Tulcea County

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Tulcea County
Județul Tulcea
Jud.Tulcea.jpg
Tulcea flag.webp
Actual Tulcea county CoA.svg
Tulcea in Romania.svg
Coordinates: 44°59′N28°46′E / 44.98°N 28.77°E / 44.98; 28.77
Country Romania
Development region Sud-Est
Historical region Northern Dobruja
Capital Tulcea
Government
  President of the County Board Horia Teodorescu  [ ro ] (PSD)
  Prefect Alexandru Dan Munteanu  [ ro ]
Area
  Total
8,484 km2 (3,276 sq mi)
  Rank 4th
Population
 (2021-12-01) [1]
  Total
193,355
  Rank 40th
  Density22.79/km2 (59.03/sq mi)
Telephone code (+40) 240 or (+40) 340 [2]
ISO 3166 code RO-TL
GDP (nominal)US$ 1.378 billion (2015)
GDP per capita US$ 6,838 (2015)
Website County Council
County Prefecture
Map of Tulcea County. Harta-judetului-Tulcea.jpg
Map of Tulcea County.

Tulcea County (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈtult͡ʃe̯a] ) is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Northern Dobruja, with the capital city at Tulcea. It includes in its northeast corner the large and thinly-populated delta of the Danube.

Contents

Demographics

In 2021, Tulcea County had a population of 193,355. The population density was 22.8/km2, the lowest among the counties of Romania, due to the inclusion within the area of the lowly-populated Danube estuarial wetlands.

In the Danube Delta there is an important community of Russians and Lipovans. In the south of the county there are communities of Turks. The region once was a centre of Islam in Romania.

YearCounty population [4]
1948192,228 Steady2.svg
1956223,719 Increase2.svg
1966236,709 Increase2.svg
1977254,531 Increase2.svg
1992270,197 Increase2.svg
2002256,492 Decrease2.svg
2011201,462 Decrease2.svg
2021 193,355 Decrease2.svg
Ethnicity2002 [5] 2011 [6] 2021 [6]
Total256,492213,083193,355
Romanian 230,843 (90%)180,496 (84.71%)153,094 (79.18%)
Lipovan 16,350 (6.4%)10,342 (4.85%)8,010 (4.14%)
Roma 2,272 (0.88%)3,423 (1.61%)3,963 (2.05%)
Turks 3,334 (1.3%)1,674 (0.78%)993 (0.51%)
Ukrainian 1,279 (0.5%)1,083 (0.51%)900 (0.47%)
Greek 1,680 (0.64%)1,181 (0.55%)266 (0.14%)
Tatar 179 (0.07%)119 (0.06%)106 (0.05%)
Bulgarian 61 (0.02%)23 (0.01%)34 (0.02%)
Others494 (0.19%)14,742 (6.92%)25,989 (13.44%)

Geography

The county has a total area of 8,484 km2 (3,276 sq mi).

The Palace of the Danube Commission in Sulina, Tulcea County, Romania, from 1868 to 1921 The Palace 02.jpg
The Palace of the Danube Commission in Sulina, Tulcea County, Romania, from 1868 to 1921
Ruins of the Noviodunum fortress Isacceanoviodumun01.JPG
Ruins of the Noviodunum fortress

The most significant feature of Tulcea County is the Danube Delta, which occupies about one third of the entire surface and is located in the north-east side of the county. The Delta has three main branches: the Sulina branch (the only one navigable by large ships) in the middle, the Chilia branch in the north (along the border with Ukraine) and the Sfântu Gheorghe branch in the south.

In the south-east of the county there are two lagoons: Lake Razelm and Lake Sinoe. In the Danube Delta and in the south—in the area between the Sfântu Gheorghe Channel and Lake Razelm—there are countless channels and small lakes. The entire area is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and Biosphere reserves.

The Danube River flows around the county in the west and north side. In the west, there is the Măcin Branch which flows on the east side of the Great Brăila Island. From Smârdan (on the opposite side from Brăila) to Pătlăgeanca (close to Tulcea), the Danube has only one large flow of water, around which there is an immense number of lakes and small channels.

