Csongrád County

This article is about the current administrative entity called Csongrád county. For the historical county, see Csongrád County (former). For the town, see Csongrád.

Csongrád County Csongrád megye
Counties of Hungary
Descending, from top: Maros river embankment near Makó, Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park, and Cathedral of Szeged
Flag Coat of arms
Csongrád County within Hungary
Country	Hungary
Region	Southern Great Plain
County seat	Szeged
Districts	7 districts Csongrád District Hódmezővásárhely District Kistelek District Makó District Mórahalom District Szeged District Szentes District
Government
• President of the General Assembly	Béla Kakas (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
• Total	4,262.71 km2 (1,645.84 sq mi)
Area rank	12th in Hungary
Population  (2015)
• Total	406,205 [1]
• Rank	8th in Hungary
Postal code	66xx – 69xx
Area code(s)	(+36) 62, 63
ISO 3166 code	HU-CS
Website	www.csongrad-megye.hu

Csongrád (Hungarian : Csongrád megye [ˈt͡ʃoŋɡraːd] ), set to be renamed Csongrád-Csanád from 2020 ^[2] is the name of an administrative county (comitatus or megye) in southern Hungary, straddling the river Tisza, on the border with Serbia and Romania. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Bács-Kiskun, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok and Békés. The administrative centre of Csongrád county is Szeged. The county is also part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa euroregion.

History

On October 3, 2017, the Hungarian Parliament passed a resolution to rename Csongrád County to Csongrád-Csanád, which will take effect on June 4, 2020. ^[3] The resolution was submitted by János Lázár, then-Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, who called the renaming symbolic as more than a dozen settlements in the area still share Csanád County's identity. ^[4]

Geography

This county has a total area of 4,263 km² (1,646 sq mi) – 4,58% of Hungary.

The area of Csongrád County is flat. It has a high number of sunshine hours and excellent soil, which makes it the most important agricultural area of Hungary. Its most famous products are paprika from Szeged and onions from Makó, but grain, vegetables, and fruits are also significant. Half of the onions, paprika, and vegetables produced in Hungary are from Csongrád. The county is also rich in oil and natural gas.

The highest point is Ásotthalom (125 m), the lowest is Gyálarét (78 m; lowest point of Hungary).

Neighbours

• Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County in the North.
• Békés County in the East.
•   Romania and   Serbia in the South – Timiș County and North Bačka District
• Bács-Kiskun County in the West.

Demographics

Religion in Csongrád County (2011 census)

   Catholic Church (39.4%)

   Greek Catholicism (0.4%)

   Calvinism (7.0%)

   Lutheranism (0.8%)

   Orthodoxy (0.2%)

   Judaism (0.1%)

  Other religions (1.7%)

   Non-religious (21.8%)

   Atheists (1.6%)

  Undeclared (27.0%)

See also: Demographics of Hungary

After the end of the Ottoman occupation in 1715, the county was nearly uninhabited, with a population density of less than 5/km². In the 18th and 19th centuries, the county was repopulated by ethnic Hungarians from the relatively overpopulated northern and western counties of the Kingdom of Hungary. ^[5] According to the 2001 census, the county is home for 423,826 people (216,936 people live in urban counties) with a population density is 100/km². It has a Hungarian majority. ^[6]

In 2015, it had a population of 406,205 and the population density was 95/km².

Year	County population [7]	Change
1949	429,083	n/a
1960	434,046	1.16%
1970	445,220	2.57%
1980	456,300 (record)	2.49%
1990	438,842	-3.83%
2001	433,344	-1.25%
2011	417,456	-3.67%

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 5,000), Romanian (1,500), German (1,300) and Serb (1,300).

Total population (2011 census): 417,456
Ethnic groups (2011 census): ^[8] Identified themselves: 367,193 persons:

• Hungarians: 355,554 (96.83%)
• Gypsies: 4,720 (1.29%)
• Others and indefinable: 6,919 (1.88%)

Approximately 59,000 persons in Csongrád County did not declare their ethnic group on the 2011 census.

Religion

See also: Religion in Hungary

Religious adherence in the county according to the 2011 census: ^[9]

• Catholic – 165,955 (Roman Catholic – 164,060; Greek Catholic – 1,855);
• Reformed – 29,289;
• Evangelical – 3,488;
• Orthodox – 923;
• Judaism – 263;
• Other religions – 7,278;
• Non-religious – 90,836;
• Atheism – 6,585;
• Undeclared – 112,839.

Regional structure

District of Csongrád County

№	English and Hungarian names	Area (km²)	Population (2011)	Density (pop./km²)	Seat	№ of municipalities
1	Csongrád District Csongrádi járás	339.24	22,996	68	Csongrád (town)	4
2	Hódmezővásárhely District Hódmezővásárhelyi járás	707.77	56,560	80	Hódmezővásárhely	4
3	Kistelek District Kisteleki járás	410.20	18,185	44	Kistelek	6
4	Makó District Makói járás	688.85	45,138	66	Makó	15
5	Mórahalom District Mórahalmi járás	561.71	28,986	52	Mórahalom	10
6	Szeged District Szegedi járás	741.10	204,263	276	Szeged	13
7	Szentes District Szentesi járás	813.84	41,328	51	Szentes	8
Csongrád County		4,262.71	417,456	98	Szeged	60

Transport

Road network

M5 motorway near Röszke.

