The Dolj County lies on a surface of 7414 square km, respectively 3,1% of the Romanian territory, being the country's 7th county in size. The Danube crosses the southern part of the county on a length of 150 km, also representing the Bulgarian border. Dolj is one of the counties with an ancient tradition in the Old Romanian Country, whose existence - as shown by the name - was linked to a river - the Jiu - or more precisely to its valley - a real geographical axis on which there is the residence and towards which converge all the inner connections.
      Administratively, the Dolj County is formed of 3 cities: Craiova - capital city, Calafat and Bailesti, 4 towns: Segarcea, Filiasi, Bechet and Dabuleni, 104 communes and 380 villages.
      The first documentary attestation dates back from 1444 as The Marsh County, limited by the Blahnita Lake at north, which is presently belonging to the Mehedinti County, and by the Bistret Lake at south. The first known human communions of this space have been attested archaeologically by the discoveries of Amarasti, Farcas village and Dobromira, Varvoru de Jos village and they belong to the end of the old period of our country. At Carcea, Cosoveni village, has thus been identified the oldest phase of this epoch, characterized, amongst others, by a painted earthenware pot which artistically competes which the polychrome earthenware pot of the ego Anatolian Neolithic. The living density, the originality of the material and spiritual culture, and also the artistic refinement individualizing the Neolithic age are amply represented by the discoveries of many settlements on the county's territory: Simnic, Verbita, Verbicioara, Padea, Leu, Rast, Salcuta (which also gave many Neolithic cultures), Cerat etc.
      At the end of the 15th century, in a document of the 1 June 1475 they mention Craiova, the present capital city. In this period also are built the basis of the great Banie of Oltenia, the first becoming an important military base against the Ottoman Empire, having gathered forces from the right side of the Olt river. By the half of the 18th century, as a result of the intensification of the economical-fiscal exploitation, the entire Oltenia has become the area for important social movements. Thus, the Dolj county and a great part of Oltenia became the scene for military operations of the great empires (Ottoman, Hapsburg and Tsarist). Having taken place at the boundary of the ages, the Revolution of 1821 lead by Tudor Vladimirescu and the Revolution of 1848 have meant for the people of the Dolj County and of Craiova a reason to fight for national and social freedom.
      The political-social events happened in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century (The Union of the Principalities, the achievement of the country's independence as a result of the 1877 war, the agrarian reforms etc) have created favorable conditions for the development of the economy and of the capitalist relations. On the whole of the national economy, the Dolj County of the year 1940 presented himself as an important agricultural county, with a rectification in the commercial and banking life, but with a weak industry, unilateral and way behind the main industrial centers.
      The relief is dominated by the Romanian Plain, but there are also hilly areas in the north. The hydrographic network is represented by the Danube flowing between Cetate and Dabuleni, by the Jiu river that crosses the county from Filiasi to Zaval on a distance of 154 km and by lakes and marshes (Bistret Lake, Banului Fountain, Maglavit, Golenti, Ciuperceni).
      The climate is temperate, with Mediterranean influences, due to the southern-western position and to the protection of the northern hills. There were important only the rocks used as useful construction material, respectively the sands, gravel and clay.
      The research and prospecting proceeded methodically have proved the existence of ores valuable for the future economical development of the area. We are talking about the natural gas deposits placed north of Craiova, in the Ghercesti, Simnic area, being part of an entire area put in evidence at the outskirts of the Great Peri-Carpathian Depression, at its contact with the old Moesian Platform prolonged south of the Danube under the Miocene and Pliocene formations of the Gaetic area. It is apparently surprising, but in the flat plain of Dolj County has been signaled the presence of mineral waters. Some as those of Gighera originate from springs that came from the Pliocene layers the plain is made of. Others represent lakes mineralized through the gathering of salts as a result of their washing and transportation from the surface of the surrounding plain.