Botoșani County

Botoșani County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia (encompassing a few villages in neighbouring Suceava County from Bukovina to the west as well), with the county seat at Botoșani.

Demographics

As of 1st of December 2021, it had a population of 392,821 and the population density was 91/km<sup>2</sup>.

Romanians – 89.0%
Roma – 1.1%
Ukrainians – 0.4%
Lipovans – 0.1%
Other ethnicities – 0.3%
Unknown ethnicity – 9.1%

{| class="wikitable"

! Year

! County population

! 1948

| 385,236

! 1956

| 428,050

! 1966

| 452,406

! 1977

| 451,217

! 1992

| 458,904

! 2002

| 452,834

! 2011

| 412,626

! 2021

| 392,821

Geography

Botoșani County is situated between the rivers Siret and Prut, in the northeastern part of Romania, bordering Ukraine to the north and Moldova to the east. To the west and south it has borders with Suceava and Iași counties.
It has a total area of , comprising 2.1% of the Romanian territory.
The relief is a high plain, between the valleys of the Siret and the Prut, and the latter's affluent, the Jijia River.
It has a temperate climate, influenced by the eastern air masses of the continent.

Neighbours

Republic of Moldova in the East – Edineț District, Glodeni District, Rîșcani District and Briceni District.
Suceava County in the West.
Ukraine in the North – Chernivtsi Oblast.
Iași County in the South.

Economy

thumb|The [[Stânca-Costești Dam]]

This is a predominantly agricultural county; the main industries are the textile industry, the food industry, the electrical components industry, and the glass and porcelain industry.

The is one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in Romania. Work on it started in 1973, and it was completed in 1978, at the same time as the Stânca-Costești Dam. They are both situated on the Prut River, between Stânca in Botoșani County and Costești, Rîșcani.

Politics

The Botoșani County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:

{| class="wikitable"

! style="background:#ccc" |    

! style="background:#ccc" | Party

! style="background:#ccc" | Seats

! style="background:#ccc" colspan="15" | Current County Council

| National Liberal Party (PNL)

| style="text-align: right" | 15

| Social Democratic Party (PSD)

| style="text-align: right" | 15

| PRO Romania (PRO)

| style="text-align: right" | 2

Administrative divisions

thumb|[[Botoșani]]

thumb|[[Dorohoi]]

Botoșani County has 2 municipalities, 5 towns and 71 communes:

Municipalities

Botoșani – capital city; population: 106,847 (as of 2011)
Dorohoi

Towns

Bucecea
Darabani
Flămânzi
Săveni
Ștefănești

Communes

Adășeni
Albești
Avrămeni
Bălușeni
Blândești
Brăești
Broscăuți
Călărași
Cândești
Concești
Copălău
Cordăreni
Corlăteni
Corni
Coșula
Coțușca
Cristești
Cristinești
Curtești
Dersca
Dângeni
Dimăcheni
Dobârceni
Drăgușeni
Durnești
Frumușica
George Enescu
Gorbănești
Havârna
Hănești
Hilișeu-Horia
Hlipiceni
Hudești
Ibănești
Leorda
Lozna
Lunca
Manoleasa
Mihai Eminescu
Mihăileni
Mihălășeni
Mileanca
Mitoc
Nicșeni
Păltiniș
Pomârla
Prăjeni
Rădăuți-Prut
Răchiți
Răuseni
Ripiceni
Roma
Românești
Santa Mare
Stăuceni
Suharău
Sulița
Șendriceni
Știubieni
Todireni
Trușești
Tudora
Ungureni
Unțeni
Văculești
Viișoara
Vârfu Câmpului
Vlădeni
Vlăsinești
Vorniceni
Vorona

Historical county

During the years between the world wars, the county extended over different territory than currently. It was located in the northeastern part of Romania, in the northeast of the region or Moldavia. The county included the southern part of the present county and the northern part of the current Iași County. It was bordered to the west by the counties of Suceava and Baia, to the north by Dorohoi, to the east by Bălți, and to the south with Iași.

Administration

thumb|right|310px|Map of Botoșani County as it existed in 1938.

In 1930, the county was divided into three districts (plăși):

Plasa Botoșani
Plasa Jijia
Plasa Siret

Administration was re-organized in 1938, comprising 4 districts:

Plasa Bucecea (with 52 villages, headquartered in Târgu Bucecea)
Plasa Răchiți (with 73 villages, headquartered in Botoșani)
Plasa Sulița (with 49 villages, headquartered in Hârlău)
Plasa Ștefănești (with 77 villages, headquartered in Ștefănești)

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 218,258 inhabitants, ethnically, 88.8% were Romanians, 9.0% were Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, 89.4% were Eastern Orthodox, 9.2% Jewish, 0.7% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 50,320 inhabitants, comprising ethnically 64.9% Romanians, 31.3% Jews, 0.9% Germans, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of Eastern Orthodox (64.5%), Jewish (32.3%), Roman Catholic (2.1%), as well as other minorities.

Notable people

Natives of the county include:

Grigore Antipa (1866–1944), naturalist
Teoctist Arăpașu (1915–2007), patriarch
Gheorghe Avramescu (1884–1945), general
Emil Bobu (1927–2014), politician
Demostene Botez (1893–1973), poet
Dimitrie Brândză (1846–1895), botanist
Mihai Eminescu (1850–1889), poet
George Enescu (1881–1955), composer
Nicolae Iorga (1871–1940), historian and politician
Ștefan Luchian (1868–1916), painter
Gheorghe Moroșanu (b. 1950), mathematician
Dimitrie Pompeiu (1873–1954), mathematician
Alexandru Zub (b. 1934), historian

Archaeology

In 2026, archaeologists excavating the prehistoric settlement of Stăuceni-Holm uncovered a large communal building associated with the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture. The structure covers around 350 square metres, making it more than three times larger than the surrounding dwellings within a settlement of about 45 houses. Geophysical surveys and excavations revealed foundation ditches, large postholes, and a substantial clay floor, while the absence of domestic features such as cooking or storage installations distinguished it from ordinary residences. Archaeologists recovered pottery fragments, lithic remains, charred grains, and seeds of black henbane, but found no evidence of elite occupation or specialized household activities. The building is therefore interpreted as a communal or public structure that may have served as a meeting place, ceremonial space, or location for collective activities. According to the researchers, the discovery contributes to research on the social organization of Cucuteni–Trypillia communities and indicates that large communal buildings were present not only in major settlements but also in smaller communities.