Berbești is a town located in

Vâlcea County Vâlcea County (also spelt ''Vîlcea''; ) is a county (județ) that lies in south-central Romania. Located in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (which are separated by the Olt (river), Olt River), it i ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, about south-west from the county seat,

Râmnicu Vâlcea Râmnicu Vâlcea (formerly ''Râmnic'', ) is a city in Romania. Located in the south-central part of the country, in the historical province of Oltenia, it is the seat of Vâlcea County and its main urban settlement. According to the 2021 Romanian ...

, in the historical region of

Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...

. It was granted town status by law in October 2003. As of the 2021 census, it has a population of 4,231. The town administers five villages: Dămțeni, Dealu Aluniș, Roșioara, Târgu Gângulești, and Valea Mare.

Geography and climate

Set on the lower course of the river Tărâia, a tributary of the Olteț, Berbești is crossed by the

45th parallel north The 45th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 45 degrees north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 45th parallel north is often called the halfway point between the ...

. Berbești is bordered by Mateești commune to the north, Sinești commune to the south, Alunu to the west and Copăceni to the east.

Economy

The main economic activity is

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

that began in the 1970s. Following the economic reforms in the late 1990s, Berbești saw an economic downturn similar to most of the mono-industrial towns in

Natives

* Valerian Gârlă (born 1986), footballer

Notes

Populated places in Vâlcea County Towns in Romania Monotowns in Romania Localities in Oltenia {{Vâlcea-geo-stub