Crișana is a historical region in north-western Romania, named after the Criș River. Crișana is located west of the Apuseni Mountains, east of the Tisza River, South of the Someș river and north of the Mureș River. Roughly half of the historical territory lies in nowadays Hungary.
The history if Crișana is diverse, because of the past influence of different cultures and peoples. It was part of the kingdom of Dacia under Burebista in the 1st century BCE. Between the 5th and 15th centuries the Huns, the Gepids, the Avars, the Bulgarians and finally the Hungarian Kingdom. In the 18th century Crișana came under the Habsburg rule until 1918 when it became part of Romania. During WWII Hungary ruled the region. After the war Crișana became part of the Socialist Republic of Romania.
Today the Romanian counties of Bihor, most of Arad, some parts of Sălaj, Satu Mare, parts of Maramureș and Hunedoara are situated in the historical region of Crișana.
The 2 main cities in the region are Arad and Oradea.