Somogy ( hu, Somogy megye, ; hr, Šomođska županija; sl, Šomodska županija, german: Komitat Schomodei) is an administrative county (

comitatus ''Comitatus'' was in ancient times the Latin term for an armed escort or retinue. The term is used especially in the context of Germanic warrior culture for a warband tied to a leader by an oath of fealty and describes the relations between a lo ...

or ''megye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. Somogy County lies in south-western Hungary, on the border with

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

(

Koprivnica-Križevci County Koprivnica-Križevci County ( hr, Koprivničko-križevačka županija ; hu, Kapronca-Kőrös megye) is a county in Northern Croatia. Its hyphenated name comes from two entities: the two of its largest cities, Koprivnica and Križevci; Koprivn ...

and

Virovitica-Podravina County Virovitica-Podravina County (; hr, Virovitičko-podravska županija ; hu, Verőce-Drávamente megye) is a northern Slavonian county in Croatia. Its county seat is in Virovitica and it includes the area around the Drava river, hence the name ' ...

). It stretches between the river Dráva and the southern shore of

Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and ...

. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties of Zala, Veszprém, Fejér, Tolna, and

Baranya Baranya or Baranja may refer to: * Baranya (region) or Baranja, a region in Hungary and Croatia * Baranya County, a county in modern Hungary * Baranya County (former), a county in the historic Kingdom of Hungary * Baranya, Hungarian name of villag ...

. It is the most sparsely populated county in Hungary. The capital of Somogy County is

Kaposvár Kaposvár (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in the southwestern part of Hungary, south of Lake Balaton. It is one of the leading cities of Transdanubia, the capital of Somogy County, and the seat of the Kapo ...

. Its area is 6,036 km².

History

Somogy was also the name of a historic administrative county (

) of the

. 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

Demographics

In 2015, it had a population of 312,084 and the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 52/km².

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): Identified themselves: 287,692 persons: *

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

: 265,464 (92,27%) *

Gypsies The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

: 16,167 (5,62%) *

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

: 3,039 (1,06%) *Others and indefinable: 3,022 (1,05%) :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: *Catholic – 168,307 (

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

– 167,719;

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

– 546); * Reformed – 21,176; *

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

– 5,807; *other religions – 3,829; *

Non-religious Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ant ...

– 35,503; * Atheism – 3,056; *''Undeclared'' – 78,459.

Regional structure

Politics

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

'

Presidents of the General Assembly

Municipalities

Somogy County has 1 Town with county rights, urban county, 15 towns, 2 large villages and 227 villages. ;City with county rights (ordered by population, as of 2011

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

) *

(66,245) – county seat ;Towns *

Siófok Siófok (; german: Fock; la, Fuk) is a town in Somogy County, Hungary on the southern bank of Lake Balaton. It is the second largest municipality in Somogy County and the seat of Siófok District. It covers an area of about 124.66 km2 (48.1 ...

(25,045) *

Marcali Marcali (german: Martzal) is a town in Somogy County, Hungary, and the seat of Marcali District. The settlement is part of the Balatonboglár wine region. Geography It lies 14 km south of Lake Balaton, next to the main road 68 and the '' S ...

(11,736) *

Barcs Barcs ( hr, Barč; german: Bartsch or ) is a border town in Somogy County, Hungary, and the seat of Barcs District. The Drava River marks the southern boundary of the settlement. Geography Located at the Croatian border and the River Drava, the ...

(11,420) *

Nagyatád Nagyatád is a town in Somogy County, Hungary and the seat of Nagyatád District. ''Bodvica'', ''Henész'' and ''Kivadár'' are parts of Nagyatád. Etymology Its name derives from the Turkish word ''ata'' ( hu, atya, apa, en, father). Geogra ...

(11,032) *

Balatonboglár Balatonboglár is a resort town situated on the south shore of Lake Balaton in Somogy County, Hungary. It is the official centre of the Balatonboglár wine region, and is often called the "town of grapes and wine." Between 1979 and 1991 Balatonbo ...

(5,736) * Balatonlelle (5,217) *

Csurgó ) in Csurgó , image_shield = HUN_Csurgó_Címer.svg , image_flag = Flag of Csurgó.svg , map = , pushpin_map = Hungary , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_caption = Location of C ...

