Košice Region

The Košice Region (Slovak: Košický kraj, pronounced [ˈkɔʂitskiː ˈkraj]; Hungarian: Kassai kerület; Ukrainian: Кошицький край) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders were established in 1996. It consists of 11 districts (okresy) and 440 municipalities, 17 of which have a town status. About one third of the region's population lives in the agglomeration of Košice, which is its main economic and cultural centre.

Košice Region
Košický kraj
Region
From the top to bottom-left; Panorama of Markušovce, Cathedral of St. Elizabeth in Košice, Tomášovský View, Interior of gothic church in Štítnik, Spiš Castle, Domica Cave, Rožňava, Slovak Karst National Park
Flag of Košice Region
Flag
Coat of arms of Košice Region
Coat of arms
Košice Region
Košice Region
CountrySlovakia
CapitalKošice
Government
 • BodyCounty Council of Košice Region
 • GovernorRatislav Trnka (Independent)
Area
 • Total6,753.26 km2 (2,607.45 sq mi)
Highest elevation
1,476 m (4,843 ft)
Lowest elevation
94 m (308 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total782,216
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeSK-KI
Websitewww.kosice-region.sk

Geography

It is located in the southern part of eastern Slovakia and covers an area of 6,752 km2. The western part of the region is composed of the eastern part of the Slovak Ore Mountains, including its subdivisions: Slovak Karst, Slovak Paradise, Volovské vrchy, Čierna hora. The Hornád Basin is located in the northwest. The area between Slovak Ore Mountains and Slanské vrchy is covered by the Košice Basin, named after the city. The area east of Slanské vrchy is covered by the Eastern Slovak Lowland and there is a volcanic range, Vihorlat Mountains, in the northeast, close to the Ukrainian border. Bigger rivers include Slaná in the southwest, Hornád in the west and centre, Uh and Bodrog in the east, along with a small part of the Tisza river in the extreme southeast. As for administrative divisions, the region borders Prešov Region in the north, Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine in the east, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén counties of Hungary in the south and the Banská Bystrica Region in the west.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1980698,825—    
1991741,216+6.1%
2001766,012+3.3%
2011791,723+3.4%
2021782,216−1.2%
Source:[1]

The average population density in the region is 117.9 inhabitants per km2, which is very similar to the country's average (110 per km2). The largest towns are Košice, Michalovce, Spišská Nová Ves, Trebišov and Rožňava. According to the 2001 census, there were 766,012 inhabitants in the region, with a majority of Slovaks (81.8%), but there is a numerous Hungarian minority (11.2%) in the south, and there are minorities of Roma (3.9%) and Czechs (<1%).[2]

Economy

The economy of the Košice region accounted for 11.47% of Slovakia's GDP in 2013, which made it the region with the second highest GDP in Slovakia after the Bratislava region. However, it lags behind the majority of Slovakia's regions in GDP per capita.[3]

The salaries are on average 40% higher in the Bratislava region than in the Košice region, but the living costs are considerably higher there as well.[4]

The unemployment in the region was at 15.6% in 2014.[4]

Politics

Current governor of Košice region is Rastislav Trnka (Independent). He won with 37,8 %. In election 2017 was elected also regional parliament :

County Council of Košice region
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
HousesCounty Council
Leadership
Governor
Vice governors
 
Karol Pataky, Aliancia/Szövetség
Structure
Seats57 councilors
Political groups
Administration (34)
  •   Centre-right coalition[5] (16)
  •   Independents (9)
  •   Aliancia/Szövetség and Independets (9)

Other parties (23)

Elections
Last election
4 November 2017
Meeting place

Governor's office, Košice
Website
Council of Košice region

Administrative division

The Košice Region consists of 11 districts. In Košice city itself there are four districts; seven districts are outside the city. There are 440 municipalities, of which 17 are towns.

See also

References
  1. "SLOVAKIA: Regions and Major Cities". Citypopulation. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. "POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS 2001 - Tab. 3a". 29 November 2006. Archived from the original on 29 November 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  3. Domaci produkt 1995–2013 slovak.statistics.sk
  4. Bratislavský vs. Košický kraj. Retrieved 29 April 2015
  5. SaS, OĽaNO, NOVA, Christian Democratic Movement
  • Kopa, Ľudovít; et al. (2006). The Encyclopaedia of Slovakia and the Slovaks. Bratislava, Slovakia: Encyclopaedic Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. ISBN 80-224-0925-1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.