Dăbuleni
Dăbuleni (Romanian pronunciation: [dəbuˈlenʲ]) is a town of Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania. It was declared a town in 2004 (Law no. 83/2004). One village, Chiașu, is administered by the town.
Dăbuleni | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Dăbuleni townhall | |
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Coat of arms | |
Dăbuleni Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates: 43°48′04″N 24°05′31″E | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Dolj |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2024) | Aurel Băjenaru (PSD) |
| Area | 182.86 km2 (70.60 sq mi) |
| Population (2021-12-01) | 10,333 |
| • Density | 57/km2 (150/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Vehicle reg. | DJ |
| Website | www |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 13,888 | — |
| 2011 | 11,861 | −14.6% |
| 2021 | 10,333 | −12.9% |
| Source: Census data | ||
Dăbuleni is known for the sandy areas surrounding it; since the 1980s, those areas have become part of an 800 km2 (310 sq mi) desert, known as the Oltenian Sahara. The town is the only place in Europe where a museum dedicated to sand exists. If the north part of the town is a desert, the south part is a Danube flooding area known as the patria pepenilor or patria lubenițelor (the "Motherland of the Melons" or "of the Watermelons"), from which the Dăbuleni melons are famous in all of Romania.
Dăbuleni is twinned since 2014 with Vaugneray, which is in France.