Prahova

a district in southern Rumania. Area, 4,694 sq km. Population, 778,000 (1973). The northern part of the district occupies the slopes of the Carpathians, while the southern part occupies the Lower Danubian Plain. The administrative center is the city of Ploeşri.

Prahova is one of the most industrially developed districts of the Rumanian Socialist Republic. It accounts for 5.7 percent of the country’s total industrial output, ranking third in the country after the city of Bucharest and the district of Braşov. More than 30 percent of the country’s fuel industry is centered in Prahova. Petroleum, natural gas, and lignites are extracted, and the major industries are oil refining and petrochemical production. Other industries include the production of sulfuric acid, fertilizers, pulp and paper, glass and porcelain, and textiles, machine building (equipment for the petroleum-extraction and chemical industries), and food processing. Rock salt and gypsum are also extracted.

Prahova accounts for 2.4 percent of the country’s total agricultural output. In the foothills there are large expanses of orchards, vineyards, and fields for stock raising. Grain, sugar beets, sunflowers, potatoes, and other vegetables are grown in the south.