Northern Dobruja ( ro, Dobrogea de Nord or simply ; bg, Северна Добруджа, ''Severna Dobrudzha'') is the part of
Dobruja
Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...
within the borders of
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 ...
. It lies between the lower
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
river and the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
, bordered in the south by
Southern Dobruja
Southern Dobruja, South Dobruja or Quadrilateral ( Bulgarian: Южна Добруджа, ''Yuzhna Dobrudzha'' or simply Добруджа, ''Dobrudzha''; ro, Dobrogea de Sud, or ) is an area of northeastern Bulgaria comprising Dobrich and Silis ...
, which is part of
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 ...
.
History
Around 600 BC, the Greeks colonized the Black Sea shore and founded numerous fortresses: Tomis (today's Constanta), Callatis, Histria, Argamum, Heracleea, Aegysus. Greeks have commerce with dacians who lived there on main land. Dobruja became a Roman province after conquest of Dacian Tribes. One of the best preserved remnants of this period is the Capidava citadel.
Between the 7th and 14th century, Dobruja was part of the
First Bulgarian Empire and the
Second Bulgarian Empire.
For a long period in the 14-15th century, Dobruja became part of
Wallachia. The territory fell under
Ottoman rule from the mid-15th century until 1878, when it was awarded to Romania for its role in the
1877-78 Russo-Turkish War, and as compensation for the transfer of a region partly overlapping
Southern Bessarabia. Under the treaties of
San Stefano and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, Romania received Northern Dobruja while the newly restored Principality of Bulgaria received the smaller southern part of the region. After the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies ...
in 1913, Romania also annexed the Bulgarian Southern Dobruja, which it ruled until the signing of the 1940
Treaty of Craiova. The treaty was approved by
Britain,
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its t ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. It included a
population exchange which removed the Bulgarian minority from Northern Dobruja, which was evacuated to the southern part. At the same time, the Romanians (including
Aromanians
The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, northern and ...
and
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis ...
) from Southern Dobruja were brought north of the border. There also is a
Csángó Hungarian village in Northern Dobruja, in the Constanța County, known as
Oituz.
Geography
The territory of Northern Dobruja now forms the
counties of
Constanța and
Tulcea, with a total area of 15,570 km
2 and a current population of slightly under 900,000.
[2011 census results per county, cities and towns ]
Cities
*
Constanța
*
Tulcea
*
Medgidia
Medgidia ( or ; historical Turkish names: ''Karasu'' or ''Carasu'', ''Mecidiye'' or ''Megidie'') is a city in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, south-eastern Romania.
History
Archaeological findings show that Dobruja was inhabited since ...
*
Mangalia
Mangalia (, tr, Mankalya), ancient Callatis ( el, Κάλλατις/Καλλατίς; other historical names: Pangalia, Panglicara, Tomisovara), is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanța County, Norther ...
Rivers
*
Casimcea
Casimcea is a commune in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Casimcea, Cișmeaua Nouă (historical name: ''Ramazanchioi''), Corugea, Haidar, Rahman and Războieni (historical name: ''Alifacâ'').
The commune ...
*
Slava
*
Taița
The Taița is a river in Tulcea County, Romania. North of the town Babadag it discharges into Lake Babadag, which is connected with Lake Razim, a former lagoon of the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlant ...
*
Telița
Lakes
*
Crapina Lake
*
Jijiei Lake
*
Traian Lake
*
Babadag Lake
Babadag (; tr, Babadağ, "Father Mountain"), formerly known as Babatag, is a town in Tulcea County, Romania, located on a small lake formed by the river Taița, in the densely wooded highlands of Northern Dobruja. One of the several tombs ...
*
Razim Lake
*
Zmeica Lake
*
Sinoe Lake
Lake Sinoe is a lagoon in Northern Dobruja, Romania, close to the Black Sea. Its name derives from Slavic (''Blue Lake''). The ruins of the ancient Greek colony
Greek colonization was an organised colonial expansion by the Archaic Greeks into ...
*
Tașaul Lake
*
Techirghiol Lake
Danube Delta
The
Danube Delta consists of numerous lakes. The most important ones are:
*Roșu
*Isac
*Gorgova
*Furtuna
*Ledeanca
*Tatanir
*Merhel
*Matița
*Uzlina
*Dranov
*Lumina
*Puiu
*Puiuleț
Demographics
Ethnic composition
The table below shows Romanian statistics throughout the years:
:
1According to the 1926–1938 Romanian administrative division (counties of
Constanța and
Tulcea), which excluded a part of today's Romania (chiefly the communes of
Ostrov and
Lipnița, now part of
Constanța County) and included a part of today's Bulgaria (parts of
General Toshevo and
Krushari municipalities)
:
2Only Russians. (Russians and Lipovans counted separately)
Symbols
Northern Dobruja is represented by two
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...
s in the
Coat of arms of Romania.
Starting with 2015, Romania observes
Dobruja Day
The Dobruja Day ( ro, Ziua Dobrogei) is a public holiday of Romania celebrated every 14 November that commemorates the incorporation of the region of Northern Dobruja into Romania on 14 November 1878.
Background
The Principality of Romania ga ...
on
November 14, marking the 1878 incorporation of Northern Dobruja into the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
after the
Treaty of Berlin.
References
{{coord missing, Romania
*
Historical regions in Romania