(5,214) *

Fonyód Fonyód (german: Fonjod) is a town and holiday resort on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, in north-west Somogy, western Hungary, with over 4,700 residents. It is the seat of Fonyód District. History The first mention of Fonyód was in a lett ...

(4,793) * Tab (4,533) * Nagybajom (3,330) * Lengyeltóti (3,050) * Kadarkút (2,653) * Zamárdi (2,386) * Balatonföldvár (2,207) * Igal (1,270) ;Villages * Alsóbogát * Andocs * Ádánd * Babócsa * Bábonymegyer * Bakháza * Balatonberény * Balatonendréd * Balatonfenyves * Balatonkeresztúr * Balatonmáriafürdő *

Balatonőszöd Balatonőszöd is a village in Somogy county, Hungary. It is notable primarily for the speech that Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány delivered to members of the Hungarian Socialist Party The Hungarian Socialist Party ( hu, Magyar Sz ...

* Balatonszabadi *

Balatonszárszó Balatonszárszó is a village along the southern shore of Lake Balaton in Somogy county, Hungary. The settlement is part of the Balatonboglár wine region. Gallery File:Memorial to Attila József in Balatonszemes.jpg, Memorial to Attila Jó ...

* Balatonszemes * Balatonszentgyörgy * Balatonújlak * Bárdudvarnok * Baté * Bálványos * Bedegkér * Bélavár *

Beleg ''The Silmarillion'' () is a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, assisted by the fantasy author Guy Gavri ...

* Berzence Red pog

Bodrog The Bodrog is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary. It is a tributary to the river Tisza. The Bodrog is formed by the confluence of the rivers Ondava and Latorica near Zemplín in eastern Slovakia. It crosses the Slovak–H ...

* Bolhás * Bolhó *

Bonnya Bonnya (german: Bonna / Punnia) is a village in Somogy county, Hungary. Geography It lies on the eastern side of ''Outer Somogy'' along the ''Brook Koppány''. History Bonnya was first mentioned as ''Villa Budana'' as the land of the Diocese o ...

* Böhönye * Bőszénfa * Buzsák * Büssü * Csákány * Cserénfa * Csokonyavisonta * Csoma * Csömend * Csököly * Csombárd * Csurgónagymarton * Darány * Drávagárdony * Drávatamási * Ecseny * Edde * Felsőmocsolád * Fiad * Fonó * Főnyed * Gadács * Gadány * Gamás * Gálosfa * Gige * Gölle * Gyékényes * Görgeteg * Gyugy * Hajmás * Hács * Háromfa * Hedrehely * Hencse * Heresznye * Hetes * Hollád * Homokszentgyörgy * Hosszúvíz * Iharos * Iharosberény * Inke * Istvándi * Jákó * Juta * Kapoly * Kaposfő * Kaposgyarmat * Kaposhomok * Kaposkeresztúr * Kaposmérő * Kaposszerdahely * Kaposújlak * Karád * Kastélyosdombó * Kaszó * Kazsok * Kálmáncsa * Kánya *

Kára In Norse mythology, Kára is a valkyrie, attested in the prose epilogue of the ''Poetic Edda'' poem '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana II''. The epilogue details that "there was a belief in the pagan religion, which we now reckon an old wives' tale, tha ...

* Kelevíz * Kercseliget * Kereki * Kéthely * Kisasszond * Kisbajom * Kisberény *

Kisbárapáti Kisbárapáti is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Roma ...

* Kisgyalán * Kiskorpád * Komlósd * Kötcse * Kőröshegy * Kőkút * Kutas * Lábod * Lad *

Lakócsa Lakócsa ( hr, Lukovišće / Lukovišče) is a village in Somogy County, Hungary. Geography It is located near the River Drava, southeast of Barcs, south of Szigetvár and west of Sellye, in approximately the same distance from all the three tow ...

* Látrány * Libickozma *

Lulla Lulla is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to t ...

* Magyaratád * Magyaregres * Mernye * Mesztegnyő * Mezőcsokonya * Mike *

Miklósi Miklósi (german: Niklasing) is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the ...

* Mosdós * Nagyberki * Nagyberény * Nagycsepely * Nagykorpád * Nagyszakácsi *

Nágocs Nágocs (german: Nagotsch) is a village in Somogy County, Hungary. ''Jutom-puszta'', ''Csillag-puszta'', ''Tomé-puszta'' and ''Kovászna'' are all parts of Nágocs. Geography It lies in the middle of the ''Outer Somogy Hill Range'', 25 km f ...

