Sibiu COUNTY - Geography and history
Located in the centre of Romania, in the south-east of Transylvania, Sibiu County has an area of 5 432 km2, representing 2.3% of the county's area. As of 31 December 2000, the administrative organisation of the territory was the following: 2 municipalities and 7 towns, 53 communes and 173 villages. The county is surrounded by the following counties: Mures (north), Brasov (east), Arges, Vâlcea (south) and Alba (west). The county's capital city is Sibiu.
The mountainous zone descends from the south and covers about 30% of the county's area, being represented by Fagaras mountains, with heights higher than 2 500 m (Negoiu - 2 535m and Buteanu's Hunting - 2 508 m) as well as by Cibinand and Lotru Mountains.
To the north - on about 50% of the county's area it spreads the plateau zone (Hârtibaciu, Secas and Târnava) with hilly geography.
The cross between the mountainous and plateau zones is made by a connection depression covering about 20% of the county's area (Fagaras, Sibiu, Saliste, Apoldul and Secasul depressions).
This various type of geography causes a variety of climatic conditions. The climate is continental with oceanic influences, characterised by moderate winters and chilly summers.
The archaeological discoveries on Sibiu's territory attest to human existence since the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods, continuing with the Dacian and Roman periods. The continuity of the native population after the Roman recession was proved by the discoveries from Bradu, Brateiu, Biertan, Sura Mica. After the conquest of Transylvania, during Geza II (1141-1162) the Saxon colonization in the south and south-east began.
Sibiu, as documented in 1192-1196, became administrative and politic centre of the shire in a bull emitted by Pope Celentin III. Later, after Transylvanian reorganisation, the province of Sibiu was formed of ten cities (Orastie, Sebes, Miercurea, Sibiu, Nocrich, Cincu, Rupea, Sighisoara, Medias and Seica Mare), together with the Brasov and Bistrita shires - as a political and administrative unit.
After the Turkish attacks of 1437, 1438 and 1442, the necessity of building new fortifications and consolidating the existing ones came up. The remains of these fortresses can be seen today in Sibiu, Medias, Slimnic, Biertan, and in most villages along the Târnava and Hârtibaci valleys.
The natural treasure of the County is represented by 6 natural reservations, very important from a scientific point of view, as well as regarding the landscape.
The natural resources are represented by forests, pastures, hays, agricultural lands, rich flora and fauna; concerning the sub-soil resources, the most important is the methane gas, with a purity of 99% (the cleanest methane gas in the world) as well as slat deposits and sodium chloride mineral waters.
Economy
In 2000, the economic activity of Sibiu was carried out by 6 460 active companies. Almost all of them (99%) were units with private capital.
The following products are produced in the county: garments (MONDOSTAR, EUROCONF, and SIBDRES), footwear (INCSTAR AGNITA, MEDIMPACT Medias, PIM Sibiu), stocking (MONDEX Sibiu, AGNITEX Agnita), cotton cloths, (COVTEX Cisnadie, DUMBRAVA Sibiu, TEXROMED Medias), lead and copper (SOMETRA Copsa Mica), glassware and glass products (GEROMED Medias, VITROMETAN Medias).
Agriculture and forestry are two of the fundamental branches in economy of the county.
At the end of 2000 the agricultural land covered 307 149 ha (97.1% in the private sector). Within this area were 116 404 ha arable, 107 222 ha pastures, 75 479 ha hays and 8 044 ha vines and orchards. In 2000, from agricultural production of the country, the Sibiu County provided about 1.4%.
Forestry has 186 391 ha of woods and forestry vegetation. This represents 34.3% from the area, thus the Sibiu County is placed over national average (27%). The forestry mainly consists of coniferous and deciduous trees. In 2000 the crop production represented 109.3 thousand tons, of which wheat and rye 18.8 thousand tons, corn corn 83.7 thousand tons, potatoes 74.3 thousand tons, cabbage 12.9 thousand tons. The average production per hectare of wheat and oat is at the national level, while the corn production per hectare was higher (2 735 kg per hectare compared to 1 603 kg per hectare at the national level).
