| Caracal | |||
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| — City — | |||
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 Caracal |
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| Coordinates: Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Romania | ||
| County | Olt | ||
| Government | |||
| • mayor | Ion Doldurea (PSD) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 72 km2 (28 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 95 m (312 ft) | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 30 954 | ||
| Postal code | 235200 | ||
| Website | http://www.primariacaracal.ro/ | ||
Caracal (Romanian pronunciation: [kaˈrakal] (
listen)) is a city in Olt county, Romania, situated in the historic region of Oltenia, on the plains between the lower reaches of the Jiu and Olt rivers. The region's plains are well known for their agricultural specialty in cultivating grains and over the centuries, Caracal has been the trading center for the region's agricultural output. Caracal has a population of approximately 31,000 and is the second largest city in the region.
Etymology[]
While 19th century historians thought that the name of Caracal is linked to Roman Emperor Caracalla, the current accepted etymology is that city's name is derived from the Cuman language kara kale meaning "Black fortress"[1] (kara, meaning "black", and kal, either from the Turkish kale, or the Arabic qal'at, both meaning fortress).
History[]
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1912 | 15,048 | — |
| 1930 | 14,950 | −0.7% |
| 1948 | 17,892 | +19.7% |
| 1956 | 19,082 | +6.7% |
| 1966 | 22,714 | +19.0% |
| 1977 | 30,408 | +33.9% |
| 1992 | 39,130 | +28.7% |
| 2002 | 34,603 | −11.6% |
| 2011 | 30,954 | −10.5% |
| Source: Census data | ||
The end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century saw Caracal experience significant growth and the region become one of the most important agricultural regions in Romania. Caracal was this region's capital and seat of Romanați County.
Natives[]
- Gheorghe Argeșanu
- Marius Bunescu
- Virgil Carianopol
- Dan Diaconescu
- Aurelian Titu Dumitrescu
- Iancu Jianu
- Haralamb Lecca
- Radu Șerban
- Marius Tucă
References[]
- ^ I. A. Candrea, Elemente de toponimie cu privire specială la toponimia Olteniei, 1932-1933, Facultatea de litere și Filosofie din București, p. 24
External links[]
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Caracal (Rumania). |
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Drăghiceni | Cezieni | Dobrosloveni |
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