NATURAL DYNAMICS OF URBAN POPULATION IN THE EASTERN CARPATHIANS IN THE POST-COMMUNIST PERIOD.

The Eastern Carpathians represent an important group of Romanian Carpathians. 43 cities belonging to 12 counties (Bacău, Bistrița, Braşov, Buzău, Covasna, Harghita, Maramureş, Mureş, Neamț, Prahova, Satu Mare, Suceava) were identified in their territory. The aim of the study is to analyze the urban population natural dynamics in the Eastern Carpathians in the post-communist period (1992-2011). At the same time, we tried to identify some of the causes that led to the evolution (increase and decrease) of the values of analyzed demographic indicators. In 1992, only four cities had negative natural dynamics (natural decrease). After 1992, many of the cities began to record negative values of the natural increase. The urban area population in the Eastern Carpathians began to record higher mortality rates, at the expense of birth rates. In 2002, negative values of the natural increase were recorded in 24 administrative units. At the last census, 28 urban centers had negative values of natural increase. The indicators considered were the birth rate, the mortality rate and the rate of natural increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]