Gorj County () is a county () of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. Gorj comes from the Slavic Gornji Jiu ("upper Jiu"), in contrast with Dolnji ("lower Jiu").
Demographics At the 2011 census, the county had a population of 334,238 and its population density was . Romanians – over 98%National Institute of Statistics, "Populaţia după etnie" Roma, others – 2% At the 2021 census, Gorj County had a population of 314,685.
Year County populationNational Institute of Statistics, "Populația la recensămintele din anii 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 și 2002" 1948 280,524 1956 293,031 1966 298,382 1977 348,521 1992 400,100 2002 387,308 2011 334,238 2021 314,685
Geography Gorj County has a total area of .
The North side of the county consists of various mountains from the Southern Carpathians group. In the West there are the Vâlcan Mountains, and in the East there are the Parâng Mountains and the Negoveanu Mountains. The two groups are split by the Jiu River.
To the South, the heights decrease through the hills to a high plain at the Western end of the Wallachian Plain.
The main river, which collects all the smaller rivers, is the Jiu River; its tributaries include the Tismana, Gilort, and Motru rivers.
Neighbours
Vâlcea County to the east. Mehedinți County and Caraș-Severin County to the west. Hunedoara County to the north. Dolj County to the south.
Economy The predominant industries in the county are: Mining equipment industry. Food and beverages industry. Textile industry. Mechanical components industry. Glass industry. Wood industry.
In the southwestern and central parts of the county, coal is extracted near Motru and Rovinari. There are two big thermo electrical power plants at Rovinari and Turceni, and some hydro-electrical power plants. The county is the biggest electricity producer in Romania, with 36% of the country's electricity.
Due to the decrease in mining activity, the county has one of the highest unemployment levels in the country.
Succes Nic Com Succes Nic Com is a retail company founded in Gorj in 1994. Its 2011 turnover amounted to 65 million euros. In 2013, it operated 200 stores of the proximity and supermarket types, plus a single hypermarket, employing a total of over 1,000 people.Thomas Foscht, Dirk Morschett, Thomas Rudolph, Peter Schnedlitz, Hanna Schramm-Klein, Bernhard Swoboda, Springer, 3 Sept 2014, European Retail Research: 2013, Volume 27, Issue II, pp. 67-68 In 2014, it was the 10th largest food retailer in Romania, with a turnover of 75 million euros, although this was slightly less than its 2013 turnover of 80 million euros.OECD, OECD Publishing, 28 June 2016, OECD Competition Assessment Reviews: Romania, p. 215 The company filed for bankruptcy in early 2015, losing half its revenue by 2017. Cristina Roșca, “Reţeaua de magazine a retailerului gorjean Succes Nic Com este relativ constantă, dar businessul este la jumătate”, Ziarul Financiar, September 11, 2017
Tourism
The main tourist destinations are: The city and the area around Târgu Jiu: The Constantin Brâncuși sculptural ensemble; Tismana Monastery. The Parâng Mountains. Polovragi Monastery.
Politics The Gorj County Council, renewed at the 2024 local elections, consists of 30 counsellors, with the following party composition:
Party Seats Current County Council Social Democratic Party (PSD) 16 National Liberal Party (PNL) 9 Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) 5
Administrative divisions
Gorj County has 2 municipalities, 7 towns and 61 communes Municipalities Motru- population: 15,950 (as of 2021) Târgu Jiu – capital city; population: 73,545 (as of 2021)
Towns Bumbești-Jiu Novaci Rovinari Târgu Cărbunești Țicleni Tismana Turceni
Communes Albeni Alimpești Aninoasa Arcani Baia de Fier Bălănești Bălești Bărbătești Bengești-Ciocadia Berlești Bâlteni Bolboși Borăscu Brănești Bumbești-Pițic Bustuchin Câlnic Căpreni Cătunele Ciuperceni Crasna Crușeț Dănciulești Dănești Drăgotești Drăguțești Fărcășești Glogova Godinești Hurezani Ionești Jupânești Lelești Licurici Logrești Mătăsari Mușetești Negomir Padeș Peștișani Plopșoru Polovragi Prigoria Roșia de Amaradia Runcu Săcelu Samarinești Săulești Schela Scoarța Slivilești Stănești Stejari Stoina Țânțăreni Telești Turburea Turcinești Urdari Văgiulești Vladimir
Historical county
Historically, the county was located in the southwestern part of Greater Romania, in the northern part of the historical region of Oltenia. Its capital was Târgu Jiu. The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Gorj County.
It was bordered to the west by Mehedinți County, to the north by the counties of Hunedoara and Sibiu, to the east by Vâlcea County, and to the south by Dolj County.
Administration
The county was originally divided into four administrative districts (plăși):Portretul României Interbelice – Județul Gorj
Plasa Gilort, headquartered at Gilort Plasa Jiu, headquartered at Jiu Plasa Novaci, headquartered at Novaci Plasa Vulcana, headquartered at Vulcana
Subsequently, two more districts were established:Plasa Amaradia, headquartered at Amaradia Plasa Ocolu, headquartered at Ocolul
Population According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 206,339 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 97.9% Romanians, 1.7% Romanies, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.6% Eastern Orthodox, as well as other minorities.
Urban population In 1930, the county's urban population was 13,030 inhabitants, comprising 90.0% Romanians, 4.6% Romanies, 1.1% Germans, 0.9% Hungarians, 0.8% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 95.8% Eastern Orthodox, 2.2% Roman Catholic, 0.8% Jewish, as well as other minorities.
Industry In the county capital of Târgu Jiu, there was a factory producing roof tiles as of 1931.H. T. Montague Bell, Near East, Limited, 1931, The Near East Year Book and Who's who: A Survey of the Affairs, Political, Economic and Social, of Yugoslavia, Roumania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, p. 559
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