At the end of 2000 the county had 45 thousand cattle, 85 thousand pigs and 298 thousand sheep.
At the end of 2000 there were 235 km of railway in Sibiu County, with only 11 km electrified. There were also 1 601 km public roads, of which 257 km national roads, 944 km county roads and 400 km communal roads. Sibiu has an airport situated in the west of the municipality at an altitude of 443 m. This provides direct connection with Bucharest, Constanta, Târgul Mures, and the weekly connection with Germany (Stuttgart) and Italy.
In Sibiu, 3 daily newspapers are edited, 5 hebdomadal, from which one in German language, and other cultural and information periodic publications.
Concerning the telephone network with direct access to the international network, Sibiu County is located in the 2nd place in the country (after Bucharest), by the number of the private subscribers per 1 000 inhabitants.
In 2000 (as of 31 July) there were 115 units of tourist accommodation: 14 hotels, 4 motels, 15 tourist chalets, 15 tourist villas, 2 campings, 8 urban tourist pensions, 8 scholar camps, 35 agro-tourist pensions, 12 rural tourist pensions, 1 bungalow and one holiday house. The accommodation capacity in the whole county was 5 269 places, of which 1 843 places in hotels and motels. The agro-tourism is developed in the ethnographical area called The Edge of Sibiu, respectively Rasinari, Sibiel, Gura Râului, Cacova (Fântânele), Poplaca, localities which are already included in the internal and international tourist circuit.
Population and social environment
The population of Sibiu County as of 1 July 2000 was 443 993 inhabitants, 0.2% more compared to 1 July 1996 (444 873).
The density of the population in 2000 was 81.7 inhabitants/km2, compared to 94.1 inhabitants/km2 for the whole country.
In 2000, the average age of the county's population was 36.0 years, 1.2 years less than the average age of the population from the whole country.
The birth rate in 2000 was 10.4 live births per 1 000 inhabitants.
The overall mortality of 9.9 deaths per 1 000 inhabitants in 2000 determined a positive natural increase of 0.5 persons per 1 000 inhabitants.
The infant mortality rate was 13.3 deaths of children under 1 year per 1 000 live births, lower than the national level (18.6)
The marriage rate in 2000 was 6.3 marriages per 1 000 inhabitants, and the divorce rate was 1,95 per 1 000 inhabitants.
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 67.1 years fort male and 75.0 years for female, over national average, for both male and female.
The active civil popualtion of Sibiu County (at the end of 2000) was 185.0 thousand persons. The employment rate in 2000 was 61.9%, and the activity rate was 69%.
The employees represented 67.8% of the employed population, and the net salaries (1 983.4 thousand lei per month) were 7.3% lower than the national average.
At the end of 2000 were registered 19.0 thousand unemployed, representing 10.3% from the active population (close to the national average of 10.5%).
The first school was set up in Sibiu in 1380, and in 1555 the old Saxon school became a gymnasium. The Law Academy was founded in 1844, Sibiu being the second university town of Transylvania.
In the period 2000-2001, Sibiu County had 217 pre-school units, 206 primary and gymnasium education, 36 high schools, 2 apprentice schools, one vocationally school, 4 higher educational establishments including 19 faculties. All of these were attended by 13 687 children, 71 239 pupils and over 14 000 students. The number of the pupils per teacher was 16.6 in the pre-school education and 14 in the primary, gymnasium and secondary education.
The health care services were provided by 10 hospitals, of which a university clinic, a psychiatric hospital, a hospital for pulmonary deseases, a paediatric hospital, a hospital for railways personnel, a military hospital, a centre for blood tests, one ambulance service, and a post-treatment sanatorium in Avrig. The number of the hospital places was 3 723.
The ambulatory treatment takes place in 20 medical consultation centres, 238 medical public cabinets (individual, grouped, associated and civilian societies), 118 private medical cabinets, 45 public dentist clinics (individual and grouped) and 92 private dentist clinics.
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