* Nemesdéd * Nemeskisfalud * Nemesvid * Nikla *

Nyim Nyim is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to th ...

* Orci * Ordacsehi * Osztopán * Öreglak * Ötvöskónyi * Őrtilos * Pamuk * Patalom * Patca * Patosfa * Pálmajor * Péterhida * Pogányszentpéter * Polány * Porrog * Porrogszentkirály * Porrogszentpál * Potony * Pusztakovácsi * Pusztaszemes * Ráksi * Rinyabesenyő * Rinyakovácsi * Rinyaszentkirály * Rinyaújlak * Rinyaújnép *

Ságvár Ságvár ( la, Tricciana) is a village in Somogy county, Hungary. Etymology According to the local legends the settlement was named after a pasha called ''Ság'' who had a castle there. Researchers agree that ''Ság'' was a Kabar The Kabars ...

* Sántos *

Sávoly Sávoly () is a village in Somogy county, Hungary. About Sávoly Population: 576 Area: 1.19 km2 Fields: 25.65 km2 The road running across the bridge of the Marótvölgyi Channel goes to Sávoly. Water flows very slowly in the chann ...

* Segesd *

Sérsekszőlős Sérsekszőlős is a village in Tab District of Somogy County in Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to ...

* Siójut * Som * Somodor * Somogyacsa * Somogyaracs * Somogyaszaló * Somogybabod * Somogybükkösd * Somogycsicsó *

Somogydöröcske Somogydöröcske is a village in Somogy county, Hungary. Geography It lies southwest of Tamási, along the ''Brook Koppány''. It is south of the main road running between Somogyacsa and Törökkoppány. History Somogydöröcske or Döröcsk ...

* Somogyegres * Somogyfajsz * Somogygeszti * Somogyjád *

Somogymeggyes Somogymeggyes is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Roma ...

* Somogysimonyi * Somogyszentpál * Somogyszil * Somogyszob * Somogysámson * Somogysárd * Somogytúr * Somogyudvarhely * Somogyvámos *

Somogyvár Somogyvár ( hr, Šemudvar) is a village in Somogy County, Hungary. Geography It is situated south from Lengyeltóti, between Lengyeltóti, Öreglak and Somogyvámos. History It is a historical tradition that, after the death of Géza of Hun ...

* Somogyzsitfa * Szabadi * Szabás * Szántód * Szegerdő * Szenna * Szenta * Szentbalázs * Szentborbás * Szentgáloskér * Szenyér * Szilvásszentmárton * Szorosad * Szólád * Szőkedencs * Szőlősgyörök * Szulok * Tapsony *

Tarany Tarany ( sl, Taran) is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast ...

* Taszár * Táska * Tengőd * Teleki * Tikos * Torvaj * Tótújfalu * Törökkoppány *

Újvárfalva Újvárfalva is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Roman ...

* Várda *

Varászló Varászló is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania ...

* Vése * Visnye * Visz * Vízvár * Vörs * Zala * Zákány * Zics * Zimány * Zselickisfalud * Zselickislak * Zselicszentpál Red pog

municipalities are ''large'' villages.

Gallery

File:Kaposvár Nagyboldogasszony Székesegyház.jpg,

, the capital of the county File:Siófok vasútállomás.jpg,

, the ''Capital of Balaton'' File:Siofok-passe du port.jpg,

near Balatonföldvár File:Koroshegy viaduct 03.jpg, ''Kőröshegy Viaduct'' in Kőröshegy File:Kaposvar House of Rippl-Ronai.jpg, House of József Rippl-Rónai File:Lakóház-tájház, Istvándi.JPG, Traditional Hungarian house in Istvándi File:Somogyvámos - The temple in the puszta.jpg, ''Pusztatemplom'' of the Árpád era near Somogyvámos File:Balatonvilágosi kilátás.jpg,

Balatonvilágos Balatonvilágos is the northernmost as well as the easternmost village of Somogy county, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to ...

International relations

Somogy County has a

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...

relationship with:

References

External links

Official site
in Hungarian
Somogyi Hírlap (sonline.hu) - The county portalHungary at GeoHive
{{Authority control Counties of Hungary History of Somogy