BARANYA - Geography and history
A county of small villages
The first settlements on the current territory of Baranya were established about 6 000 BC. From this time on it is possible to trace the history of the people living here from archaeological finds. It belonged to the Roman Empire as a part of the autonomous province of Pannonia and the Romans built one of their major roads across the region linking the east and west of the Empire, branching off to the north at Pécs (Sopianae). This road network was one of the major reasons why commerce continued to thrive in this region following the Hungarian Conquest.
The famous Mohács defeat occurred on the territory of Baranya in 1 526 which led to the beginning of the 150 year Ottoman rule in Hungary which has left its mark on numerous settlements in the county.
Baranya's settlement structure is characterised by small villages. 58% of the county's 405 000 population live in the seven cities (Pécs, Komló, Mohács, Pécsvárad, Sásd, Siklós, and Szigetvár), with the remaining 42% in the 294 villages. Close to nine out of ten villages have a population of less than 1 000. From an ethnographic and folk art point of view the Ormánság is a region of special significance, while the Mecsek-Villány wine-growing areas are among Hungary's most import wine regions. The county capital, Pécs, is a university city, and is one of the country's most important educational and cultural centres.
A submediterranean climate
Baranya is in the southern-most part of the country. Its 4 429 square kilometres land area is bordered in the north by Tolna, in the east by the River Danube and by Bács-Kiskun, in the south by Croatia, and in the west by the county of Somogy. Its terrain is varied; the eastern and southern areas are more or less flat and, much like in the country as a whole, there are no high mountains. The Mecsek mountain range is located in the centre of the county, dividing it into north and south and is home to the highest peak in Baranya (Zengõ, 682 metres). The smaller Villány range in the south of the county divides the Dráva Plain in the same way.
Owing to the warm and moist air masses coming from the Mediterranean Sea and to the protecting belt of the Mecsek mountains, the county is under a submediterranean climatic influence - this is unique in Hungary. Thus, winters are mild, spring comes early, summers are warm, autumns are long, and there is a lot of sunshine and plenty of well-distributed precipitation. The climate is therefore well-suited for agriculture.
Gifts from nature
The mountain ranges are rich in energy and mineral resources. To date, 50 industrially useful rock types have been found. For a century and a half, the most important mineral resource was the Mecsek's black coal, which played a leading role in the county's development. Commercial mining began in the middle of the 19. century. A more recent, but also important activity is uranium mining. Limestone - the main rock of the region's mountain ranges - is in many places mixed with clay and is used in cement manufacturing. In some areas the limestone is pigmented and may be used as marble; hence the "Siklós marble", which is well known abroad.
The county's hilly regions have many streams, but the most important rivers remain the Danube and the Dráva. Baranya has no natural lakes, but there are more and more artificial lakes being formed. The Orfu and Abaliget regions have become important resort areas centred precisely on such artificial lakes. The other lakes are smaller, but are well-stocked with fish.
The population's most important source of water is the Danube, but the water supplies from the karst hills are also significant.
The county has rich thermal and mineral water resources. Of the thermal springs, probably the best known are the Harkány Thermal Water Wells with their 62 °C sulphurous, radioactive waters; the Szigetvár Wells with their waters also at 62 °C but iodic and salty; and the Sikonda Wells with their 30-35 °C carbonated and mildly radioactive medicinal waters.
Many advantages, but handicapped by poor infrastructure
Baranya has many attributes that support the modernisation of the economy: its industrial culture is well established and the processing and service industries are getting stronger and stronger. The conditions for agricultural production are good; average yields are high. Its geographical situation is also advantageous, lying on the Danube-Main-Rhine transcontinental shipping route close to the Balkan countries. Pécs, the county capital, is also a regional centre and its university provides high standards of education. The county's varied landscape, historical monuments, and health resorts are important tourist attractions.
On the other hand, underdevelopment of the road network constitutes a major handicap. The small village settlement structure characterises the county, and the uneven provision of infrastructure continues to disadvantage the more backward areas. The mechanisation of agriculture is low, and the ageing of the population is also a source of concern.
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