Wikipedia

Somogy County

For the historical county, see Somogy County (former).

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

Somogy County
Somogy vármegye
Counties of Hungary
Sunset in Lake Balaton
Somogyvár Abbey
Pedestrian Street, Kaposvár
Descending, from top: Sunset in Lake Balaton, Somogyvár Abbey, and Downtown of Kaposvár
Flag of Somogy County
Flag
Coat of arms of Somogy County
Coat of arms
Somogy County within Hungary
Somogy County within Hungary
Coordinates: 46°25′N 17°35′E / 46.417°N 17.583°E / 46.417; 17.583
CountryHungary
RegionSouthern Transdanubia
County seatKaposvár
Districts
8 districts
Government
 • BodySomogy County Council
 • President of the General AssemblyNorbert Bíró (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
 • Total
6,065.07 km2 (2,341.74 sq mi)
 • Rank5th in Hungary
Population
 (2018)
 • Total
303,802[1]
 • Rank13th in Hungary
GDP
[2]
 • TotalHUF 683 billion
€2.195 billion (2016)
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 lies in south-western Hungary, on the border with Croatia's Koprivnica-Križevci and Virovitica-Podravina counties. 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. Somogy is the most sparsely populated county in Hungary. The county capital is Kaposvár. Its area is 6,036 km2.

History

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Main article: Somogy County (former)

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 that county was also Kaposvár.

 
Aerial photograph of Kaposvár.

Demographics

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Religion in Somogy County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (62.0%))

  Roman Catholic (63.5%)
  Calvinistic (9.5%)
  Lutheran (2.6%)
  Other Christian denomination (3.8%)
  Other religion (0.5%)
  Not religious (20.1%)
See also: Demographics of Hungary

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

Year County population[3] 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%
2015   312,084 -1.29%
2018   303,802 -2.72%

Ethnicity

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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):[4] Identified themselves: 287,692 persons:

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

Religion

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See also: Religion in Hungary

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

Regional structure

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Districts of Somogy County
No. English and
Hungarian names 		Area
(km2) 		Population
(2011) 		Density
(pop./km2) 		Seat No. 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

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Somogy County Hall

The Somogy County Council, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 15 counselors, with the following party composition:[6]

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

Presidents of the General Assembly

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List of presidents since 1990[7]
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

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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

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International relations

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Somogy County has a partnership relationship with:

References

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Somogy County.
  1. ^ nepesseg.com, population data of Hungarian settlements
  2. ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ népesség.com, "Somogy megye népessége 1870-2015"
  4. ^ 1.1.6. A népesség anyanyelv, nemzetiség és nemek szerint – Frissítve: 2013.04.17.; Hungarian Central Statistical Office (in Hungarian)
  5. ^ 2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS, 3. Területi adatok, 3.15 Somogy megye, (in Hungarian) [1]
  6. ^ Közgyűlés, (in Hungarian) [2]
  7. ^ Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
  8. ^ kaposvarmost.hu - TOVÁBBI LEHETŐSÉGEKET KERES SOMOGY ÉS GANSU - July 2, 2016
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