Suceava County


Suceava County is a county of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat and the most populous urban settlement of the county is Suceava.

Demographics

In 2011, as per the official census conducted that year, Suceava County had a population of 634,810, with a population density of 74/km2. The proportion of each constituent ethnic group is displayed below as follows, according to how they were officially recorded:
In the recent past, during the early 20th century, Suceava County used to be more ethnically heterogenous or mixed, with sizeable minority populations of Germans, Jews, Ukrainians, Poles, or Hungarians. These minority communities gradually dwindled throughout much of the 20th century.
With regard to the Jewish population, according to Encyclopaedia Judaica, in reference to the old, smaller Suceava County: "The local Jews were persecuted by the Nazi German and Romanian authorities between 1940 and 1941. When deported to Transnistria in 1941, they numbered 3,253. Only 27 remained in the town." The total number of Jews deported to Transnistria from Suceava County in October 1941 was 5,942. A Romanian official document from 1946 suggests that most Jews in Suceava County survived the Holocaust. The broader context is that 70% or more than 70% of the southern Bukovinian Jews deported to Transnistria survived the ordeal.
In addition, small German minority groups/communities existed on the territory of Suceava County which forms part of Western Moldavia as well, more specifically Regat Germans inhabiting the small town of Fălticeni for example.
Nowadays, during the early 21st century, the county is inhabited mostly by Romanians with very few minority ethnic groups, therefore making it very ethnically homogenous. Additionally, the primary language of the majority of the population is Romanian and the main religion is Eastern Orthodoxy represented by the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Geography

Two-thirds of the county lies within the southern part of the historical region of Bukovina, while the rest of it incorporates territories from Western Moldavia proper.
In terms of total area, it covers a surface of, making it thus the second in Romania in this particular regard, just after Timiș County in Banat.
The western side of the county consists of mountains from the Eastern Carpathians group: the Rodna Mountains, the Rarău Mountains, the Giumalău Mountains, and the Ridges of Bukovina, the latter with lower heights.
The county's elevation decreases towards the east, with the lowest height in the Siret River valley. The rivers crossing the county are the Siret River with its tributaries: the Moldova, Suceava, and Bistrița rivers.

Neighbours

The county of Suceava is bordered by the following other territorial units:
The predominant industries/economic sectors in the county are as follows:
  • Lumber – producing the greatest land mass of forests in Romania;
  • Food and Cooking;
  • Mechanical components;
  • Construction materials;
  • Mining;
  • Textile and leather;
  • Tourism.
Suceava occupies the first place among the Romanian cities with the most commercial spaces per inhabitant.
Notable supermarket chains correlated with the aforementioned economic areas: Metro, Carrefour, Auchan, Selgros, Kaufland, and Lidl.
In June 2022, it was reported that there are projects worth 1 billion EUR for the Suceava County from the PNRR/Next Generation EU plan by County Council president Gheorghe Flutur, former acting/ad interim president of the National Liberal Party.

Tourism

In 2017, Suceava was ranked 3rd in Romania regarding the total tourist accommodation capacity, after Brașov and Constanța counties. Furthermore, one year later in 2018, Suceava County was designated "European destination of excellence" by the European Commission.
The main tourist attractions of the county are:

1992–1996

The elected President of the County Council was Constantin Sofroni. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 1992 local elections, consisted of 45 councillors, with the following party composition:

1996–2000

The elected President of the County Council was Gavril Mârza. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 1996 local elections, consisted of 45 councillors, with the following party composition:

2000–2004

The elected President of the County Council was Gavril Mârza. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 2000 local elections, consisted of 45 councillors, with the following party composition:

2004–2008

The elected President of the County Council was Gavril Mârza. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 2004 local elections, consisted of 37 councillors, with the following party composition:

2008–2012

The elected President of the County Council was Gheorghe Flutur. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 2008 local elections, consisted of 36 councillors, with the following party composition:

2012–2016

The elected President of the County Council was Cătălin Nechifor. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 2012 local elections, consisted of 36 councillors, with the following party composition:

2016–2020

The elected President of the County Council was Gheorghe Flutur. The Suceava County Council, elected at the 2016 local elections, consisted of 37 councillors, with the following party composition:

2020–2024

The elected President of the County Council was Gheorghe Flutur. The Suceava County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consisted of 36 county councillors, with the following party composition:

2024–Present

The elected President of the County Council is . The Suceava County Council, renewed at the 2024 local elections, consists of 36 county councillors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Suceava County has 5 municipalities, 11 towns, and 98 communes.
During June 2010, Gheorghe Flutur, at that time the president of Suceava County Council, stated in a Mediafax interview that his county was one of the worst hit in the country. In the morning of June 29, relief work was coordinated to deal with the flooding that killed 21 people and caused hundreds to be evacuated from their homes.

Notable natives and residents