In the center of the county, there is the Casincea Plateau and the Măcin Mountains—the remains of a prehistorical mountains range (more than 400 million years old), with the greatest height at about 400 m.

Neighbours

Economy

Agriculture and fishing are the main occupations, involving about 48% of the population. Industry is concentrated in the large towns only.

The predominant industries in the county are:

Tourism

Tourism is an important activity in the county, the Danube Delta being one of the most visited areas in Romania.

The main destinations for tourists are:

Politics

The Tulcea County Council, renewed at the 2024 local elections, consists of 30 counsellors, with the following party composition: [7]

   PartySeatsCurrent County Council
  Social Democratic Party (PSD)13           

 

 
  National Liberal Party (PNL)11             
  Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)6   

 

 

       

2020 local elections

   PartySeatsCurrent County Council
  National Liberal Party (PNL)13             
  Social Democratic Party (PSD)12             
  PRO Romania (PRO)3             
  People's Movement Party (PMP)2             

Administrative divisions

Tulcea harbour Tulcea harbour 01.jpg
Tulcea harbour
Macin Macin Monumentul Eroilor.jpg
Măcin

Tulcea County has 1 municipality, 4 towns and 46 communes.

Municipalities
Towns
Communes

Historical county

Județul Tulcea
County (Județ)
Palatul Pasei de Tulcea - Muzeul de Arta.jpg
The Tulcea prefecture building from the interwar period, now the Tulcea Art Museum.
Interbelic Tulcea County CoA.png
Romania 1930 county Tulcea.png
Country Flag of Romania.svg Romania
Historic region Dobrogea
Capital city (reședință de județ) Tulcea
Area
  Total
8,628 km2 (3,331 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
  Total
184,038
  Density21.33/km2 (55.25/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)

Historically, the county was located in the southeastern part of Greater Romania, in the region of north Dobruja. The borders of the historic county coincide with those of the present county. It bordered on the west with Brăila County, northwest with Covurlui County, to the north with Ismail County, to the south by Constanța County, and to the east and south-east with the Black Sea.

Administration

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

The county was originally divided administratively into four districts ( plăși ): [8]

  1. Plasa Babadag, headquartered at Babadag
  2. Plasa Gurile Dunării, headquartered at Tulcea
  3. Plasa Măcin, headquartered at Măcin
  4. Plasa Topolog, headquartered at Topolog

As in the present day there were five towns (cities): Tulcea (county headquarters), Babadag, Măcin, Isaccea and Sulina.

Population

Map of Tulcea County's ethnic groups as reported in the 1930 census. Ethnic map of Tulcea County 1930.png
Map of Tulcea County's ethnic groups as reported in the 1930 census.

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 184,038 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 62.6% Romanians, 12.2% Russians, 10.6% Bulgarians, 2.5% Turks, 1.7% Greeks, 1.3% Germans, as well as other minorities. [9] From the religious point of view, the population was 85.8% Eastern Orthodox, 8.3% Old-Rite Lipovan Orthodox, 2.8% Muslim, 1.5% Roman Catholic, 0.6% Lutheran, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 41,632 inhabitants, comprising 64.7% Romanians, 12.8% Russians, 5.5% Turks, 4.4% Greeks, 3.3% Bulgarians, 2.5% Jews, 0.8% Germans, as well as other minorities. Mother tongues among the urban population were Romanian (69.4%), followed by Russian (15.0%), Turkish (5.5%), Greek (3.9%), Yiddish (1.5%), as well as other minorities. [9] From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 87.5% Eastern Orthodox, 5.7% Muslim, 2.6% Jewish, 1.9% Roman Catholic, 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. National Institute of Statistics, Rezultate definitive
  4. National Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002"
  5. National Institute of Statistics, 2002 census: Ethnic structure per county
  6. 1 2 "Ethnic population at the censuses in the period 1930–2021" (in Romanian). INSSE . Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  7. "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json) (in Romanian). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  8. Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Tulcea
  9. 1 2 Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 480