Olt County

Last updated
Olt County
Județul Olt
County
Baraj Olt Slatina.jpg
Olt River
RO OT Slatina old city street 3.jpg
Slatina
Scornicesti 2013 (4).jpg
Scornicești
Flag of the county of Olt.png
Flag
Actual Olt county CoA.png
Coat of arms
Olt in Romania.svg
CountryRomania
Development region Sud-Vest
Historical region Wallachia
Capital Slatina
Government
 • President of the County Board Marius Oprescu  [ ro ] (PSD)
 •  Prefect Stefan Nicolae  [ ro ]
Area
 • Total
5,498 km2 (2,123 sq mi)
 • Rank 22nd
Population
 (2021-12-01) [1]
 • Total
383,280
 • Rank 19th
 • Density69.71/km2 (180.6/sq mi)
Telephone code (+40) 249 or (+40) 349 [2]
ISO 3166 code RO-OT
GDP (nominal)US$ 2.158 billion (2015)
GDP per capita US$ 5,194 (2015)
Website County Council
Prefecture

Olt County (Romanian pronunciation: [olt] ) is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt river). The capital city is Slatina.

Contents

History

On 24 August 2017, the Olt County Council decided to hold a name referendum on 15 October 2017 for the proposal to change the county name to "Olt-Romanați". [3] The referendum was eventually held on 6 and 7 October 2018. [4] The vote was nullified, as turnout was 27.19%, below the required threshold of 30%; therefore, the Olt County retains its current name. [5]

Demographics

In 2011, the county had a population of 415,530 and the population density was 75.57/km2 (195.7/sq mi).

YearCounty population [7]
1948442,442 Steady2.svg
1956458,982 Increase2.svg
1966476,513 Increase2.svg
1977518,804 Increase2.svg
1992520,966 Increase2.svg
2002489,274 Decrease2.svg
2011415,530 Decrease2.svg
2021383,280 Decrease2.svg

The county is a mainly rural one, with over 60% of the population living in villages.

Geography

The county lies in a flat area on the western part of the Romanian Plain. It is crossed by rivers from north to south, including the Olt River which gave the county its name. The Danube forms a wide valley in the south, with many ponds and small channels, which are occasionally flooded.

Neighbours

Economy

The predominant industries in the county are:

Agriculture is the main occupation in the county - over 58% of the population having agriculture as their main occupation. Both extensive agriculture, and small-scale, vegetables and fruits, are practiced. The area is well suited for irrigation.

Tourism

The main destinations for tourists are:

Politics

The Olt County Council, renewed at the 2024 local elections, consists of 32 councilors, with the following party composition: [8]

   PartySeatsCurrent County Council
  Social Democratic Party (PSD)20                    
  National Liberal Party (PNL)7                    
  Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)5                    

Administrative divisions

Map of the Olt County and its municipalities showing the parts at the east (part of Muntenia, in blue) and at the west (part of Oltenia, in red) of the Olt River Judetul Olt (Muntenia & Oltenia).PNG
Map of the Olt County and its municipalities showing the parts at the east (part of Muntenia, in blue) and at the west (part of Oltenia, in red) of the Olt River
Slatina RO OT Slatina center from Gradiste hill 1.jpg
Slatina
Caracal RO OT Caracal national theatre.jpg
Caracal
Danube at Corabia FalezaPark.jpg
Danube at Corabia

Olt County has 2 municipalities, 6 towns and 104 communes:

Historical county

Județul Olt
County (Județ)
Muzeul Judetean Olt.jpg
The Olt County Prefecture's building from the interwar period, currently the Olt County Museum.
Interbelic Olt County CoA.png
Coat of arms
Romania 1930 county Olt.png
Country Flag of Romania.svg Romania
Historic region Muntenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ) Slatina
Area
 • Total
2,863 km2 (1,105 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total
183,595
 • Density64.13/km2 (166.1/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)

Historically, the county was located in the southern part of Greater Romania, in the western part of the historical region of Muntenia, around and in the south of Bucharest. The county included the north-eastern part of the current Olt county, the south-western part of the present Argeș County and the north-western part of the present Teleorman County. During the interwar years, it was bordered to the north by Argeș County, to the east by the counties of Argeş and Teleorman, to the south by Teleorman County, and in the west by the counties of Romanați and Vâlcea.

Administration

Map of Olt County as constituted in 1938. 1938 map of interwar county Olt.jpg
Map of Olt County as constituted in 1938.

The county originally was divided into three administrative districts ( plăși ): [9]

  1. Plasa Drăgănești, headquartered at Drăgănești
  2. Plasa Dumitrești, headquartered at Dumitrești
  3. Plasa Spineni, headquartered at Spineni

Subsequently, the county established an additional district:

  1. Plasa Mijlocul, headquartered at Mijlocul

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 183,595 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 98.2% Romanians, 1.2% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.5% Eastern Orthodox, 0.2% Roman Catholic, 0.1% Jewish, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 11,243 inhabitants, comprising 92.5% Romanians, 2.5% Hungarians, 1.5% Jews, 0.8% Germans, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 94.1% Eastern Orthodox, 2.3% Roman Catholic, 1.6% Jewish, 0.9% Reformed, 0.6% Lutheran, as well as other minorities.

References

  1. ↑ "2021 Romanian census". National Institute of Statistics.
  2. ↑ The number used depends on the numbering system employed by the phone companies on the market.
  3. ↑ "Olt: CJ a programat pe 15 octombrie referendumul pentru schimbarea numelui județului" (in Romanian). Agerpres. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Dorobanțu, Alin (19 September 2018). ""DA", pentru Olt-Romanați!". Ziarul de Olt (in Romanian).
  5. ↑ "Referendumul din Olt a eșuat, deși prezența a fost mai mare decât la referendumul pentru familie" (in Romanian). Libertatea. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  6. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația după etnie" Archived 2009-08-16 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" Archived 2006-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Consilieri Județeni" (in Romanian). Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  9. ↑ Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Olt

44°26′00″N24°22′00″E / 44.4333°N 24.3667°E / 44.4333; 24.3667

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.