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Orhei | |
|---|---|
District (Raion) | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Country |  Republic of Moldova |
| Administrative center Oraş-reşedinţă) | Orhei |
| Established | 2002 |
| Government | |
| • Raion president | Ion Ștefârță (PLDM), since 2011 |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,228 km2 (474 sq mi) |
| • Water | 34.1 km2 (13.2 sq mi) 2.78% |
| Population | |
• Total | 101,502 |
| • Density | 82.66/km2 (214.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Area code | +373 35 |
| Car plates | OR |
| Website | www.or.md |
Orhei (Romanian pronunciation: [orˈhej]) is a district (Romanian:raion) in centralMoldova, with its administrative center in the city ofOrhei. As of2014 Moldovan Census its population was 101,502.[2]
The Orhei region has been inhabited since theStone Age. Settlements included the ancient city ofGetae (located near modernTrebujeni). Getae stood from the eighth to the second century BC and was abandoned after an invasion by aGermanic tribe, theBastarnae. Non-fortified settlements were located on theriverbank.
Amedievalfortress of earth and wood was later constructed near the former site of Getae, which stood from the 12th to the 14th century AD. During the 14th century, theGolden Horde occupied the region; the town was conquered, and its name changed to Shehr al Jedid. From 1363 to 1365, Horde leader Abdullah Khan resided in Shehr al Jedid. At the end of the 14th century, the Horde were driven out and the empire dissolved; the eastern city evolved, acquiring Moldovan characteristics.
During the reign ofStephen the Great the stone city was repaired, equipped withartillery and became the residence of Orhei's governor. During the mid-16th century, the old city was abandoned in favor of the current site, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest. The stone fortress was destroyed.
About 1600, PrinceIeremia Movilă unsuccessfully attempted to rebuild the city, and in 1665 acave monastery was built in the area. In 1773, theCurchimonastery was built near theVatici. After the 1812Treaty of Bucharest,Bessarabia was occupied by theRussian Empire until 1917.
In 1918, after thecollapse of the Russian Empire,Bessarabia joined Romania.Orhei County existed as part of theKingdom of Romania from 1918 to 1940 and 1941 to 1944.
After the 1939Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact,Bessarabia was occupied by the USSR in June 1940.Moldovan independence in 1991 revivedOrhei County until 2003, when it became a district ofMoldova.
The district is located in the central part of theRepublic of Moldova. Neighboring districts includeRezina (north),Rîbnița andDubăsari districts (east),Strășeni andCriuleni (south), andCălărași andTelenești (west). The land is divided into severalorographic units:
The district has atemperatecontinental climate with short, mild winters (average January temperature −3 – −5 °C (27–23 °F)) and long, warm summers (average July temperature 21–22 °C (70–72 °F)). Annual rainfall is 500–650 millimetres (20–26 in). Two-thirds of the annual precipitation falls as rain from April to November, and about one-third as snow andsleet from December to March.
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Mammals in the region includefoxes,deer,red deer,wild boars,hedgehogs,badgers,rabbits, andwolves. Birds includecrows,hawks,partridges,storks, andjays.
Forests occupy 20.1% of the district (24,277 hectares). Treespecies in these forests includeoak,English oak,ash,hornbeam,linden andwillow. Localplants includefescue,clover,bell andknotweed.
There arenature reserves inSusleni,Pohrebeni andTrebujeni.
Rivers in the district include theNistru,Răut, Vatici, Cula, andCogâlnic. There are 162 lakes and ponds, covering 975 hectares (2,410 acres). Aspring in the village ofJeloboc has an output of 401 litres (106 US gal) a second. The Nistru River (Dniester) has been harnessed for irrigation in the villages ofJora de Mijloc andVîșcăuți. Near the village ofBiești, geological surveys have found anaquifer large enough to supply the city of Orhei.
In January 2012 the district population was 125,800, with 26.6 percent in urban and 73.4 percent in rural areas.
| Ethnic group | % of total |
|---|---|
| Moldovans* | 86.5 |
| Romanians* | 8.8 |
| Ukrainians | 3.0 |
| Russians | 1.3 |
| Gagauz | 0.1 |
| Bulgarians | 0.1 |
| Romani | 0.1 |
| Other | 0.3 |
| Undeclared | 0.17 |
Footnote:* There is anongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.
There are 40,693 registered businesses in the district. Fifty-seven are public companies, 4,606 are privately owned, 40 have mixed public-and-private ownership and 14 are foreign-owned. Manufacturing and agriculture are the dominant sectors of the district economy. There are 30 industrial companies: 27 manufacturers and three mines. In 2009, there were 2,496 unemployed workers. Agricultural land comprises 82,238 ha (67 percent) of the total area.Arable land comprises 57,161 ha (46.5 percent) of agricultural land. Orchards make up 5,287 ha (4.3 percent),vineyards 4,461 ha (3.6 percent), pasture 13,288 ha (10.3 percent) and 27,305 ha (21.2 percent) are planted to other crops.
The Orhei district has 69 educational institutions, and the total number of students is 15,160. There are 1,448 students in teachers' and medical colleges, and 685 students inprofessional schools.
The Orhei district has traditionally favoredright-wing parties, primarily theAEI. The percentage of residents voting for thePCRM has dropped steadily over the last three elections, and theAEI increased 100.6 percent.
| Year | AEI | PCRM |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 68.77% 40,344 | 24.25% 14,227 |
| July 2009 | 64.40% 34,880 | 29.51% 15,982 |
| April 2009 | 37.80% 20,115 | 39.37% 20,952 |
| Parties and coalitions | Votes | % | +/− | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova | 21,991 | 37.49 | +16.71 | |
| Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova | 14,227 | 24.25 | −5.26 | |
| Democratic Party of Moldova | 9,972 | 17.00 | +0.07 | |
| Liberal Party | 5,758 | 9.81 | −8.93 | |
| Party Alliance Our Moldova | 2,623 | 4.47 | −3.48 | |
| European Action Movement | 773 | 1.32 | +1.32 | |
| Other parties | 3,346 | 5.66 | -0.43 | |
| Total (turnout 61.05%) | 59,118 | 100.00 | ||
The district has five museums, 60 public libraries and 62 community centres.
Orhei District has a 430-bed hospital, a family-health center, 33 family practitioners' offices, 14health centres, and 17 health offices. There are 246 physicians and 836 other healthcare professionals.
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