Somogy County

Somogy (Hungarian: Somogy megye, pronounced [ˈʃomoɟ]; Croatian: Šomođska županija; Slovene: Šomodska županija, German: Komitat Schomodei) is an administrative county (comitatus or megye) in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary.

Somogy County

Somogy megye
Descending, from top: Sunset in Lake Balaton, Somogyvár Abbey, and Downtown of Kaposvár
Flag
Coat of arms
Somogy County within Hungary
Country Hungary
RegionSouthern Transdanubia
County seatKaposvár
Districts
Government
  President of the General AssemblyNorbert Bíró (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
  Total6,065.07 km2 (2,341.74 sq mi)
Area rank5th in Hungary
Population
 (2015)
  Total312,084[1]
  Rank13th in Hungary
Postal code
7253 – 729x, 74xx – 75xx, 7918, 7977 – 7979, 86xx – 873x, 884x – 885x
Area code(s)(+36) 82, 84, 85
ISO 3166 codeHU-SO
Websitewww.som-onkorm.hu

Somogy County

Somogy County lies in south-western Hungary, on the border with Croatia (Koprivnica-Križevci County and Virovitica-Podravina County). It stretches between the river Dráva and the southern shore of Lake Balaton. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties of Zala, Veszprém, Fejér, Tolna, and Baranya. It is the most sparsely populated county in Hungary. The capital of Somogy County is Kaposvár. Its area is 6,036 km².

History

Somogy was also the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory, which was slightly larger than that of present Somogy County, is now in south-western Hungary. The capital of the county was and still is Kaposvár.

Aerial photograph of Kaposvár.

Demographics

Religion in Somogy County (2011 census)

  Catholic Church (53.1%)
  Calvinism (6.7%)
  Lutheranism (1.8%)
  Other religions (1.2%)
  Non-religious (11.2%)
  Atheists (1.0%)
  Undeclared (24.8%)

In 2015, it had a population of 312,084 and the population density was 52/km².

Year County population[2] Change
1949 361,213 n/a
1960 368,183 (record) 1.93%
1970 357,009 -3.03%
1980 360,270 0.91%
1990 344,708 -4.32%
2001 335,237 -2.75%
2011 316,137 -5.70%

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 16,000), Germans (3,000) and Croats (1,500).

Total population (2011 census): 316,137
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[3] Identified themselves: 287,692 persons:

Approx. 46,000 persons in Somogy County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religion

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

Regional structure

Districts of Somogy County
English and
Hungarian names
Area
(km²)
Population
(2011)
Density
(pop./km²)
Seat № of
municipalities
1 Barcs District
Barcsi járás
696.47 23,793 34 Barcs 26
2 Csurgó District
Csurgói járás
496.19 16,862 34 Csurgó 18
3 Fonyód District
Fonyódi járás
645.44 33,785 52 Fonyód 21
4 Kaposvár District
Kaposvári járás
1,591.36 118,496 74 Kaposvár 78
5 Marcali District
Marcali járás
904.24 34,472 38 Marcali 37
6 Nagyatád District
Nagyatádi járás
647.07 26,003 40 Nagyatád 18
7 Siófok District
Siófoki járás
657.05 51,099 78 Siófok 24
8 Tab District
Tabi járás
427.24 12,797 30 Tab 24
Somogy County 6,065.07 312,084 52 Kaposvár 245

Politics

Somogy County Hall

The Somogy County Council, elected at the 2014 local government elections, is made up of 16 counselors, with the following party composition:[5]

    Party Seats Current County Assembly
  Fidesz-KDNP 9                  
  Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) 3                  
  Association for Somogy (Somogyért) 2                  
  Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) 1                  
  Democratic Coalition (DK) 1                  

Presidents of the General Assembly

List of Presidents, from 1990[6]
István Gyenesei (Independent)1990–1994
István Kolber (MSZP)1994–1998
István Gyenesei (Somogyért)1998–2006
Attila Gelencsér (Fidesz-KDNP)2006–2014
Norbert Bíró (Fidesz-KDNP)2014–

Municipalities

Somogy County has 1 urban county, 15 towns, 2 large villages and 227 villages.

City with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

Towns
Villages

municipalities are large villages.

See also

International relations

Somogy County has a partnership relationship with:

References

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