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Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg vármegye
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg vármegye
Counties of Hungary
	Descending, from top: Tur river near Sonkád, Earthwork of Szabolcs, and Downtown of Nyíregyháza
	Flag Coat of arms
	Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County within Hungary
Country	Hungary
Region	Northern Great Plain
County seat	Nyíregyháza
Districts	13 districts Baktalórántháza District; Csenger District; Fehérgyarmat District; Ibrány District; Kemecse District; Kisvárda District; Mátészalka District; Nagykálló District; Nyírbátor District; Nyíregyháza District; Tiszavasvári District; Vásárosnamény District; Záhony District;
Government
• President of the General Assembly	István Román (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
• Total	5,935.83 km2 (2,291.84 sq mi)
• Rank	6th in Hungary
Population (2018)
• Total	558,361
• Rank	3rd in Hungary
GDP
• Total	HUF 1,149 billion; €3.691 billion (2016)
Postal code	423x, 4244–4246, 4267, 43xx–49xx
Area code(s)	(+36) 42, 44, 45
ISO 3166 code	HU-SZ
Website	www.szszbmo.hu

48°00′N 22°10′E / 48.000°N 22.167°E / 48.000; 22.167

Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg (Hungarian: Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg vármegye, pronounced [ˈsɒbolt͡ʃ ˈsɒtmaːr ˈbɛrɛɡ]) is an administrative county (Hungarian: vármegye) in north-eastern Hungary, bordering Slovakia (Košice Region), Ukraine (Zakarpattia Oblast), and Romania (Bihor and Satu Mare counties). It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Hajdú––Bihar and Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén. The capital of Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg county is Nyíregyháza.

Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County was organised after World War II from the previous counties Szatmár–Ugocsa–Bereg and Szabolcs. Before 1991 it was called Szabolcs-Szatmár County.

Geography

Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg is in the north-eastern tip of Hungary. It borders Ukraine (Zakarpattia Oblast), Slovakia (Košice Region), and Romania (Bihor and Satu Mare counties), and has good connections both by road and rail. Within Hungary, the county is bordered by Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén County and the Tisza River to the north-west and Hajdú–Bihar County to the south-west.

The early Hungarians transformed this region significantly by clearing large areas of forest to make way for pastures and farmland. Approximately 5 to 6 square kilometres of forest were cleared for the construction of the Szabolcs earthwork in the ninth and tenth centuries, and its ruins are still present. The area was the gateway for the Mongol invasion of Hungary in the 1240s, and suffered considerable destruction and population decrease during the raids. With the subsequent development of the country, the region became even more marginalized in the 15th century. Ongoing civil war, rebellion, and war exacted a heavy price and further hindered the region's development.

The county's borders have been altered frequently over the years, its current territory being established in 1950 with the amalgamation of the counties of Szabolcs–Ung and Szatmár–Bereg–Ugocsa.

There are many forests, fields, pastures, meadows, and moorland forests in the county. The bog moss moors at Csaroda, the Nyíres lake, and the Bábtava lake are especially valuable, as they contain many rare species of fauna and flora.

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg is Hungary's sixth-biggest county with a total land area of 5,936 square kilometres (2,292 square miles). From a geographical aspect, it is possible to divide the county into two main regions: The Upper Tisza Valley and the Nyírség. Tisza is one of the most important rivers of the county, entering Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg — and Hungary — at Tiszabecs, and leaving at Tiszadob. Its segment in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county is 235 kilometres long, out of which 208 kilometres (129 miles) belongs to the Upper Tisza Valley, reaching the area of Tokaj and Rakamaz. The larger area named the Nyírség is derived from the word nyír meaning birch, as the region is dominated by birch woodlands. The northern part of Nyírség is covered with sandy forest soils, the southern areas have loose wind-blown sand. Alluvial and meadow soils are found in the Upper Tisza region.

The county has a continental climate; it is cooler than the Great Plain because it is further north. Summers are cooler than in other parts of the Plains. Annual precipitation is 550–600 millimetres. The higher than average number of days of sunshine make ideal conditions for the growing of tomatoes, sunflower, tobacco, apples, and other fruits such as plums—for which the county is famous, being eaten fresh, dried into prunes (some made into lekvar) and fermented into well-known brandies.

The county has 229 settlements, of which 20 are towns. The county capital and largest city is Nyíregyháza with a population of 116,900 in 2003. The other cities have relatively small populations, only those of Kisvárda and Mátészalka having around 18,000 inhabitants. The eastern part of the county is lightly populated and is dotted with small villages which often have very poor economic conditions.

