TOPONIMIA ȚĂRII HAȚEGULUI. O ABORDARE ISTORICO-GEOGRAFICĂ

The toponymy of Țara Hațegului. An historical-geographical approach. The study aims to analyse the toponymy of Țara Hațegului using the historical-geographical point of view. After considering the works elaborated by linguists, historians and geographers, the article concentrates on the establishing of relevant toponymical categories in order to highlight the particularities of the space. Each and every category is analysed with the help of GIS and some cartographical representations. The spatial distribution and the regional importance of the place names, together with their particularities are being explained thereafter. An emphasis is put on the most numerous toponyms, like the ones which describe the surrounding environment of the village or the anthroponyms. The place names modified by the authorities and the toponyms for which no explanation is known are also discussed. Finally, the paper explains the importance of the toponymy in researching the geographies of the past and as a heritage asset