Romania is divided into forty-one counties (judete), as well as the municipality of Bucharest (Bucuresti), which is its own administrative unit. Each county is administered by a county council (consiliu judetean), responsible for local affairs, as well as a prefect, who is appointed by the central government but cannot be a member of any political party. In alphabetical order, the counties are:

Alongside the county structure, Romania is also divided into eight development regions, which correspond to NUTS-II divisions in the European Union, but which have no administrative capacity and are instead used for co-ordinating regional development projects and statistical purposes. The country is further subdivided into 2686 communes, which are rural localities, and 265 towns. Communes and towns have their own local councils and are headed by a mayor (primar). Larger and more urbanised towns gain the status of municipality, which gives them greater administrative power over local affairs.

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Satu Mare County

Satu Mare County is a county (judet) of Romania. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians (58.8% of the population), Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians (35.2%).

Demographics

In 2002, it had a population of 367,281 and the population density was 83/km². [1][2]

Romanians - 58.8%
Hungarians - 35.2%
Romas - 3.7%
Germans - 1.7%
Rusyns, Ukrainians, Slovaks, other

Hungarians are mostly inhabiting the localities along the border with Hungary, they are also distributed throughout the county.

Geography

This county has a total area of 4,418 km².

In the north there are the Oas Mountains, members of the Eastern Carpathians group. This makes up around 17% of the surface. The rest consists of hills - 20% of the surface - and plains. The Western part of the county is the Eastern part of the Pannonian Plain.

The county is crossed by the Somes River and also Tur River and Crasna River.

The county lies partly in the historical region of Maramures and partly in the historical region of Crisana.

Neighbours

• Maramures County in the East.
• Hungary in the West - Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County.
• Ukraine in the North - Zakarpattia Oblast.
• Bihor County and Salaj County in the South.

Economy

Satu Mare County benefits from its position, close to the border of Romania with Hungary and Ukraine, and it's one of the places which attracts major foreign investment in industry and agriculture.

The predominant industries in the county are:

• Textiles industry.
• Machine and automotive components.
• Food industry.
• Wood and furniture industry.

Tourism

The main tourist attractions in the county are:

• The "Oas Country" on the North Eastern side of the county - strong Romanian folk traditions.
• The Oas Mountains.
• The cities of Satu Mare and Carei.
• Tasnad Resort.
• The fortifications from Ardud and Mediesu Aurit

Administrative divisions

The county has 2 municipalities, 3 towns and 56 communes.