Geographica Timisiensis, vol. 19, nr. 1, 2010 (pp. 67-75) ● THE NUMERIC EVOLUTION OF THE POPULATION IN THE DESNĂłUI PLAIN IN THE XX TH CENTURY AND THE BEGINNING OF THE XXI ST CENTURY Elisabeta CIOCAN Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest Abstract: Subunit of the Romanian Plain, DesnăŃui Plain is located in the south-west of the country. Mild, temperate climate, far from the excessive nuance that affects the eastern part of the Romanian Plain, relief with small altitudes, which descend in steps from north to south, respectively from 150- 160 m to the contact with the Getic Plateau, to 35-40 m close to the Danube Valley, characterized by monotony and homogeneity, and fertile soils and rich hydrographical network (the Danube Valley in the south, Drincea in the west, Jiu in the east, DesnăŃui in the center and their tributaries, the lakes of the Danube Valley) that favored the apparition and development of human settlements. Human Resources from rural area have known, during time, periods of positive or negative dynamics according to historical, political, administrative and economic conditions. Starting from the 1912- 2006 long-term demographic evolution, there can be noticed a numeric increase of the population in DesnăŃui Plain until the year 1966, more accentuated between 1930 – 1956, followed by a numeric decrease, in the next period, until present time. Rezumat : EvoluŃia numerică a populaŃiei în Câmpia DeznăŃui în secolul XX – începutul secolului XXI. Subunitate a Câmpiei Române, Câmpia DesnăŃuiului este situată în sud-vestul Ńării. Clima blândă, temperată, îndepărtată de nuanŃa excesivă ce afectează partea estică a Câmpiei Române, relieful cu altitudini reduse, ce coboară în trepte de la nord la sud, respectiv de la 150-160 m la contactul cu Podişul Getic, până la 35-40 m în apropiere de lunca Dunării, caracterizat prin monotonie şi omogenitate, precum şi solurile fertile şi reŃeaua hidrografică bogată (Valea Dunării în sud, Drincea în vest, Jiul în est, DesnăŃuiul în partea centrală şi afluenŃii acestora, lacurile din Lunca Dunării) au favorizat apariŃia şi dezvoltarea aşezărilor umane. Resursele umane din spaŃiul rural au cunoscut de-a lungul timpului perioade de dinamică pozitivă sau negativă în funcŃie de condiŃiile istorice, politice, administrative şi economice. Pornind de la evoluŃia demografică pe termen lung 1912-2006, se constată o creştere numerică a populaŃiei din Câmpia DesnăŃuiului până în anul 1966, mai accentuată în perioada 1930 – 1956, urmată de o descreştere numerică în perioada următoare până în prezent. Key words : the numeric evolution, population, total growth rate, DesnăŃui Plain . Cuvinte cheie : evoluŃie numerică, populaŃie, rata totală de creştere, Câmpia DesnăŃuiului . 1. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION Subunit of the Romanian Plain, DesnăŃui Plain is located in the south-west of the country. On the north side is limited by the Getic Piedmont (Platform of Strehaia, the subunit named Platform of BălăciŃa), on the south and south-west of the Danube Valley that 68 ● The numeric evolution of the population in the DeznăŃui plain constitutes the natural border with Bulgaria, on the east by Jiu Valley, which separates it from the RomanaŃi Plain (subunits of the Leu Field-Rotunda and Dăbuleni Plain), and, west from the Drincea Valley that limits it from the Punghina Plain (subunit of BlahniŃa Plain). From the administrative point of view, the DesnăŃui Plain is located on the territory of Dolj and MehedinŃi Counties. It includes 97 villages, grouped in 48 Communes (Table no. 1), approximately 14% of the 693 villages of the two Counties (excluding the villages that belong to urban locations). 