Dâmbovița

▪ county, Romania

formerly  Dîmbovița 

      județ (county), southern Romania. The Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians) and the sub-Carpathians rise above settlement areas in intermontane valleys and lowlands of the county. Dâmbovița is drained by the Ialomița, Dâmbovița, and Argeș rivers. Târgoviște (Târgovişte) is the county capital and was a capital of feudal Walachia. The city is located in the centre of an oil-producing area, with wells located at Bucșani, Hulubești, and Mislea. Machinery and metal products are manufactured in Târgoviște, Moreni, and Fieni, where building materials are also produced. Textiles are made in Pucioasa and Brănești, and wood products in Găești. Lignite mines are worked near Mărgineanca and Sotînga towns, and hydroelectric plants operate on the Ialomița River. Agricultural activities of the area include cereal growing and livestock raising in the lowlands and vineyard and orchard cultivation in hilly areas. Several notable 17th-century churches and museums are found in Târgoviște, which is a road and rail centre. Area 1,559 square miles (4,036 square km). Pop. (2002) 541,763.

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