Vrancea () is a county (

județ A ''județ'' (, plural ) is an administrative division in Romania, and was also used from 1940 to 1947 in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic and from 1998 to 2003 in Moldova. ''Județ'' translates into English as "jurisdiction", but is co ...

) in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, with its seat at

Focșani Focșani (; yi, פֿאָקשאַן, Fokshan) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. It has a population () of 79,315. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Cur ...

. It is mostly in the historical region of

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

but the southern part, below the Milcov River, is in

Muntenia Muntenia (, also known in English as Greater Wallachia) is a historical region of Romania, part of Wallachia (also, sometimes considered Wallachia proper, as ''Muntenia'', ''Țara Românească'', and the seldom used ''Valahia'' are synonyms in R ...

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 340,310 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of . *

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romania ...

– over 98% *

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

, others – 2%

Geography

Vrancea County's area is of . A curvedly shaped mountainous area, known in Romanian as the '' Carpații de Curbură'', lies in the western part of the county, at the Southern end of the Eastern Carpathians, with heights over . To the East, the heights decrease into hilly areas and the lower valley of the

Siret River The Siret or Sireth ( uk, Сірет or Серет, ro, Siret , hu, Szeret, russian: Сирет) is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania before it joins the Danube. ...

. The main tributary of the Siret, which crosses the county, is the Putna River.

Seismic hazard

The territory of Vrancea County is the most seismically active zone of Romania, with yearly earthquakes whose focal depths are between and therefore affect wide regions. The earthquakes with the

epicenter The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...

in Vrancea are caused by the movements of the nearby

fault block Fault blocks are very large blocks of rock, sometimes hundreds of kilometres in extent, created by tectonic and localized stresses in Earth's crust. Large areas of bedrock are broken up into blocks by faults. Blocks are characterized by rel ...

s. Devastating earthquakes measuring 7 to 8 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...

have been recorded. The deadliest were the

1977 Vrancea earthquake The 1977 Vrancea earthquake occurred on 4 March 1977, at 21:22 local time, and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.5, making it the second most powerful earthquake recorded in Romania in the 20th century, after the 10 Novem ...

, which killed over 1,500 people in Romania and

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, and the

1940 Vrancea earthquake The 1940 Vrancea earthquake, also known as the 1940 Bucharest earthquake, ( ro, Cutremurul din 1940) occurred on Sunday, 10 November 1940, in Romania, at 03:39 (local time), when the majority of the population was at home. The 1940 earthquake r ...

which killed over 1,000 people. The most powerful was the

1802 Vrancea earthquake The 1802 Vrancea earthquake occurred in the Vrancea Mountains of today's Romania (then Moldavia) on , on St. Paraskeva's Day. With an estimated intensity of 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale, it is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Roman ...

with an estimated intensity of 7.9 on the

moment magnitude scale The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pa ...

, but which killed only 4 people. Other notable earthquakes were the

1738 Vrancea earthquake The 1738 Vrancea earthquake occurred on , during the third rule of Constantin Mavrocordat. The seism aroused great panic and is mentioned in several sources. It occurred in the lower lithospheric block, at a depth of 130 km. Its effects were ...

, the

1838 Vrancea earthquake Events January–March * January 10 – A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London. * January 11 – At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale give the first public demonstration ...

and the

1986 Vrancea earthquake Striking central Romania on August 30 at 21:28 UTC, the 1986 Vrancea earthquake killed more than 150 people, injured over 500, and damaged over 50,000 homes. The second largest earthquake in the area since the modernization of earthquake monitorin ...

Neighbours

Vaslui County Vaslui County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Western Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 395,499 and the population density was 74/km². * Romanians - over 98% * ...

and

Galați County Galați () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Moldavia region, with the capital city at Galați. History Historically Galați is part of Moldavia. In 1858, it was represented by Alexandru Ioan Cuza at the '' ad hoc Divan'' at Iași, in the ...

to the East. *

Covasna County Covasna County (, hu, Kovászna megye, ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Sfântu Gheorghe. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 210,177, making it the second least populous of Romani ...

to the West. *

Bacău County Bacău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania. Geography This county has a total area of . In the western part of the county the ...

to the North. *

Buzău County Buzău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km2. * Romanians – 97% * Roma ...

to the South and

Brăila County Brăila County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Brăila. Demographics In 2011, Brăila had a population of 304,925 and the population density was 64/km2. * Romanians – 98% * Romani, Russians, Lipo ...

to the South-East.

Economy

The county is famous for its

wines Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, being the biggest wine producer in

. Over 11% of the county surface is covered with

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

s. The county's best known wine regions are

Panciu Panciu () is a town in Vrancea County, Romania. It lies on the river Șușița, in the southern part of Western Moldavia, northwest of Focșani. It has a population of approximately 7,600. It administers five villages: Crucea de Jos, Crucea de S ...

– ,

Odobești Odobești () is a town in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. The town administers one village, Unirea. The town is located in the central part of the county, on the banks of the Milcov River, northwest of the county seat, Focșani ...

– , and Cotești. In addition, the county's main industries are the following: * Foods and beverages; * Textiles; * Paper manufacturing and furniture making; * Mechanical parts and components; * Cookware and bakeware production.

Tourism

County's main destinations: * The city of

; *

Vrancea Mountains The Vrancea Mountains ( ro, Munții Vrancei) are a mountain range in the Curvature Carpathians in Romania. Located mostly in western Vrancea County, they also cover parts of Bacău, Buzău, and Covasna counties. The highest peak is , at . To ...

