Ialomița County () is a county () of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Slobozia.
Demographics
In 2011, the county had a population of 258,669 and the population density was 58.08/km<sup>2</sup>.
Romanians make up 95.6% of the population, the largest minority being the Romani people (4.1%).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! County population
|-
! 1948
| 244,750
|-
! 1956
| 274,655
|-
! 1966
| 291,373
|-
! 1977
| 295,965
|-
! 1992
| 304,008
|-
! 2002
| 296,572
|-
! 2011
| 258,669
|-
! 2021
| 250,816
|}
Geography
thumb|Scenery near [[Țăndărei]]
Ialomița County has a total area of . The county is situated in the Bărăgan Plain. The area is flat crossed by small rivers with small but deep valleys.
Its eastern border is on the Danube. The Ialomița River crosses the county from West to East about the middle. The Danube is split around the Ialomița Pond into the Old Danube branch and the Borcea branch.
Until 1940 (in the western part) and 1967 (in the eastern part) the county/plain was home of the great bustard (dropie in Romanian), with large populations of this bird. The birds disappeared because of the massive village buildout and hunting them for food.
Climate
The climate of Ialomița County is temperate-continental, relatively homogeneous throughout its territory as a result of the accentuated uniformity of the relief, but with a pronounced degree of continentality, which causes great contrasts between summer and winter (the average annual thermal amplitude is 25.1°C, and the maximum amplitude has exceeded 70°C). The climate regime is characterized by very hot, sometimes drought-prone summers and cold winters, often marked by strong blizzards.
The multi-annual average values of air temperature record a slight differentiation between the northwestern part of Ialomița County (10.3°C, at Armăşeşti) and the southeastern part (11.1°C, at Feteşti), where a specific topoclimate of the Danube Floodplain is individualized (warmer summers and milder winters than in the rest of the plain). The absolute maximum temperature (44.0°C) was recorded at Amara (August 10, 1951), and the absolute minimum (–32.5°C) at Armăşeşti (January 25, 1942). The average annual amount of precipitation totals 550 mm in the western part of Ialomița County and 450 mm in the east, in the Danube Floodplain.
The territory of Ialomița County is under the influence of eastern (continental), western (oceanic), and southern (Mediterranean) air masses, which materialize through harsh winds from the northeast (the Crivăț), which cause blizzards in winter and drought in summer; dry winds from the southwest (the Austru), which often cause long periods of drought; and somewhat more humid winds from the southeast (the Băltăreţul), which blow mainly in the spring. The recorded average annual frequencies indicate a predominance of winds from the north and northeast (31.5%), followed by those from the southwest (17.8%), blowing at average annual speeds ranging between 2.0 and 5.4 m/s. The maximum speeds are recorded for winds blowing from the north and northeast, which reach 125 km/h during winter, being driven by the Siberian anticyclone.
Hydrography
The major (allochthonous) hydrographic network is represented by the lower course of the Ialomiţa River, which crosses the county medially from West to East over a distance of 212 km, and by the lower course of the Danube, which delimits Ialomiţa County to the East. Within the territory of Ialomiţa, the Danube flows through its two branches (Borcea to the West and the Danube to the East), which enclose the Balta Ialomiţei (Ialomiţa Pond/Marsh) between them, reuniting into a single course in the area of Giurgeni. The allochthonous network also includes several small sectors of the lower courses of the Prahova and Sărata rivers (left-bank tributaries of the Ialomiţa) and the upper course of the Mostiştea. The minor (autochthonous) hydrographic network is almost nonexistent, represented only by the Strachina and Fundata rivers. This results in a very low drainage density (0,1 km/km²) and a strong endorheic character (internal drainage) of the Ialomiţa territory. This endorheic character of the Romanian Plain within the county is mitigated by the Ialomiţa River – which could be nicknamed the "Nile of the Bărăgan" – whose average multi-annual discharge increases from 35,4 m³/s at Coşereni (in the west) to 40 m³/s at its mouth.
thumb|Ialomița River crossing the [[Roads in Romania|DN2A]]
Lakes and Reservoirs
- Natural Lakes: These include fluvial limans (Strachina, Fundata, Perieţi/Şchiauca, Rogoz, Sărăţuica, Munteni-Buzău, Iezeru, Ograda, Amara, etc.) located on the left bank of the Ialomiţa; floodplain lakes (Coşcovata in the Danube floodplain; Bentu, Piersica, Batalu, Marsilieni, etc., in the Ialomiţa floodplain); and oxbow/riverbed lakes (Bentu-Lăteni, Bentul Stânii, etc., located in Balta Ialomiţei).
