Prahova County

Prahova County is a county in southern Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. Its capital city is Ploiești. It is the third most populated county in Romania (after Bucharest and Iași County), with a population of over 820,000 people. It is also one of the most urbanized counties in the country, with two municipalities (Ploiești and Câmpina) and 12 other cities.

The county is known for its oil resources, which are extracted in the hilly areas around the towns of Boldești-Scăeni and Urlați. Ploiești is also a major industrial centre, with refineries, petrochemical plants, and other factories.

ID
96350
Name
Sinaia
State ID
4729
State Code
PH
State Name
Prahova County
Country ID
181
Country Code
RO
Country Name
Romania
Latitude
45.35000000
Longitude
25.55000000
WikiData ID
Q16898486

Prahova County (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈprahova]) is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești.

Table of Contents

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/km². It is Romania's third most populated county (after the Municipality of Bucharest and Iași County), having a population density double that of the country's mean.

Romanians - 97.74%
Romas and others - 2.26%

The county received an inflow of population who have moved here due to the industrial development.

Geography

This county has a total area of 4,716 km².

The relief is split in approximately equal parts between the mountains, the hills and the plain. In the North side there are mountains from the southern end of the Eastern Carpathians - the Curvature Carpathians group; and the Bucegi Mountains the Eastern end of the Southern Carpathians group. The two groups are separated by the Prahova River Valley.

The south side of the county is a plain, on the North West side of the Romanian Plain.

The main river is the eponymous Prahova River. It flows from the mountains, through the Prahova Valley collecting many other rivers - the Doftana River, the Teleajen River and others.

Neighbours

Buzău County in the East.
Dâmbovița County in the West.
Brașov County in the North.
Ialomița County and Ilfov County in the South.

Economy

The area contains the main oil reserves in Romania, with a longstanding tradition in extracting and refining the oil. The county is heavily industrialised, with over 115,000 residents working in industrial environments. It contributes to over 8% of the country's industrial production. Some of the biggest international corporations like Coca-Cola, Unilever, InBev, Johnson Controls, Cameron, Weatherford, Michelin, Timken and others have invested heavily in the recent years.

The predominant industries in the county are:

Oil industry - almost 50% of the county's industrial production.
Oil extracting equipment.
Chemical industry.
Rubber industry.
Mechanical components industry.
Food and beverages industry.
Textile industry.

Agriculture is also developed — in the southern part mainly extensive agriculture and the hills area is well suited for wines and fruit orchards. In total it realises about 3% of the country's agricultural production.

Tourism

The Prahova Valley is one of the areas with the highest tourist potential in the country having one of the best tourism facilities in Romania.

The main tourist destinations are:

On the Prahova Valley:
- The Sinaia Resort.
- The Bușteni Resort.
- The Azuga Resort.
- The Bucegi Mountains.
On the Teleajen River Valley:
- The Vălenii de Munte Resort.
- Cheia.
- Slănic.
- The Zăganul Mountains
- The Ciucaș Mountains.
On the Doftana River Valley:
- The Telega Resort.
- Valea Doftanei.
- The Gârbova Mountains.
The city of Ploiești.
The city of Câmpina.

Politics

The Prahova County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 36 counsellors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Prahova County has 2 municipalities, 12 towns and 90 communes

Municipalities

Câmpina - population: 32,935 (as of 2011)
Ploiești - capital city; population: 209,945 (as of 2011)

Towns

Communes

Historical county

Historically, the county was located in the south central part of Greater Romania, in the central part of the historical region of Muntenia. Its capital was Ploiești (then spelt Ploești). The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Prahova County, except the town of Mizil and several nearby villages that were then in Buzău County. In addition to the current county's territory, the interwar county contained several communes in its western part (including Dărmănești, I.L. Caragiale, and Moreni), currently in Dâmbovița County, and some territory northwest of Predeal, now in Brașov County.

Administration

The county was originally divided into seven administrative districts (plăși):

Plasa Câmpina, headquartered at Câmpina
Plasa Drăgănești, headquartered at Drăgănești
Plasa Filipești, headquartered at Filipești
Plasa Ploiești, headquartered at Ploești
Plasa Sinaia, headquartered at Sinaia
Plasa Urlați, headquartered at Urlați
Plasa Văleni, headquartered at Văleni

Subsequently, the county established three more districts:

Plasa Câmpu, headquartered at Câmpu
Plasa Podgoria, headquartered at Podgoria
Plasa Vărbilău, headquartered at Vărbilău

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 477,750 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 95.0% Romanians, 1.5% Gypsies, 0.9% Jews, 0.8% Hungarians, 0.7% Germans, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 96.0% Eastern Orthodox, 1.2% Roman Catholic, 1.0% Jewish, 0.6% Lutherans, 0.5% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 105,098 inhabitants, comprising 88.8% Romanians, 3.5% Jews, 1.9% Hungarians, 1.7% Germans, 1.4% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 89.2% Eastern Orthodox, 3.6% Jewish, 3.3% Roman Catholic, 1.5% Lutheran, 1.3% Greek Catholic, 0.6% Reformed, as well as other minorities.