Botoșani County

Botoșani County is a county of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with the county seat at Botoșani.

Demographics

As of 1st of December 2021, it had a population of 392,821 and the population density was 91/km².

Romanians – 89.0%
Roma – 1.1%
Ukrainians – 0.4%
Lipovans – 0.1%
Other ethnicities – 0.3%
Unknown ethnicity – 9.1%

Year	County population
1948	385,236
1956	428,050
1966	452,406
1977	451,217
1992	458,904
2002	452,834
2011	412,626
2021	392,821

Geography

Botoșani County is situated between the rivers Siret and Prut, in the northeastern part of Romania, bordering Ukraine to the north and Moldova to the east. To the west and south it has borders with Suceava and Iași counties.
It has a total area of, comprising 2.1% of the Romanian territory.
The relief is a high plain, between the valleys of the Siret and the Prut, and the latter's affluent, the Jijia River.
It has a temperate climate, influenced by the eastern air masses of the continent.

Neighbours

Republic of Moldova in the East – Edineț Raion.
Suceava County in the West.
Ukraine in the North – Chernivtsi Oblast.
Iași County in the South.

Economy

This is a predominantly agricultural county; the main industries are the textile industry, the food industry, the electrical components industry, and the glass and porcelain industry.
The is one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in Romania. Work on it started in 1973, and it was completed in 1978, at the same time as the Stânca-Costești Dam. They are both situated on the Prut River, between Stânca in Botoșani County and Costești, Rîșcani.

Politics

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

Administrative divisions

Botoșani County has 2 municipalities, 5 towns and 71 communes:

Municipalities

*Botoșani – capital city; population: 106,847
*Dorohoi

Towns

Communes

Historical county

During the years between the world wars, the county extended over different territory than currently. It was located in the northeastern part of Romania, in the northeast of the region or Moldavia. The county included the southern part of the present county and the northern part of the current Iași County. It was bordered to the west by the counties of Suceava and Baia, to the north by Dorohoi, to the east by Bălți, and to the south with Iași.

Administration

In 1930, the county was divided into three districts :

Plasa Botoșani
Plasa Jijia
Plasa Siret

Administration was re-organized in 1938, comprising 4 districts:

Plasa Bucecea
Plasa Răchiți
Plasa Sulița
Plasa Ștefănești

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 218,258 inhabitants, ethnically, 88.8% were Romanians, 9.0% were Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, 89.4% were Eastern Orthodox, 9.2% Jewish, 0.7% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 50,320 inhabitants, comprising ethnically 64.9% Romanians, 31.3% Jews, 0.9% Germans, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Notable people

Natives of the county include:

Grigore Antipa, naturalist
Teoctist Arăpașu, patriarch
Gheorghe Avramescu, general
Emil Bobu, politician
Demostene Botez, poet
Dimitrie Brândză, botanist
Mihai Eminescu, poet
George Enescu, composer
Nicolae Iorga, historian and politician
Ștefan Luchian, painter
Gheorghe Moroșanu, mathematician
Dimitrie Pompeiu, mathematician
Alexandru Zub, historian