Main road 45 near Szentes.

See also: Roads in Hungary and Highways in Hungary

In 2012, Csongrád County has a dense network of public roads, in total length of 1,350 km, of which 281 km are main roads. ^[10] Inland, connections are provided by 1,049 km of county and communal roads and 20 km are covered with light road surfaces.

Highway network

• runs from Budapest to Röszke (Serbian border). ~ 47 km
• runs from Szombathely to Szeged. (planned)
• runs from Szeged to Csanádpalota (Romanian border). - 58 km

Road network

• runs from Budapest to Röszke (Serbian border), via Kistelek and Szeged. - 52 km
• runs from Szeged to Nagylak, via Makó. - 55 km
• 430 runs from Makó to Hódmezővásárhely. - 30 km
• runs from Makó to Kiszombor (Romanian border). - 6 km
• runs from Kunszentmárton to Hódmezővásárhely, via Szentes. - 43 km
• runs from Szeged to Debrecen, via Hódmezővásárhely.
• runs from Szeged to Bátaszék, via Mórahalom.
• runs from Kiskunfélegyháza to Szentes, via Csongrád.
• western bypass of Szeged.

Politics

Main article: Csongrád County Assembly

The Csongrád County Council, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 20 counselors ^[11] , with the following party composition:

Party		Seats	Current County Assembly
	Fidesz-KDNP	12
	Hungarian Socialist Party	2
	Jobbik	2
	Our Homeland Movement	2
	Democratic Coalition	1
	Momentum Movement	1

Presidents of the General Assembly

List of Presidents, from 1990 [12]
István Lehmann (MSZP)	1990–1998
Dr. József Frank (Fidesz)	1998–2006
Anna Magyar (Fidesz-KDNP)	2006–2014
Béla Kakas (Fidesz-KDNP)	2014–

Municipalities

Csongrád County has 2 urban counties, 8 towns, 7 large villages and 43 villages.

As a typical Great Plain county, Csongrád has a relatively small number of municipalities. 72.5% of the population lives in cities/towns, so it is one of the most urbanized county in Hungary. ^[13]

Cities with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

• Szeged (168,048) – county seat
• Hódmezővásárhely (46,047)

Towns

• Szentes (28,509)
• Makó (23,683)
• Csongrád (17,242)
• Sándorfalva (7,871)
• Kistelek (7,103)
• Mindszent (6,914)
• Mórahalom (5,804)
• Csanádpalota (2,923)

Villages

• Algyő
• Ambrózfalva
• Apátfalva
• Árpádhalom
• Ásotthalom
• Baks
• Balástya
• Bordány
• Csanádalberti
• Csanytelek
• Csengele
• Derekegyház
• Deszk
• Domaszék
• Dóc
• Eperjes
• Fábiánsebestyén
• Felgyő
• Ferencszállás
• Forráskút
• Földeák
• Királyhegyes
• Kiszombor
• Klárafalva
• Kövegy
• Kübekháza
• Magyarcsanád
• Maroslele
• Mártély
• Nagyér
• Nagylak
• Nagymágocs
• Nagytőke
• Óföldeák
• Ópusztaszer
• Öttömös
• Pitvaros
• Pusztamérges
• Pusztaszer
• Röszke
• Ruzsa
• Szatymaz
• Szegvár
• Székkutas
• Tiszasziget
• Tömörkény
• Újszentiván
• Üllés
• Zákányszék
• Zsombó

municipalities are large villages.

Gallery

• 
  Szeged, the capital of the county
• 
  County hall in Szentes
• 
  Great Hungarian Plain in Csongrád County
• 
  Windmill near Szeged
• 
  Károlyi Mansion in Nagymágocs
• 
  Traditional house in Csongrád
• 
  River Kurca
• 
  Church of Forests in Ópusztaszer

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Csongrád County .

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Csongrád County .

1. nepesseg.com, population data of Hungarians settlements
2. Csongrád-Csanád lesz a megye neve 2020-tól
3. Harmat Árpád, Péter (October 5, 2017). "Csongrád - Csanád megye, az új elnevezés védelmében" . Retrieved April 4, 2020.
4. "Új neve van Csongrád megyének". HVG. October 3, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
5. Changing ethnicities in Hungary (map+data+assay) (Károly Kocsis, Zsolt Bottlik, MTA Földrajztudományi Kutatóintézet, Budapest 2009, ISBN   978-963-9545-18-2, ISBN   978-963-9545-19-9)
6. Csongrád county (2001 census), English
7. népesség.com, "Csongrád megye népessége 1870-2015"
8. 1.1.6. A népesség anyanyelv, nemzetiség és nemek szerint – Frissítve: 2013.04.17.; Hungarian Central Statistical Office (in Hungarian)
9. 2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS, 3. Területi adatok, 3.6 Csongrád megye, (in Hungarian)
10. "Csongrád Megyei Terület fejlesztési Koncepció" (PDF) (in Hungarian).
11. "Megyei közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 (Csongrád megye)". valasztas.hu. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
12. Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
13. List of localities in Csongrád county by area, population and status (2001 census), English

External links

• Official site in Hungarian
• Délmagyarország (delmagyar.hu) - The county portal

Coordinates: 46°25′N20°15′E / 46.417°N 20.250°E / 46.417; 20.250