).
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 67.5 years for males and 75.0 years for females, over national average for both male and female.
The county's labour forces at the end of 2000 were 206.6 thousand persons. The activity rate was 78.5%, and the employment rate was 70.7%., There was a slight decreasing trend in the number of employed civilians between 1996 and 2000, from 151.4 thousand persons to 146.0 thousand persons, and especially for females (from 77.4 thousand persons to 72.8 thousand persons).
From the total employed persons at the end of 2000, 42.1% worked in agriculture and 25% in industry (of which 22.2% in the processing industry).
The employees represented 51.2% of the employed civilians. In 2000, the average net salary was 1 756.9 thousand lei per month.
Between 1996 and 2000 the average number of pensioners with social state insurance increased from 55.9 thousand to 64.9 thousand.
The number of registered unemployed in the period 1996 and 2000 presented fluctuations, with increasing trend, from 13.2 thousand persons to 16.1 thousand persons, the unemployment rate varying between 8% (in 1996) and 9.9% (in 2000). The share of females in total unemployment varied between 50.3% (in 1996) and 42.8% (in 2000).
As a result of the demographical evolutions, the scholar population followed a decreasing trens; in 2000/2001 school year were enrolled 65 113 persons, 6.2% less than in the school year 1996/1997. More than a half from total (53.9%) were pupils in the primary and gymnasial education, 17% in high schools and 7.8% in other forms of secondary education. High rates of enrollment (over 91%) were recorded in pre-schools and in obligatory education (primary and gymnasium). The number of the pupils per teacher, lower than in other counties, at all instruction levels, was 15.0 for pre-school education , 11.9 for primary and gymnasium level and 12.5 for the secondary education.
The institutional infrastructure consisted of 293 kindergartens, 262 units of primary and gymnasium education, 36 high schools and other 7 units of secondary education.
The sanitary network included 470 units, of which 7 hospitals, 1 clinic, 9 medical consultation centres, 67 pharmacies.
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