Ianca

Ianca is a town in Brăila County, Muntenia, Romania. With a population of 8,969 people as of 2021, it is the second-largest urban locality in the county. The town's area is 186 km2, of which 10.9 km2 have the status of residential area. The town administers six villages: Berlești, Gara Ianca, Oprișenești, Perișoru, Plopu, and Târlele Filiu.

Geography
The town is situated at the northern edge of the Bărăgan Plain, at an altitude of 40 m. It is located in the central part of the county, 44 km southwest of the county seat, Brăila.

History
The first mention of the settlement dates to 1834. At the end of the 19th century, it comprised two villages (Ianca and Niculești); with a population of 1,483, it was the residence of plasa Ianca of Brăila County. In 1950, Ianca commune became part of the Făurei raion of Galați Region. It became again part of Brăila County in 1968, and it officially became a town in 1989, as a result of the Romanian rural systematization program.

From 1941 to 2001 Ianca was the home of the 49th Air Base of the Romanian Air Force; since July 2022, the airfield is owned by the Romanian Aeroclub.

Demographics
At the 2021 census, Ianca had a population of 8,969; of those, 88.77% were Romanians and 2% Roma.

Natives

 * Virgil Huzum (1905 – 1987), poet
 * Ion Theodorescu-Sion (1882 – 1939), painter

Transportation and economy
Ianca is crossed by the national road DN2B, which runs from Buzău to Galați. The Ianca and Ianca Sat train stations serve the CFR Main Line 700, which connects Bucharest to Brăila, Galați, and the Moldova border at Giurgiulești.

The Oprișenești oil field is located on the administrative territory of the town.

Sports
The football club Viitorul Ianca is based here; the home ground of the club is the Ștefan Vrăbioru Stadium.

International relations
Ianca is twinned with La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, France since 2005.