Arad County


Arad County is an administrative division of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative center of the county lies in the city of Arad. The Arad County is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion.

Name

In Hungarian, it is known as Arad megye, in Serbian as Арадски округ, and in German as Kreis Arad. The county was named after its administrative center, Arad.

Geography

The county has a total area of, representing 3.6% of national Romanian territory. The terrain of Arad County is divided into two distinct units that cover almost half of the county each. The eastern side of the county has a hilly to low mountainous terrain and on the western side it's a plain zone consisting of the Arad Plain, Low Mures Plain, and The High Vinga Plain. Taking altitude into account we notice that it follows a stepped pattern as it drops as we go from the east to the west of the county from 1489 m to below 100 m. In the east there are the Zarand Mountains and the Codru Moma Mountains, all subdivisions of the Apuseni Mountains, a major group of the Western Carpathians.

Neighbours

  • Alba County and Hunedoara County to the East.
  • Hungary to the West - Békés and Csongrád Counties.
  • Bihor County to the North.
  • Timiș County to the South.

    Climate and precipitation

In terms of climate, the characteristics of Arad county have a typical temperate continental climate with oceanic influences, with a circulation of air masses with a predominantly western ordered direction visible from west to east, with increasing altitude. Average annual temperatures range from 10 °C in the lowlands, the hills and piedmonts 9 °C, 8 °C and 6 °C in the low mountains in the area of greatest height.
Average amounts of precipitation is between annually in the lowlands, annually in the hills and piedmonts and annually in the mountainous area.

Hydrographic network

The hydrographic network is composed of the two main rivers plus their tributaries and channels.
Along with Timiș County it forms one of the most developed regions in Romania. Due to its proximity to the border, it attracts a great number of foreign investments. The agricultural potential is greatly put into value, Arad plains being considered one of the most important cereal and vegetable producing basins.
The predominant industries in the county are:
  • Machine and automotive components
  • Food
  • Textiles
Natural resources in Arad, are worthy to be taken into account as there are oil and associated gases, points of extraction in the west of the county, molybdenum mines in the Săvârșin area, marble quarries at Căprioara and Moneasa, mineral waters at Lipova, Moneasa, Dorobanți, Curtici, Macea and uranium deposits in the NE part of the county.

Tourism

The main tourist destinations are:
According to the 2021 census, the county had a population of 410,143 and the population density was.


YearCounty population
1948476,207
1956475,620
1966481,248
1977512,020
1992487,370
2002461,791
2011430,629
2021410,143

Politics

The Arad County Council, renewed at the 2024 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Arad County has 1 municipality, 9 towns and 68 communes with approximately 180 villages.
;Municipalities
;Towns
  • Chișineu-Criș
  • Curtici
  • Ineu
  • Lipova
  • Nădlac
  • Pâncota
  • Pecica
  • Sântana
  • Sebiș
;Communes
  • Almaș
  • Apateu
  • Archiș
  • Bata
  • Bârsa
  • Bârzava
  • Beliu
  • Birchiș
  • Bocsig
  • Brazii
  • Buteni
  • Cărand
  • Cermei
  • Chisindia
  • Conop
  • Covăsânț
  • Craiva
  • Dezna
  • Dieci
  • Dorobanți
  • Fântânele
  • Felnac
  • Frumușeni
  • Ghioroc
  • Grăniceri
  • Gurahonț
  • Hălmagiu
  • Hălmăgel
  • Hășmaș
  • Ignești
  • Iratoșu
  • Livada
  • Macea
  • Mișca
  • Moneasa
  • Olari
  • Păuliș
  • Peregu Mare
  • Petriș
  • Pilu
  • Pleșcuța
  • Săvârșin
  • Secusigiu
  • Seleuș
  • Semlac
  • Sintea Mare
  • Socodor
  • Șagu
  • Șeitin
  • Șepreuș
  • Șicula
  • Șilindia
  • Șimand
  • Șiria
  • Șiștarovăț
  • Șofronea
  • Tauț
  • Târnova
  • Ususău
  • Vărădia de Mureș
  • Vârfurile
  • Vinga
  • Vladimirescu
  • Zăbrani
  • Zădăreni
  • Zărand
  • Zerind
  • Zimandu Nou

    Historical county

Administration

In 1930, the county was divided into nine districts :
  1. Plasa Aradul-Nou
  2. Plasa Chișineu-Criș
  3. Plasa Hălmagiu
  4. Plasa Ineu
  5. Plasa Pecica
  6. Plasa Sfânta Ana
  7. Plasa Sebiș
  8. Plasa Șiria
  9. Plasa Radna
Subsequently, a tenth district was established having been carved out of Plasa Ineu:

  1. Plasa Târnova
Administration was re-organized in 1947, comprising 13 districts:
  1. Plasa Aradul-Nou
  2. Plasa Chișineu-Criș
  3. Plasa Curtici
  4. Plasa Gurahonț
  5. Plasa Hălmagiu
  6. Plasa Ineu
  7. Plasa Pecica
  8. Plasa Radna
  9. Plasa Săvârșin
  10. Plasa Sebiș
  11. Plasa Sfânta Ana
  12. Plasa Șiria
  13. Plasa Târnova

    Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 423,469 inhabitants, 61.0% Romanians, 19.5% Hungarians, 12.3% Germans, 2.8% Slovaks, 2.1% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, 55.8% declared Eastern Orthodox, 26.5% Roman Catholic, 5.5% Reformed, 4.2% Greek Catholic, 3.2% Lutherans, 2.4% Jewish, 1% Baptists, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 77,181 inhabitants, 39.3% Romanians, 38.8% Hungarians, 9.1% Jews, 7.1% Germans, 1.7% Serbs and Croats, 1.4% Slovaks, as well as other minorities. In the urban area, languages were Hungarian, Romanian, German, Serbian, Yiddish, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Reformed, Greek Catholics, Lutherans, as well as other minorities.

Industry

The county's capital, Arad, was the location of Romania's first automotive factory. During the 1920s, Astra cars and commercial vehicles were made at Arad. ASTRA Arad manufactured automobiles from 1922 to 1926. The factory had an output of 2 automobiles per working day as of 1922.