Baia Mare is the residence municipality of Maramures County, being located in the Baia Mare Depression, on the middle course of the Sasar River, at the foot of the Gutai Mountains. The city is situated in the Baia Mare valley and is encircled on all sides by hills and mountains, which makes the climate in the city milder than the rest of the surrounding area. Proof of this is that the outskirts of Baia Mare are the only areas where you can find chestnut trees that usually need Mediterranean climate to grow. This is the northernmost reach of the chestnut tree.