Baranya County

Baranya County
Baranya megye
Counties of Hungary
Descending, from top: Hills near Mecseknádasd, Vineyards of Kistótfalu, and Downtown of Pécs

Flag
Coat of arms

Baranya County within Hungary
Coordinates: 46°04′06″N 18°12′19″E / 46.06833°N 18.20528°E / 46.06833; 18.20528Coordinates: 46°04′06″N 18°12′19″E / 46.06833°N 18.20528°E / 46.06833; 18.20528
Country  Hungary
Region Southern Transdanubia
County seat Pécs
Districts
Government
 • President of the General Assembly Csaba Nagy (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
 • Total 4,429.59 km2 (1,710.27 sq mi)
Area rank 10th in Hungary
Population (2015)
 • Total 371,110[1]
 • Rank 10th in Hungary
Postal code 73xx, 75xx – 79xx
Area code(s) (+36) 69, 72, 73
ISO 3166 code HU-BA
Website baranya.hu

Baranya (Hungarian: Baranya megye, pronounced [ˈbɒrɒɲɒ]); is the name of an administrative county (comitatus or megye) in Hungary, in the Baranya region, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary (see: Baranya (former county)).

The county lies in southern Hungary, on the border with Croatia. The River Drava forms part of its southern border, and the River Danube its eastern border. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Somogy, Tolna, and Bács-Kiskun. The capital of Baranya county is Pécs.

Etymology

In German, it is known as Komitat Branau, and in Croatian as Baranjska županija (Baranja).

The county is name after the Slavic word 'bara', which means 'marsh', 'bog', thus the name of Baranya means 'marshland'. Even today large parts of the region are swamps, such as the natural reservation Kopački Rit in its southeast. Another theory states that the name of the region come from the Slavic and Hungarian word 'bárány', which means 'lamb'.

Geography

This county has a total area of 4,430 km2 (1,710 sq mi) – 4,76% of Hungary.

The northern part of the county is a mountain area with large forests, the Mecsek Mountains. The central areas are shared between the Baranya Hills and Villány Mountains. The very eastern and southern parts are flat.

The highest point in the county is Zengő in the Mecsek Mountains, at 682 metres. This is also the highest point of the mountain range.

The climate is Mediterranean, with a high number of sunshine hours. Baranya has the highest amount of rainfall in the country. Baranya is rich in mineral and thermal water, and also in other resources. 98% of Hungary's coal resources are found here.

Neighbours

History

The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Before the Hungarian tribes conquered the area, it was inhabited by Slavs and Avars. Stephen I founded an episcopal seat here.

In 1526, the county was occupied by Ottomans and was freed in 1689. Its medieval borders remained unchanged until 1919. According to the peace treaty of Trianon, the southern part of the county (1163 km²) reverted to Slavic rule (present-day Croatia). The re-organizing of the counties (1950) brought only minor changes (town of Szigetvár got there).

Baranya has the largest number of minorities in Hungary (more than twice the country average), providing home to 34% of the German minority and 32% of the Southern Slav minorities in Hungary.

Electoral history

2010 Election
  Party Votes % Seats Change
  Fidesz-KDNP (joint) 104,928 54,53 4 -
  Hungarian Socialist Party 40,532 21,07 1 -
  Jobbik 24,397 12,68 1 -
  Politics Can Be Different 7,119 8,9 0 -
  Hungarian Democratic Forum 5,436 2,83 0 -
  Total 182,412 100 6 -

Demographics

Religion in Baranya County (2011 census)

  Catholic Church (46.8%)
  Greek Catholicism (0.3%)
  Calvinism (6.4%)
  Lutheranism (1.2%)
  Orthodoxy (0.1%)
  Other religions (1.5%)
  Non-religious (16.2%)
  Atheists (1.5%)
  Undeclared (26.0%)

In 2015, it had a population of 371,110 and the population density was 84/km².

Year County population[2] Change
1949 356,533 n/a
1960 Increase 395,342 10.89%
1970 Increase 421,765 6.68%
1980 Increase 432,617 (record) 2.57%
1990 Decrease 417,400 -3.52%
2001 Decrease 407,448 -2.38%
2011 Decrease 386,441 -5.16%

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Germans (approx. 22,000), Roma (17,000), Croats (6,000), and Serbs (500).

Total population (2011 census): 386,441
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[3] Identified themselves: 364,801 persons:

Approx. 58,000 persons in Baranya County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religion

Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census:[4]

Regional structure

District of Baranya County
№ English and
Hungarian names		 Area
(km²)		 Population
(2011)		 Density
(pop./km²)		 Seat № of
municipalities
1 Bóly District
Bólyi járás		 220.03 11,956 54 Bóly 16
2 Hegyhát District
Hegyháti járás		 360.72 12,744 35 Sásd 25
3 Komló District
Komlói járás		 292.48 35,489 121 Komló 20
4 Mohács District
Mohácsi járás		 600.98 35,164 59 Mohács 26
5 Pécs District
Pécsi járás		 623.07 189,036 303 Pécs 40
6 Pécsvárad District
Pécsváradi járás		 246.44 11,931 48 Pécsvárad 17
7 Sellye District
Sellyei járás		 493.69 14,192 29 Sellye 38
8 Siklós District
Siklósi járás		 652.99 35,929 55 Siklós 53
9 Szentlőrinc District
Szentlőrinci járás		 282.43 14,998 53 Szentlőrinc 21
10 Szigetvár District
Szigetvári járás		 656.76 25,002 38 Szigetvár 45
Baranya County 4,429.59 386,446 87 Pécs 301

Politics

Countyhall of Baranya.

The Baranya County Council, elected at the 2014 local government elections, is made up of 19 counselors, with the following party composition:[5]

    Party Seats Current County Assembly
  Fidesz-KDNP 11                      
  Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) 3                      
  Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) 3                      
  Democratic Coalition (DK) 1                      
  Politics Can Be Different (LMP) 1                      

Presidents of the General Assembly

List of Presidents, from 1990[6]
Csaba Nagy (Fidesz-KDNP)2014–

Municipalities[7][8]

Baranya County has 1 urban county, 13 towns, 3 large villages and 284 villages.

Hosszúhetény - Temple from above

Like Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Baranya is a county of extremes when it comes to regional structure. The county seat is one of the five largest cities (and three largest agglomerations) of Hungary, but more than 2/3 of the municipalities are small hamlets with a population under 500. Half of the county's population lives in the county seat or in its immediate vicinity, while 22% of the population lives in villages that have less than 1000 inhabitants.

Cities with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

  • Pécs (156,049) – county seat
Towns
Villages

municipalities are large villages.

References

  1. ↑ nepesseg.com, population data of Hungarian settlements
  2. ↑ népesség.com, "Baranya megye népessége 1870-2015"
  3. ↑ 1.1.6. A népesség anyanyelv, nemzetiség és nemek szerint – Frissítve: 2013.04.17.; Hungarian Central Statistical Office (in Hungarian)
  4. ↑ 2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS, 3. Területi adatok, 3.3 Baranya megye, (in Hungarian)
  5. ↑ Képviselőtestület, (in Hungarian)
  6. ↑ Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
  7. ↑ "Baranya (Hungary): County, Towns and Villages - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  8. ↑ Jimenez, Suzanne Somodi. "BARANYA County - Megye - Varmegye - Placenames". www.hungarianvillagefinder.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
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