The Tisza River

The Upper Tisza region has many streams and rivers, but the Nyírség region has little surface water. The most important of Tisza's tributaries is the river Szamos, which is also characterised by great variations in water volume. There are irrigation systems, a water barrage, and a hydroelectric power station on the Tisza at Tiszalök.

Lakes of various sizes have evolved in sandy areas such as the basin of the Sóstó (Salty lake) of Nyíregyháza, whose alkaline, hydrogen-carbonated waters have medicinal qualities. Many water reservoirs have been built according to local demand. Thermal waters of 55–65 °C can be brought to the surface from wells as shallow as 1,000 metres. The most important thermal water reserves are in Nyíregyháza, Kisvárda, Mátészalka, and Tiszavasvári. The county's geothermal energy still awaits exploitation.

The county has relatively few mineral reserves. Almost all of the large energy source transport systems cross the county.

Demographics

Religion in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (66.7%))

Calvinistic (44.6%)

Roman Catholic (21.1%)

Greek Catholic (17.1%)

Lutheran (2.4%)

Faith Church (0.8%)

Other Christian denomination (2.5%)

Other religion (0.2%)

Not religious (11.3%)

In 2015, it had a population of 562,357 and the population density was 92/km².

Year	County population^[3]	Change
1949	558,098	n/a
1960	586,451	5.08%
1970	565,557	-3.56%
1980	593,829 (record)	5.00%
1990	572,301	-3.63%
2001	582,256	1.74%
2011	559,272	-3.95%
2015	562,357	0.55%
2018	558,361	-0.71%

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minority populations in the county are Romani (about 44,000), German (about 2,000), and Ukrainian (about 1,000).

Total population (2011 census): 559,272
Ethnic groups (2011 census):^[4]

Hungarians: 476,256 (90.55%)
Romani: 44,133 (8.40%)
Others and indefinable: 5,569 (1.06%)

About 66,000 people in Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County did not declare their ethnicity during the 2011 census.

Religion

Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census:^[5]

Reformed – 193,697;
Catholic – 182,097 (Roman Catholic – 108,666; Greek Catholic – 73,419);
Evangelical – 11,030;
Orthodox – 389;
other religions – 10,367;
Non-religious – 44,173;
Atheism – 2,468;
Undeclared – 115,051.

Regional structure

№	English and Hungarian names	Area (km²)	Population (2011)	Density (pop./km²)	Seat	№ of municipalities
1	Baktalórántháza District Baktalórántházai járás	254.47	19,123	75	Baktalórántháza	12
2	Csenger District Csengeri járás	246.51	13,485	55	Csenger	11
3	Fehérgyarmat District Fehérgyarmati járás	707.37	37,259	53	Fehérgyarmat	50
4	Ibrány District Ibrányi járás	304.91	23,679	78	Ibrány	8
5	Kemecse District Kemecsei járás	246.41	22,066	90	Kemecse	11
6	Kisvárda District Kisvárdai járás	523.09	56,114	107	Kisvárda	23
7	Mátészalka District Mátészalkai járás	624.70	64,015	102	Mátészalka	26
8	Nagykálló District Nagykállói járás	377.36	30,403	81	Nagykálló	8
9	Nyírbátor District Nyírbátori járás	695.94	43,040	62	Nyírbátor	20
10	Nyíregyháza District Nyíregyházi járás	809.61	168,118	208	Nyíregyháza	15
11	Tiszavasvári District Tiszavasvári járás	381.61	27,684	73	Tiszavasvári	6
12	Vásárosnamény District Vásárosnaményi járás	617.94	35,323	57	Vásárosnamény	28
13	Záhony District Záhonyi járás	145.95	18,963	130	Záhony	11
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County		5,935.83	559,272	94	Nyíregyháza	229

Economy

The county borders three countries, and it is the only Hungarian county bordering Ukraine. The railway border crossing toward Ukraine is well developed; its high capacity is able to meet the requirements of transit and bilateral trade. Following the reconstruction of the road border crossing, the county is also able to cope with increased road transportation.

Several regions in the county have tourism potential, mostly unexploited. Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg has several agricultural products of excellent quality, with capacity for higher production. There is an abundance of low-cost, semiskilled labour.

The county's biggest problem is the economic crisis. There is a shortage of local capital and inward investment, which restrains the creation of new jobs, thus the unemployment rate remains the second highest in Hungary. Manufacturing lags the rest of the country, most notably lacking high quality, high-value-added products. The marginal soil quality limits the scope of agricultural production to a few products which suffer from shrinking export markets to the east.

It is home to the Szakoly Power Plant.

Politics

The Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections^[6], is made up of 25 counselors,^[7] with the following party composition: