Balş

:"Balş is also a commune in Iaşi County, see: Balş, Iaşi.":"Bals" redirects here. For the Japanese retails company see BALS."Infobox Settlement
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = ROU
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3
map_caption = Location of Balş

|official_name=Balş
image_shield=
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location of Balş
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subdivision_type1=County
subdivision_name1=Olt County
subdivision_type2=Status
subdivision_name2=Autolink|Town
settlement_type=Town|
leader_title=Mayor
leader_name=Vitalie Staicu
|leader_party=Social Democratic Party
area_total_km2=37
population_as_of=2002
population_total=21195|latd=44|latm=21|lats=0|latNS=N|longd=24|longm=5|longs=58|longEW=E|
website=http://www.bals.ro/

Balş is a town in Olt County, Romania.

There are three hypotheses about its name:
# The locality was named after the Balşiţa brook.
# The name comes from the Turkish word "Baliş" (honey) as there is a large apiculture area there.
# A boyar named Balş settled here in the 5th or 6th century.

Population

* 1864 - 1,700 inhabitants.
* 1884 - 2,500 inhabitants.
* 1921 - 5,000 inhabitants.
* 1938 - 5,300 inhabitants.
* 1948 - 6,128 inhabitants.
* 1973 - 11,578 inhabitants.
* 1992 - 24,560 inhabitants.
* 2002 - 21,195 inhabitants.

The composition from the last census, sorted by nationality:: * 20,552 Romanians: * 619 Romas: * 16 Hungarians: * 2 Germans: * 1 Ukrainian: * 1 Turk: * 1 Chinese: * 1 Indian: * 1 Bulgarian: * 1 Italian: * 2 other nationalities

The composition from the last census, sorted by religion:: * 21,043 Eastern Orthodox: * 47 Seventh-Day Adventists: * 36 Baptists: * 19 Pentecostalists: * 8 Roman-Catholics: * 5 Atheists: * 32 other religion

History

* 1450 - The estimated date when Balş was established.
* 1564 - First mention of Balş in a document.