Harghita county coat of arms.gif

Harghita (, hu, Hargita megye, ) is a county (județ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc.

Demographics

2002 census

In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a population density of 52/km².

* Hungarians – 84.62% (or 276,038)
* Romanians – 14.06% (or 45,870)
* Romani – 1.18% (or 3,835)
* Others – 0.14%

2011 census

In 2011, it had a population of 302,432 and a population density of 46/km².

* Hungarians – 85.21% (or 257,707)
* Romanians – 12.96% (or 39,196)
* Romani
* Others – 1.76% (or 5,326).

Harghita county has the highest percentage of Hungarians in Romania, just ahead of Covasna county. The Hungarians form the majority of the population in most of the county's municipalities, with Romanians concentrated in the northern and eastern part of the county (particularly Toplița and Bălan), as well as in the enclave of Voșlăbeni.

The Székelys of Harghita are mostly Roman Catholic, with Reformed and Unitarian minorities, while the ethnic Romanians are primarily Orthodox. Catholicism is strongest in the east, in the former Csíkszék, while Protestants are concentrated in the west, south and west of Odorheiu Secuiesc. By religion, the county is divided roughly as follows:

* Roman Catholic (65%)
* Orthodox (13%)
* Reformed (13%)
* Unitarian (7%)
* Other (2%)

''Demographic evolution''

Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7)
id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1)
id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8)

ImageSize = width:320 height:300
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:350000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:15000 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo

BarData=

bar:1930 text:1930
bar:1948 text:1948
bar:1956 text:1956
bar:1966 text:1966
bar:1977 text:1977
bar:1992 text:1992
bar:2002 text:2002

PlotData=
color:barra width:20 align:left

bar:1930 from:0 till: 250194
bar:1948 from:0 till: 258495
bar:1956 from:0 till: 273964
bar:1966 from:0 till: 282392
bar:1977 from:0 till: 326310
bar:1992 from:0 till: 347637
bar:2002 from:0 till: 326222

PlotData=

bar:1930 at: 250194 fontsize:S text: 250,194 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1948 at: 258495 fontsize:S text: 258,495 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1956 at: 273964 fontsize:S text: 273,964 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1966 at: 282392 fontsize:S text: 282,392 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1977 at: 326310 fontsize:S text: 326,310 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1992 at: 347637 fontsize:S text: 347,637 shift:(-10,5)
bar:2002 at: 326222 fontsize:S text: 326,222 shift:(-10,5)

TextData=
fontsize:S pos:(20,20)
text:Data – INSSE, Graphic by Wikipedia

Geography

Harghita County has a total area of 6,639 km².

Harghita consists primarily of mountains, connected to the Eastern Carpathians, such as the Ciuc and Harghita Mountains; volcanic plateaux, foothills, and the more densely populated river valleys.

The mountains are volcanic in origin, and the region is known for its excellent hot mineral springs. Harghita is known as one of the coldest regions in Romania, although summers can be quite warm.

It is in this county that two of the most important rivers in Romania, the Mureș and the Olt, originate. These rivers' origins, near the villages of Izvoru Mureșului and Sândominic, are only a few miles apart; yet the Mureș flows west to the Tisza, while the Olt flows south to the Danube. In the western part of the county the two Târnava rivers (Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică) flow to the Târnava Plateau, which is part of the Transylvanian Plateau.

Harghita's spectacular natural scenery includes Sfânta Ana Lake, a volcanic crater lake near the town of Băile Tușnad; Lacul Roșu a mountain lake in the northeast near the town of Gheorgheni, and Cheile Bicazului, a dramatic, narrow canyon formed by the Bicaz stream. The county is renowned for its spa resorts and mineral waters.

Neighbours

* Neamț County and Bacău County to the East.
* Mureș County to the West.
* Suceava County to the North.
* Brașov County and Covasna County to the South.

Economy

The county's main industries:
* Wood industry – up to 30%;
* Foods and beverages industry;
* Textile and leather processing;
* Mechanical components.

Tourism

The main tourist attractions in Harghita county are
* The cities of Miercurea Ciuc, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Gheorgheni, Toplița.
* The mountain resorts of
** Băile Tușnad
** Borsec
** Lacul Roșu
** Izvorul Mureşului
** Harghita Băi
* Lake Sfânta Ana (crater lake)

Politics

The Harghita County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 30 counsellors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Harghita County has 4 municipalities, 5 towns and 58 communes
*Municipalities
** Gheorgheni
** Miercurea Ciuc – county seat; population: 37,980 (as of 2011)
** Odorheiu Secuiesc
** Toplița
*Towns
** Băile Tușnad
** Bălan
** Borsec
** Cristuru Secuiesc
**Vlăhița

*Communes
**Atid
** Avrămești
**Bilbor
** Brădești
**Căpâlnița
** Cârța
**Ciceu
**Ciucsângeorgiu
**Ciumani
** Corbu
**Corund
**Cozmeni
** Dănești
**Dârjiu
**Dealu

**Ditrău
** Feliceni
** Frumoasa
** Gălăutaș
** Joseni
** Lăzarea
**Leliceni
**Lueta
**Lunca de Jos
**Lunca de Sus
** Lupeni
** Mădăraș
**Mărtiniș
**Merești
** Mihăileni

**Mugeni
**Ocland
** Păuleni-Ciuc
**Plăieșii de Jos
** Porumbeni
** Praid
** Racu
** Remetea
** Săcel
**Sâncrăieni
**Sândominic
** Sânmartin
**Sânsimion
** Sântimbru

** Sărmaș
**Satu Mare
** Secuieni
** Siculeni
**Șimonești
**Subcetate
** Suseni
** Tomești
**Tulgheș
**Tușnad
** Ulieș
**Vărșag
** Voșlăbeni
**Zetea

See also

*Former Csík County of the Kingdom of Hungary

References

External links

{{Authority control

Counties of Romania
Hungarian communities in Romania
Geography of Transylvania
1968 establishments in Romania
States and territories established in 1968