; *

Soveja Soveja is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Dragosloveni and Rucăreni; the former is the commune centre. Notable people *Simion Mehedinți Simion Mehedinți (; October 19, 1868 – December 14 ...

resort; *

Tulnici Tulnici is a commune in Vrancea County, Romania, located in the northwestern part of the county. It is one of the largest administrative areas in Vrancea County, situated at an altitude of 480 m above sea level at the foothills of the Vrancea Mou ...

– Lepșa –

Greșu Tulnici is a commune in Vrancea County, Romania, located in the northwestern part of the county. It is one of the largest administrative areas in Vrancea County, situated at an altitude of 480 m above sea level at the foothills of the Vrancea Mou ...

tourist areas; * Eternal Fire (''Focul viu'' in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

) in Andreiașu; *

Wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

and sales around

, and Cotești; * The Mausoleum at

Mărășești Mărășești () is a small town in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It administers six villages: Călimănești, Haret, Modruzeni, Pădureni, Siretu and Tișița. Geography The town is located in the eastern part of the county, on th ...

; * Putna-Vrancea Natural Park.

Politics

The Vrancea County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Teatrul Municipal Maior Gheorghe Pastia Focşani

Monumentul Primului Război Mondial (1916-1918)

Vrancea County has 2 municipalities, 3 towns and 68 communes *Municipalities **

Adjud Adjud (; hu, Egyedhalma) is a city in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It has a population of 14,670 inhabitants (2011). It lies at a railway junction which has a classification yard and a passenger station. Adjud, situated north of ...

- county seat; population: 73,868 (as of 2011) *Towns **

*Communes ** Andreiașu de Jos ** Bălești **

Bârsești Bârsești is a commune located in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Bârsești and Topești, and also included Negrilești before it split off as a separate commune in 2003. The commune is located i ...

** Biliești ** Boghești **

Bolotești Bolotești is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Bolotești, Găgești, Ivăncești, Pietroasa, Putna and Vităneștii de sub Măgură. Natives * Ion Cristoiu Ion Cristoiu (; born November 16, 1948, ...

** Bordești ** Broșteni ** Câmpineanca ** Câmpuri ** Cârligele ** Chiojdeni **

Ciorăști Ciorăști is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Ciorăști, Codrești, Mihălceni, Salcia Nouă, Salcia Veche, Satu Nou, and Spătăreasa. Natives *Ioan Dumitrache Ioan Dumitrache (25 August 1889 ...

** Corbița ** Cotești **

Dumbrăveni Dumbrăveni (before 1945 ''Ibașfalău''; german: Elisabethstadt; Saxon dialect: ''Eppeschdorf''; hu, Erzsébetváros) is a town in the north of Sibiu County, in the centre of Transylvania, central Romania. The town administers two villages, Ern ...

Dumitrești Dumitrești is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of sixteen villages: Biceștii de Jos, Biceștii de Sus, Blidari, Dumitrești, Dumitreștii de Sus, Dumitreștii-Faţă, Găloiești, Lăstuni, Lupoaia, Motnău, Poieni ...

** Fitionești **

Garoafa Garoafa is a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or to ...

** Golești ** Gologanu ** Gugești ** Gura Caliței **

Homocea Homocea is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to th ...

** Jariștea ** Jitia ** Măicănești ** Mera ** Milcovul ** Movilița **

Nănești Nănești is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary ...

Năruja Năruja is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgar ...

** Negrilești **

Nereju Nereju is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Brădăcești, Chiricani (or ''Chiricari''), Nereju, Nereju Mic and Sahastru. Nereju, Nereju Mic and Brădăcești lie along the Zăbala River, while Chirica ...

** Nistorești ** Obrejița **

Paltin Paltin is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Ghebari, Paltin, Prahuda, Țepa and Vâlcani. It included seven other villages until 2005, when they were split off to form Spulber Spulber is a commune lo ...

** Păulești **

Păunești Păunești is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bul ...

** Ploscuțeni **

Poiana Cristei Poiana Cristei is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bu ...

** Popești **

Pufești Pufești is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgar ...

** Răcoasa **

Răstoaca Răstoaca is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Răstoaca, and was part of Milcovul commune from 1968 until 2004, when it was split off. The commune is located in the southern part of the county, ...

Reghiu Reghiu is a Commune in Romania, commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Farcaș, Jgheaburi, Piscu Reghiului, Răiuți, Reghiu, Șindrilari, Ursoaia, and Valea Milcovului. Geography The commune is located in t ...

** Ruginești **

Sihlea Sihlea is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Bogza, Căiata, Sihlea, and Voetin. The commune is located in the southern extremity of the county, from the county capital, Focșani. Sihlea is situated o ...

** Slobozia Bradului ** Slobozia Ciorăști **

Spulber Spulber is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to th ...

** Străoane ** Suraia ** Tâmboești ** Tănăsoaia ** Tătăranu **

** Țifești ** Urechești **

Valea Sării Valea Sării is a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality ...

** Vânători ** Vârteșcoiu ** Vidra ** Vintileasca ** Vizantea-Livezi ** Vrâncioaia ** Vulturu Componența județului Vrancea în anul 1930

References

External links

Portal of Vrancea County

Vrancea.com.ro ~ Trecut, prezent și viitor / Past, present and future

www.carnivoremari.ro ~ Large carnivore protection in Vrancea county

www.carnivoremari.ro/rezervatii ~ Protected areas from the Vrancea mountains

Vrancea Online - Vrancea County's start page on the Internet
{{Authority control Counties of Romania Muntenia Geography of Western Moldavia 1968 establishments in Romania States and territories established in 1968