Counties of Romania

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Romania

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Administrative map of Romania. The colors represent the historical principalities of Romania, as follows:
*Green: Transilvania
*Red: Moldova
*Yellow: Dobrogea
*Blue: Romanian Country (Valahia)

Romania NUTS Level II and III.

The judeţe (translated to English as "counties") are administrative units of Romania.

[edit] List of counties

As of 2003, Romania is divided into 41 counties and one municipality, as follows:

[edit] History

The earliest organization into "judeţe" was in the 15th century and each judeţ was ruled by a "jude", a person who had administrative and judicial functions. The modern administrative division into "judeţe" was done during the 19th century using the French departments system as an example: for each judeţ there exists a "prefect", who is the representative of the government to the county and the head of the local administration. Until 1948 each "judeţ" was divided into a number of "plăşi" (singular "plasă"), with each administered by a "pretor" (from the Latin "praetor"), named by the "prefect".

In 1938, King Carol II modified the Constitution, and after that the law of administration of the Romanian territory. It resulted ten "ţinuturi" (approx. translation: "lands"), ruled by "Rezidenţi Regali", appointed directly by the King. Due to World War II, the Second Vienna Award, the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact and the loss of territory that Romania suffered, this style of administration did not last long, the "judeţe" being reintroduced, until the rise of communism, in 1948.

Romania divided in "ţinuturi" ("lands") in 1938

The Communist party changed it to the Russian model (in raions), but it soon reverted to the current system (in 1968). In 1981 the former counties of Ilfov and Ialomiţa were re-organised into the present-day counties of Giurgiu, Călăraşi, Ialomiţa and Ilfov. Until 1995 Ilfov was not a proper county, but instead a dependency of Bucharest ("Sectorul Agricol Ilfov").

[edit] Historical counties

[edit] Merged or renamed

Originally (1927-1938) there were 71 judeţe

• Baia - merged with Neamţ
• Caraş - merged with Severin to form Caraş-Severin
• Câmpulung - merged with Suceava
• Ciuc - merged with Odorhei and renamed to Harghita
• Covurlui - merged into Galaţi
• Dorohoi - merged with Botoşani
• Făgăraş - merged with Braşov
• Fălciu - merged with Vaslui
• Ialomiţa - divided between Ialomiţa and Călăraşi
• Muscel - merged with Argeş
• Odorhei - merged with Ciuc and renamed to Harghita
• Putna - renamed to Vrancea
• Rădăuţi - merged with Suceava
• Râmnicu Sărat - divided between Vrancea, Buzău and Brăila
• Roman - merged with Neamţ
• Romanaţi - merged with Olt
• Severin - merged with Caraş to form Caraş-Severin
• Someş - divided between Maramureş, Cluj, Sălaj and Bistriţa-Năsăud
• Târnava Mică - divided between Alba, Sibiu and Mureş
• Târnava Mare - divided between Braşov, Sibiu and Mureş
• Tecuci - divided between Galaţi, Bacău and Galaţi
• Timiş-Torontal - renamed to Timiş
• Trei Scaune - renamed to Covasna
• Turda - divided between Cluj and Alba
• Tutova - merged with Vaslui
• Vlaşca - renamed to Giurgiu

[edit] Lost during WWII

[edit] To Bulgaria

• Caliacra Province (now Dobrich Province)
• Durostor Province (now Silistra Province)

[edit] To Ukraine

• Cernăuţi
• Cetatea Albă (present name Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi)
• part of Hotin
• Ismail
• Strojineţ

[edit] To Moldova

• Bălţi
• Cahul
• Orhei
• part of Hotin
• Lăpuşna
• Soroca
• Tighina (old name Bender)

[edit] In Transnistria occupied during WWII

Nowadays, they are dividied between the Republic of Moldova (in Transnistria) and Ukraine.

• Ananiev
• Balta
• Berezovca
• Dubăsari
• Golta
• Jugastru
• Movilău
• Oceacov
• Odessa
• Ovidiopol
• Râbniţa
• Tiraspol
• Tulcin

[edit] See also

• List of Romanian Cities
• Etymological list of counties of Romania
• Commune in Romania
• Municipality in Romania