- Artificial Lakes: Created along valleys for fish farming, irrigation, and other purposes (Dridu, Reviga, Sineşti, Moviliţa, Valea Lată, etc.).
The waters of the Ialomiţa, Borcea, and the freshwater lakes have facilitated the creation of vast networks of main canals (Movila–Ştefan cel Mare–Borcea; Sudiţi–Perişoru–Jegălia; Ciulniţa–Dragalina–Călăraşi; Cosâmbeşti–Sudiţi–Săveni, etc.). These extend into Călăraşi County and assist in the irrigation of extensive agricultural areas, transforming the Bărăgan into the most fertile plain in the country.
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! style="background:#ccc" | Party
! style="background:#ccc" | Seats
! style="background:#ccc" colspan="17" | Current County Council
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| Social Democratic Party (PSD)
| style="text-align: right" | 17
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| National Liberal Party (PNL)
| style="text-align: right" | 8
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| Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)
| style="text-align: right" | 5
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Administrative divisions
thumb|[[Slobozia]]
thumb|The central park of Fetești
thumb|Road near [[Urziceni]]
Ialomița County has 3 municipalities, 4 towns and 59 communes.
- Municipalities
- Fetești - population: 27,122 (as of 2011)
- Slobozia - capital city; population: 43,061 (as of 2011)
- Urziceni - population: 14,053 (as of 2011)
- Towns
- Amara
- Căzănești
- Fierbinți-Târg
- Țăndărei
- Communes
- Adâncata
- Albești
- Alexeni
- Andrășești
- Armășești
- Axintele
- Balaciu
- Bărcănești
- Bărbulești
- Borănești
- Bordușani
- Bucu
- Buești
- Ciocârlia
- Ciochina
- Ciulnița
- Cocora
- Colelia
- Cosâmbești
- Coșereni
- Drăgoești
- Dridu
- Făcăeni
- Gârbovi
- Gheorghe Doja
- Gheorghe Lazăr
- Giurgeni
- Grindu
- Grivița
- Gura Ialomiței
- Ion Roată
- Jilavele
- Maia
- Manasia
- Mărculești
- Mihail Kogălniceanu
- Miloșești
- Moldoveni
- Movila
- Movilița
- Munteni-Buzău
- Ograda
- Perieți
- Platonești
- Rădulești
- Reviga
- Roșiori
- Sălcioara
- Sărățeni
- Săveni
- Scânteia
- Sfântu Gheorghe
- Sinești
- Stelnica
- Sudiți
- Traian
- Valea Ciorii
- Valea Măcrișului
- Vlădeni
Historical county
Historically, the county was located in the southeastern part of Greater Romania, in the southeastern part of the historical region of Muntenia. The county comprised a large part of the current Ialomița County and of today's Călărași County. It was bordered to the west by Ilfov County, to the north by the counties of Prahova, Buzău and Brăila, to the east by Constanța County, and in the south by Durostor County.
With an area of , Ialomița County was one of the largest counties of Greater Romania.
Administration
thumb|right|335px|Map of Ialomița County as constituted in 1938.
The county was originally divided administratively into five districts (plăși):
- Plasa Călărași, headquartered at Călărași
- Plasa Lehliu, headquartered at Lehliu
- Plasa Slobozia, headquartered at Slobozia
- Plasa Țăndărei, headquartered at Țăndărei
- Plasa Urziceni, headquartered at Urziceni
Subsequently, three new districts were added:<ol start="6">
<li>Plasa Căzănești, headquartered at Căzănești</li>
<li>Plasa Dragoș Vodă, headquartered at Dragoș Vodă</li>
<li>Plasa Fetești, headquartered at Fetești</li>
</ol>
Population
According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 293,352 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 96.6% Romanians, 2.5% Romanies, 0.2% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.3% Eastern Orthodox, 0.2% Jewish, 0.1% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.
Urban population
In 1930, the county's urban population was 34,260 inhabitants, comprising 90.2% Romanians, 6.0% Romnanies, 1.3% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 97.4% Eastern Orthodox, 1.4% Jewish, 0.5% Roman Catholic, as well as other minorities.