8 of which are situated in MehedinŃi County (Branişte, GoanŃa, Dârvari, Gemeni, Obârşia de Câmp, Izimşa, Cearângu, Oprişor) and the others in Dolj County. Tab 1. The network of settlements in DesnăŃui Plain (2006) ReŃeaua de aşezări din Câmpia DesnăŃuiului (2006) Crt. Commune Villages of DesnăŃui Plain Villages outside Total of no. DesnăŃui Plain villages No No. 1 AfumaŃi 3 AfumaŃi, Boureni, Covei 3 2 Bârca 1 Bârca 1 3 BistreŃ 4 BistreŃ, BistreŃul Nou, 4 Brânduşa, Plosca 4 BucovăŃ 5 BucovăŃ, Cârligei, Leamna de 2 Sărbătoarea, 7 Sus, Leamna de Jos, Palilula, Italieni 5 Braniştea* 2 Braniştea, GoanŃa 2 6 Breasta 1 Breasta 1 7 Calopăr 5 Calopăr, Belcinu, Bâzdâna, 5 Panaghia, SălcuŃa 8 Caraula 1 Caraula 1 9 Catane * 2 Catane, Catanele Noi 2 10 Cerăt 2 Cerăt, Malaica 2 11 Cetate 2 Cetate, Moreni 2 12 Cioroiaşi 3 Cioroiaşi, CetăŃuia, Cioroiu 3 Nou 13 Ciupercenii 2 Ciupercenii Noi, Smârdan 2 Noi 14 Desa 1 Desa 1 15 Dârvari ** 2 Dârvari, Gemeni 2 16 Drănic 4 Drănic, Booveni, Foişor, Padea 4 17 Galicea 1 Galicea Mare 1 Mare 18 Galiciuica* 1 Galiciuica 1 19 Gângiova 2 Gângiova, Comoşteni 2 20 Ghidici* 1 Ghidici 1 21 Gighera 3 Gighera, Nedeia, Zăval 3 22 Giubega 1 Giubega 1 23 GiurgiŃa 3 GiurgiŃa, Curmătura, Filaret 3 24 Goicea 2 Goicea, Cârna 2 25 Izvoare 2 Izvoare, Domnu Tudor 1 Corlate 3 26 Întorsura* 1 Întorsura 1 27 Lipovu 2 Lipovu, Lipovu de Sus 2 28 Maglavit 2 Maglavit, Hunia 2 29 Măceşu de 2 Măceşu de Jos, Săpata 2 Jos 30 Măceşu de 1 Măceşu de Sus 1 Elisabeta CIOCAN ● 69 Sus 31 MoŃăŃei 3 MoŃăŃei, Dobridor, MoŃăŃei- 3 Gară 32 Negoi 1 Negoi 1 33 Obârşia de 2 Obârşia de Câmp, Izimşa 2 Câmp ** 34 Oprişor** 1 Oprişor 1 Prisăceaua 2 35 Perişor 2 Perişor, Mărăcinele 2 36 Piscu 2 Piscu Vechi, PisculeŃ 2 Vechi 37 PleniŃa 2 PleniŃa, Castrele Traiane 2 38 Podari 3 Gura Văii, Livezi, Podari 2 Balta Verde, 5 Branişte 39 Poiana 3 Poiana Mare, Tunarii Noi, 3 Mare Tunarii Vechi 40 Punghina* 1 Cearângu 5 Drincea, 6 * Măgurele, Punghina, Recea, Satu Nou 41 Radovan 1 Radovan 2 Fântânele, 3 Târnava 42 Rast 1 Rast 1 43 Seaca de 2 Seaca de Câmp, Piscu Nou 2 Câmp 44 Siliştea 1 Siliştea Crucii 1 Crucii 45 ługlui 3 Glod, Jiul, ługlui 3 46 Unirea 1 Unirea 1 47 UrzicuŃa 2 UrzicuŃa, Urzica Mare 2 48 Valea 2 Valea Stanciului, Horezu- 2 Stanciului Poenari Tota 97 13 110 l * Communes settled in 2004 by Law 84/2004 on administrative reorganization of the Romanian Territory. ** Communes that belong to MehedinŃi County 2. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Mild, temperate climate, far from the excessive nuance that affects the eastern part of the Romanian Plain, relief with small altitudes, which descend in steps from north to south, respectively from 150-160 m to the contact with the Getic Plateau, to 35-40 m close to the Danube Valley, characterized by monotony and homogeneity, and fertile soils and rich hydrographical network (the Danube Valley in the south, Drincea in the west, Jiu in the east, DesnăŃui in the center and their tributaries, the lakes of the Danube Valley) that favored the apparition and development of human settlements. 