Vaslui County

Vaslui County (Romanian pronunciation: [vasˈluj]) is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Western Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui.

Vaslui County Județul Vaslui
County
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 46.59°N 27.77°E / 46.59; 27.77
Country	Romania
Development region	Nord-Est
Historical region	Moldavia
Capital	Vaslui
Government
• President of the County Board	Dumitru Buzatu [ro] (PSD)
• Prefect	Daniel Onofrei [ro]
Area
• Total	5,318 km2 (2,053 sq mi)
• Rank	27th
Population  (2021-12-01)[1]
• Total	374,700
• Rank	24th
• Density	70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Telephone code	(+40) 235 or (+40) 335[2]
ISO 3166 code	RO-VS
GDP (nominal)	US$ 1.572 billion (2015)
GDP per capita	US$ 3,975 (2015)
Website	County Council County Prefecture

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 395,499 and the population density was 74/km².

• Romanians - over 98%^[3]
• Romas, other ethnicities - c. 2%

Year	County population[4]
1948	344,917
1956	401,626
1966	431,555
1977	437,251
1992	457,799
2002	455,049
2011	395,499
2021	374,700

Geography

This county has an area of 5,318 km².

The county lies on a plane, being bounded by the Prut River on the east and crossed in its centre by Bârlad River, a tributary of Siret River.

Neighbours

AB

AR

AG

BC

BH

BN

BT

BV

BR

BZ

CS

CL

CJ

CT

CV

DB

DJ

GL

GR

GJ

HR

HD

IL

IS

IF

MM

MH

MS

NT

OT

PH

SM

SJ

SB

SV

TR

TM

TL

VS

VL

VN

B

• Republic of Moldova to the east - Cantemir raion and Cahul raion.
• Neamț County, Bacău County and Vrancea County to the west.
• Iași County to the north.
• Galați County to the south.

People

• Dimitrie Cantemir
• Alexandru Ioan Cuza
• Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
• Alexandra Nechita
• Ana Pauker
• Ștefan Procopiu
• Emil Racoviță
• Constantin Tănase
• Nicolae Tonitza
• Alexandru Vlahuță

Economy

Vaslui County was heavily industrialised during the Communist period and had large industrial complexes that went bankrupt during the 1990s. Today, the county's industry is mainly agricultural one, with other industries concentrated in the main urban areas.

County's main industries:

• mechanical components;
• chemicals;
• food stuffs;
• textiles.

Tourism

The main tourist destinations are the cities of Vaslui, Bârlad, and Huși. The Vaslui County Council, the county councils of the Leova and Hîncești districts in Republic of Moldova, and the European Union (through the Phare program), have set up a program which seeks to promote tourism in these regions.^[5] The main tourist attractions of the Vaslui-Hîncești-Leova touristic program are, among others, the medieval and early modern churches and monasteries, the Manuc Bei Hunting Palace and the Manuc - Mirzaian Manor Palace (similar to Manuc's Inn in Bucharest) in Hîncești, as well as the region's natural riches.

Politics

The Vaslui County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 34 counsellors, with the following party composition:^[6]

	Party	Seats	Current County Council
	National Liberal Party (PNL)	15
	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	14
	Save Romania Union (USR)	3
	PRO Romania (PRO)	2

Administrative divisions

Justice Palace in Vaslui

Statue of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in Bârlad

Vaslui County has 3 municipalities, 2 towns and 81 communes

Municipalities

• Bârlad
• Huși
• Vaslui: capital city;

Towns

• Murgeni
• Negrești

Communes

• Albești
• Alexandru Vlahuță
• Arsura
• Băcani
• Băcești
• Bălteni
• Banca
• Berezeni
• Blăgești
• Bogdana
• Bogdănești
• Bogdănița
• Boțești
• Bunești-Averești
• Ciocani
• Codăești
• Coroiești
• Costești
• Cozmești
• Crețești
• Dănești
• Deleni
• Delești
• Dimitrie Cantemir
• Dodești
• Dragomirești
• Drânceni
• Duda-Epureni
• Dumești
• Epureni
• Fălciu
• Ferești
• Fruntișeni
• Găgești
• Gârceni
• Gherghești
• Grivița
• Hoceni
• Iana
• Ibănești
• Ivănești
• Ivești
• Laza
• Lipovăț
• Lunca Banului
• Mălușteni
• Miclești
• Muntenii de Jos
• Muntenii de Sus
• Oltenești
• Oșești
• Pădureni
• Perieni
• Pochidia
• Pogana
• Pogonești
• Poienești
• Puiești
• Pungești
• Pușcași
• Rafaila
• Rebricea
• Roșiești
• Solești
• Stănilești
• Ștefan cel Mare
• Șuletea
• Tăcuta
• Tanacu
• Tătărăni
• Todirești
• Tutova
• Văleni
• Vetrișoaia
• Viișoara
• Vinderei
• Voinești
• Vulturești
• Vutcani
• Zăpodeni
• Zorleni

Historical county

Județul Vaslui
County (Județ)
The Vaslui County court building from the interwar period, later functioned as Vaslui city hall.
Coat of arms
Country	Romania
Historic region	Moldavia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)	Vaslui
Area
• Total	2,260 km2 (870 sq mi)
Population  (1930)
• Total	139,503
• Density	62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

The county was located in the central-eastern part of Romania, in the center of the historical region of Moldavia. At present, most of its territory is included in the current Vaslui County borders, smaller parts being included in Iași County and Bacău County. It bordered on the north with the Iași County, to the west with Roman County, to the east with Fălciu County and to the south with the Tutova and Bacău Counties.

Administration

Map of Vaslui County as constituted in 1938.

The county was originally divided administratively into four districts (plăși):^[7]

1. Plasa Crasna, headquartered at Crasna
2. Plasa Racova, headquartered at Racova
3. Plasa Stemnic

Subsequently, the territory of the county was reorganized, being divided into three different districts:

1. Plasa Movila lui Burcel, headquartered at Codăești
2. Plasa Peneș Curcanul, headquartered at Pungești
3. Plasa Ștefan cel Mare, headquartered at Negrești

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 139,503 inhabitants, 93.4% Romanians, 3.6% Jews, 2.3% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 95.7% Eastern Orthodox, 3.6% Jewish, 0.2% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 15,310 inhabitants, comprising 72.5% Romanians, 21.4% Jews, 3.0% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 76.4% Eastern Orthodox, 21.4% Jewish, 1.1% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.