Hajdú-Bihar County

Hajdú-Bihar (Hungarian: Hajdú-Bihar megye, pronounced [ˈhɒjduː ˈbihɒr]) is an administrative county (comitatus or megye) in eastern Hungary, on the border with Romania. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok and Békés. The capital of Hajdú-Bihar county is Debrecen. Together with Bihor County in Romania it constitutes the Biharia Euroregion.

For the Indian province, see Bihar.
Hajdú-Bihar County

Hajdú-Bihar megye
Counties of Hungary
Descending, from top: Nine-holed Bridge, Herd of Racka sheep in Hortobágy, and Downtown of Debrecen
Flag
Coat of arms
Hajdú-Bihar County within Hungary
Country Hungary
RegionNorthern Great Plain
County seatDebrecen
Districts
Government
 • President of the General AssemblyZoltán Pajna (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
 • Total6,210.51 km2 (2,397.89 sq mi)
Area rank4th in Hungary
Population
 (2015)
 • Total537,268[1]
 • Rank4th in Hungary
Postal code
40xx – 422x, 4241 – 4243, 425x – 429x
Area code(s)(+36) 52, 54
ISO 3166 codeHU-HB
Websitewww.hbmo.hu

Geography

The area of the county does not form a geographical unit; it shares several features with the neighbouring areas: from northeast the sand hills of the Nyírség spread over the county borders. The western part is the Hortobágy National Park ("Puszta"), a large flat area of the country.

The county of Hajdú-Bihar occupies the eastern part of Hungary. Most of its territory is completely flat and is part of the Pannonian Plain region (called the Grand Plain in the country). The highest point hardly rises over 170.5 metres in the north. It seems that the county slopes to the south because the lowest point is situated in this part of Hajdú-Bihar and hits the 85 metres height.

The wind and rivers formed and shaped the land for thousands of years. First the area of the present-day Hungary was occupied by an inland sea. Then, after some underground movement, the huge peaks of the Carpathians rose from this sea. The wild and rapid rivers of the mountains slowly made that inland sea disappear. Later, the great Hungarian plain was formed by the alluvial deposits of the rivers, the wind began to work and from the great rocks became smaller and smaller sand-grains, the so-called loess. This covers thickly the Hajdú-Bihar plain as well and makes a fertile soil.

There are two great rivers in this area, the Tisza and the Körös. The Hortobágy area was formed by the first one. It used to be the flood area of the Tisza river and after the river was controlled, the Hortobágy became dry, resulting in special fauna.

History

Hajdú-Bihar county was created after World War II from the pre-1938 counties Hajdú and Bihar. See the articles of those counties for the history before World War II.

Demographics

Religion in Hajdú-Bihar County (2011 census)

  Calvinism (29.0%)
  Lutheranism (0.2%)
  Catholic Church (9.8%)
  Greek Catholicism (5.9%)
  Orthodoxy (0.2%)
  Other religions (1.9%)
  Non-religious (26.8%)
  Atheists (1.2%)
  Undeclared (25.0%)
See also: Demographics of Hungary

In 2015, it had a population of 537,268 and the population density was 87/km².

Year County population[2] Change
1949 498,271 n/a
1960 522,787 4.92%
1970 524,952 0.41%
1980 551,448 5.05%
1990 548,728 -0.49%
2001 552,998 (record) 0.78%
2011 546,721 -1.34%

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 18,000), Romanian (2,000) and German (1,000).

Total population (2011 census): 546,721
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[3] Identified themselves: 485,877 persons:

  • Hungarians: 461,809 (95.05%)
  • Gypsies: 18,132 (3.73%)
  • Others and indefinable: 5,936 (1.22%)

Approx. 77,000 persons in Hajdú-Bihar County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religion
See also: Religion in Hungary

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

Regional structure
District of Hajdú-Bihar County
№ English and
Hungarian names		 Area
(km²)		 Population
(2011)		 Density
(pop./km²)		 Seat № of
municipalities
1 Balmazújváros District
Balmazújvárosi járás		 827.45 30,191 36 Balmazújváros 5
2 Berettyóújfalu District
Berettyóújfalui járás		 1,073.90 44,995 42 Berettyóújfalu 25
3 Debrecen District
Debreceni járás		 531.12 224,228 423 Debrecen 2
4 Derecske District
Derecskei járás		 650.30 41,701 64 Derecske 13
5 Hajdúböszörmény District
Hajdúböszörményi járás		 471.43 40,568 86 Hajdúböszörmény 2
6 Hajdúhadház District
Hajdúhadházi járás		 137.02 22,183 162 Hajdúhadház 3
7 Hajdúnánás District
Hajdúnánási járás		 547.27 29,614 54 Hajdúnánás 6
8 Hajdúszoboszló District
Hajdúszoboszlói járás		 732.65 43,061 59 Hajdúszoboszló 5
9 Nyíradony District
Nyíradonyi járás		 510.28 29,534 58 Nyíradony 9
10 Püspökladány District
Püspökladányi járás		 729.04 40,426 55 Püspökladány 12
Hajdú-Bihar County 6,210.51 546,721 88 Debrecen 82

Economy

Infrastructure

Highways no. 4, 33, 35, 42 and 47 lead to the county and the county can also be reached Hajdú-Bihar via the M3 motorway (this motorway is now a spur to Debrecen). The total length of the public roads in the county is 1,511 km. 122 road bridges span the rivers and canals. The roads cross the national borders to Romania at the cities of Ártánd and Nyírábrány.

Politics

The Hajdú-Bihar County Council, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 24 counselors,[5] with the following party composition:

Countyhall of Hajdú-Bihar
Party Seats Current County Assembly
  Fidesz-KDNP 16                                
  Jobbik 3                                
  Democratic Coalition 2                                
  Momentum Movement 2                                
  Hungarian Socialist Party 1                                

Presidents of the General Assembly
List of Presidents, from 1990[6]
Zoltán Pajna (Fidesz-KDNP)2014–

Municipalities

Hajdú-Bihar County has 1 urban county, 20 towns, 10 large villages and 51 villages.

Compared to the average, Hajdú-Bihar has a small number of inhabited places: 21 towns and 61 villages. The four largest cities – both by area and by population – are Debrecen, Hajdúböszörmény, Hajdúnánás and Hajdúszoboszló. For a long time these were the only ones with city/town status, the rest were only villages, but after 1979 – when Berettyóújfalu became a town – several villages were promoted.

City with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

Towns
Villages

municipalities are large villages.

International relations

Hajdú-Bihar County has a partnership relationship with:[7][8]

References
  1. nepesseg.com, population data of Hungarian settlements
  2. népesség.com, "Hajdú-Bihar 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, 3.9 Hajdú-Bihar megye, (in Hungarian)
  5. "Megyei közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 (Hajdú-Bihar megye)". valasztas.hu. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  6. Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
  7. Nemzetközi kapcsolataink (Hajú-Bihar)

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