Harghita County
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Harghita (Template:IPA2; Template:Lang-ro; Template:Lang-hu) is a county (judeţ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea-Ciuc.
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Demographics
In 2002, it had a population of 326,222<ref>National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 şi 2002"</ref> and a population density of 52/km².
- Hungarians- 85% (or 276,038)<ref>National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia după etnie" ("Population by ethnicity")</ref>
- Romanians - 14% (or 45,870)
- Roma - 1% (or 3,835), and others.
Harghita county has the highest percentage of Hungarians in Romania, just ahead of Covasna county. The primary Hungarian group, the Székely (Szeklers, Secui in Romanian), form the majority of the population in most of the county's municipalities, with Romanians concentrated in the northern part of the county, particularly Topliţa and Bălan.
The Székely are mostly Roman Catholic, while Romanians are primarily Orthodox, and the other Hungarian groups are Reformed and Unitarian. By religion, the county is divided roughly as follows:
- Roman Catholic (65%)
- Orthodox (13%)
- Reformed (13%)
- Unitarian (7%)
- Other (2%)
Demographic evolution <timeline> Colors=
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bar:1930 from:0 till: 250194 bar:1948 from:0 till: 258495 bar:1956 from:0 till: 273964 bar:1966 from:0 till: 282392 bar:1977 from:0 till: 326310 bar:1992 from:0 till: 348335 bar:2002 from:0 till: 326222
PlotData=
bar:1930 at: 250194 fontsize:S text: 250.194 shift:(-8,5) bar:1948 at: 258495 fontsize:S text: 258.495 shift:(-10,5) bar:1956 at: 273964 fontsize:S text: 273.964 shift:(-10,5) bar:1966 at: 282392 fontsize:S text: 282.392 shift:(-10,5) bar:1977 at: 326310 fontsize:S text: 326.310 shift:(-10,5) bar:1992 at: 348335 fontsize:S text: 348.335 shift:(-10,5) bar:2002 at: 326222 fontsize:S text: 326.222 shift:(-10,5)
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fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data - INSSE, Graphic by Wikipedia
</timeline>
Geography
Harghita County has a total area of 6,639 km².
Harghita consists primarily of mountains, connected to the Eastern Carpathians, such as the Ciuc and Harghita Mountains; volcanic plateaux, foothills, and the more densely populated river valleys.
The mountains are volcanic in origin, and the region is known for its excellent hot mineral springs. Harghita is known as one of the coldest regions in Romania, although summers can be quite warm.
It is in this county that two of the most important rivers in Romania, the Mureş and the Olt, originate. These rivers' origins, near the villages of Izvoru Mureşului and Sândominic, are only a few miles apart; yet the Mureş flows west to the Tisza, while the Olt flows south to the Danube. In the western part of the county the two Târnava rivers (Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică) flow to the Târnava Plateau, which is part of the Transylvania Plateau.
Harghita's many spectacular natural scenery include Sfanta Ana Lake, a volcanic crater lake near the town of Băile Tuşnad; Lacu Roşu a mountain lake in the northeast near the town of Gheorgheni, and Cheile Bicazului, a dramatic, narrow canyon formed by the Bicaz stream. The county is renowned for its spa resorts and mineral waters.
Neighbours
- Neamţ County and Bacău County to the East.
- Mureş County to the West.
- Suceava County to the North.
- Braşov County and Covasna County to the South.
Economy
The county's main industries:
- Wood industry – up to 30%;
- Foods and beverages industry;
- Textile and leather processing;
- Mechanical components.
Tourism
The main tourist attractions in Harghita county are
- The cities of Miercurea Ciuc, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Gheorgheni, Topliţa.
- The mountain resorts of
- Lake Sfânta Ana (crater lake)
Politics
The Harghita County Assembly has 31 members:
| Political Party | Number of Seats |
|---|---|
| Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania | 22 |
| People's Action | 3 |
| Social Democratic Party | 3 |
| Democratic Party | 2 |
| Independent | 1 |
Administrative divisions
The county has 4 municipalities, 5 towns, and 58 communes.
Municipalities
- Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) – county seat; population: 42,029
- Gheorgheni (Gyergyószentmiklós)
- Odorheiu Secuiesc (Székelyudvarhely)
- Topliţa (Maroshévíz)
Towns
- Băile Tuşnad (Tusnádfürdő)
- Bălan (Balánbánya)
- Borsec (Borszék)
- Cristuru Secuiesc (Székelykeresztúr)
- Vlăhiţa (Szentegyháza)
Communes
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References
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External links
Template:Harghita County
Template:Counties (judete) of Romaniabg:Харгита (окръг)
ca:Província de Harghita
cs:Harghita
da:Harghita (distrikt)
de:Kreis Harghita
et:Harghita maakond
es:Harghita
eo:Distrikto Harghita
fr:Judeţ de Harghita
hr:Harghita (županija)
id:Provinsi Harghita
it:Distretto di Harghita
hu:Hargita megye
nl:District Harghita
ja:ハルギタ県
no:Harghita
nn:Harghita fylke
pl:Okręg Harghita
pt:Harghita (distrito)
ro:Judeţul Harghita
ru:Харгита (жудец)
simple:Harghita County
sk:Harghita (župa)
sr:Харгита (округ)
fi:Harghita (piirikunta)
sv:Harghita
tg:Вилояти Ҳарғита
uk:Харгіта
zh:哈爾吉塔縣
