Oas Country
Encyclopedia
Oaş CountryOaş Country (Romanian
: Ţara Oaşului, Hungarian
: Avasság) is an etnographic region of Romania
located in the North-East part of Satu Mare County
, 50 km from the city
of Satu Mare. The total area is about 614 km².
situated at an altitude of 604 m (in the East), from Cămărzana (in the North) to the mountains that surround Oraşu Nou, Racşa and Vama (in the South).
s and village
s:
valley
s that cross the Oaş Depression. In the Northern part of the depression there is the Lechincioara Basin
which includes the Mare, Semănaturii and Lechincioarei valley
s.
In the Southern part of Oaş Country there are the Tur, Alb and Rău river
s.
of Hungary
donated to a nobleman several village
s from the South-Western boundary of the "country
".
In that document the Oaş Country is mentioned as Terra Awas. Some historians claim that the origin of the word "Oaş" is the "Awas", which means a kind of deforestation
or a clearing
in the woods
.
The Oaş Country was mentioned even in the Chronicles of Grigore Ureche
.
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
: Ţara Oaşului, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
: Avasság) is an etnographic region of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
located in the North-East part of Satu Mare County
Satu Mare County
Satu Mare County is a county of Romania. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians , Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians .-Demographics:...
, 50 km from the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Satu Mare. The total area is about 614 km².
Boundaries
The Oaş Country extends from Turţ - Gherţa Mare - Gherţa Mică (on the Western side) all the way to Huta passMountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
situated at an altitude of 604 m (in the East), from Cămărzana (in the North) to the mountains that surround Oraşu Nou, Racşa and Vama (in the South).
Communes and villages
The Oaş Country comprises the following communeCommunes of Romania
A commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
s and village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s:
- Oraşu NouOrasu NouOraşu Nou is a commune of 7,100 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania.It is composed of five villages:The villages of Racşa and Racşa-Vii were part of Oraşu Nou from 1925 to 1949 and from 1956 to 2010, when they were split off to form Racşa Commune.-Demographics:Ethnic groups...
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Prilog, Racşa, Remeţi and Oraşu Nou-Vii (villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s) - CertezeCertezeCerteze is a commune of 5,670 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Certeze, Huta-Certeze and Moişeni ....
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Huta Certeze and Moişeni (villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s) - VamaVama, Satu MareVama is a rural municipality of 3,844 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Vama.-Demographics:Ethnic groups :*Romanians: 70%*Hungarians: 27%...
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Vama Băi (villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
) - Călineşti-OaşCalinesti-OasCălineşti-Oaş is a commune in Satu Mare County, north-western Romania, with a population of 4,701. Part of the region of Maramureş, it is composed of four villages: Călineşti-Oaş, Coca, Lechinţa and Păşunea Mare...
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Lechinţa, Pǎşunea Mare, Coca and Dumbrava (villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s) - TârşolţTârsoltTârşolţ is a commune of 3,047 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Aliceni and Târşolţ....
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Aliceni (villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
) - BixadBixad, Satu MareBixad is a commune of 7,678 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bixad, Boineşti and Trip ....
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Trip Băi, Boineşti, Bixad - CămărzanaCamarzanaCămărzana is a commune of 2,649 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Cămărzana....
(communeCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
) with Cămărzana (villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
) - Negreşti-OaşNegresti-OasNegrești-Oaș is a town in northwestern Romania, in the county of Satu Mare. It has about 15,057 inhabitants as of 2007 and is located near the Ukrainian border...
cityCityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
.
Geography
The Oaş Depression has maximum altitudes of 400–500 m. Most of the human dwellings are situated alongside the riverRiver
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s that cross the Oaş Depression. In the Northern part of the depression there is the Lechincioara Basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
which includes the Mare, Semănaturii and Lechincioarei valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s.
In the Southern part of Oaş Country there are the Tur, Alb and Rău river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s.
History
The first document that mentioned the Oaş Country dates from 1270, when the KingKing
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
donated to a nobleman several village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s from the South-Western boundary of the "country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
".
In that document the Oaş Country is mentioned as Terra Awas. Some historians claim that the origin of the word "Oaş" is the "Awas", which means a kind of deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
or a clearing
Glade (geography)
A glade or clearing is an open area within a woodland. Glades are often grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees such as red alder or quaking aspen in western North America. They also represent openings in forests where local conditions such as avalanches, poor soils, or fire damage have...
in the woods
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
.
The Oaş Country was mentioned even in the Chronicles of Grigore Ureche
Grigore Ureche
Grigore Ureche was a Moldavian chronicler who wrote on Moldavian history in his Letopiseţul Ţării Moldovei , covering the period from 1359 to 1594....
.