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Harghita County

Harghita (har.'gi.ta; Judeţul Harghita; Hargita megye) is a county (judeţ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea-Ciuc.

Demographics

In 2002, it had a population of 326,222 and a population density of 52/km².

Hungarians- 85% (or 276,038)
Romanians - 14% (or 45,870)
Roma - 1% (or 3,835), and others.

Harghita county has the highest percentage of Hungarians in Romania, just ahead of Covasna county. The primary Hungarian group, the Székely (Szeklers, Secui in Romanian), form the majority of the population in most of the county's municipalities, with Romanians concentrated in the northern part of the county, particularly Topliţa and Bălan.

The Székely are mostly Roman Catholic, while Romanians are primarily Orthodox, and the other Hungarian groups are Reformed and Unitarian. By religion, the county is divided roughly as follows:

Roman Catholic (65%)
Orthodox (13%)
Reformed (13%)
Unitarian (7%)
Other (2%)

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Geography

Harghita County has a total area of 6,639 km².

Harghita consists primarily of mountains, connected to the Eastern Carpathians, such as the Ciuc and Harghita Mountains; volcanic plateaux, foothills, and the more densely populated river valleys.

The mountains are volcanic in origin, and the region is known for its excellent hot mineral springs. Harghita is known as one of the coldest regions in Romania, although summers can be quite warm.

It is in this county that two of the most important rivers in Romania, the Mureş and the Olt, originate. These rivers' origins, near the villages of Izvoru Mureşului and Sândominic, are only a few miles apart; yet the Mureş flows west to the Tisza, while the Olt flows south to the Danube. In the western part of the county the two Târnava rivers (Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică) flow to the Târnava Plateau, which is part of the Transylvania Plateau.

Harghita's many spectacular natural scenery include Sfanta Ana Lake, a volcanic crater lake near the town of Băile Tuşnad; Lacu Roşu a mountain lake in the northeast near the town of Gheorgheni, and Cheile Bicazului, a dramatic, narrow canyon formed by the Bicaz stream. The county is renowned for its spa resorts and mineral waters.