Baranya County

"Branau" redirects here. See also Braunau.
Baranya County

Flag
Coat of arms
Country Hungary
Region Southern Transdanubia
County seat Pécs
Area
 • Total 4,429.59 km2 (1,710.27 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
 • Total 386,441
 • Density 87/km2 (230/sq mi)
Website baranya.hu

Baranya (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbɒrɒɲɒ]; Croatian: Baranja, German: Branau) 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)).

Baranya 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.

Geography

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.

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

According to the 2011 census, the population of Baranya county was 386,441. By nationality, there were:

Nationality[1] 2011 2001
Hungarians 315,713 359,781
Germans 22,150 14,204
Romani 16,995 8,545
Croats 6,343 4,599
Others 3,600 2,256
No answer 58,050 29,737
Population[note 1] 386,441 407,448
Notes
  1. ↑ Totals do not equal population.

Regional structure

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.

City with county rights

Cities and towns

Hosszúhetény - Temple from above

(ordered by population, according to the 2001 census)

Villages

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ "Population by nationality, mother tongue, language spoken with family members or friends and affinity with nationalities' cultural values". 2011 Census. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved March 3, 2015.

External Links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baranya County.

Coordinates: 46°04′06″N 18°12′19″E / 46.06833°N 18.20528°E