3. AGE AND CONTINUITY OF INHABITATION Geographical location of the DesnăŃui Plain and the natural environment offered favorable living conditions since ancient times. Thus, archaeological discoveries from 70 ● The numeric evolution of the population in the DeznăŃui plain Basarabi, Rast , Calafat and Caraula (Ion Andrieşu, 1921) certify human presence on these territories since Neolithic Age . From the period of transition to Bronze Age is the Culture of CoŃofeni, which was signaled on the terraces of the rivers or on the Danube’s sand banks to BistreŃ, GolenŃi, Giubega and Galiciuica (D. Berciu, 1939). Settlements, belonging to the Gârla Mare Culture developed in the Bronze Age, were discovered at BistreŃ (Simona Lazăr, 1999), south from Ghidici town, in the point called ,, łarova I Pond’’ (Simona Lazăr, 2005) and at Dunăreni – Cârna, on the southern bank of the Nasta Pond (V. Dumitrescu, 1960). Since the Iron Age date the archaeological discoveries from BistreŃ, Galiciuica (D., Berciu, 1939), Basarabi, Hunia (V. Dumitrescu, 1944). Geto-Dacian settlements were identified in Calafat, Cetate, Ciuperceni, Desa, Dobridor, Galicea Mare, Galiciuica, Ghidici, Maglavit (Romanian History, vol. I, 2001). To the Camps of Traian and Twins there were built fortresses that had defensive role for the accesses towards Sarmizegetusa Regia (Petre Gheorghe, 2001). The settling in the DesnăŃui Plain continued during the Roman Period, fact attested also by archaeological discoveries from Covei in the II nd -III rd centuries or, in the territory located between Calafat and Cetate in the I st century, which reflects the permanent relations with Roman population in Balcani, Calafat which were, even during that period, an important point of passage. At Bârca, Amărăştii de Jos, Cerăt, Dobridor, Galicea Mare, MoŃăŃei, there were found monetary treasures from the II nd century our age. 4. METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF WORK In order to highlight main aspects of numeric evolution in DesnăŃui Plain we used data collected in the field (municipalities of towns for the period 1966 – 2006) and from the Regional Direction of Statistic in Dolj (for censuses in the years: 1912, 1930, 1954) which we processed with the help of mathematical formulae and interpreted according to maps and graphics. A relevant indicator in the analysis of numeric evolution of the population is represented by the total rate of growth of the population , calculated according to plains and towns on different time intervals. 5. THE NUMERIC EVOLUTION OF THE POPULATION IN THE DESNĂłUI PLAIN DURING 1912 – 2006 Human Resources from rural area have known, during time, periods of positive or negative dynamics according to historical, political, administrative and economic conditions. Starting from the 1912-2006 long-term demographic evolution, there can be noticed a numeric increase of the population in DesnăŃui Plain until the year 1966, more accentuated between 1930 – 1956, followed by a numeric decrease, in the next period, until present time (Picture 1). Elisabeta CIOCAN ● 71 EvoluŃia numerică a populaŃiei din Câmpia DesnăŃuiului (1912 - 2006) 300000 250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 1912 1930 1956 1966 1977 1992 2002 2006 Total câmpie Rural Urban Fig.