kraj
A kraj ( ''kraje'') is the highest-level administrative unit in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. For lack of other English expressions, the Slavic term is often translated as "province", "region", or "territory", although it approxim ...
, ; hu, Besztercebányai kerület, ) is one of the eight regions of
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. It is the largest region by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystrica region was established in 1923; its borders were last adjusted in 1996. Banská Bystrica consists of 514 municipalities, 24 of which have town status. Its administrative center is the
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous town of Banská Bystrica, which is also the region's largest town. Other important towns are
Zvolen
Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West ...
and
Lučenec
Lučenec (; german: Lizenz; hu, Losonc; yi, לאשאנץ; la, Lutetia HungarorumLelkes György (1992), Magyar helységnév-azonosító szótár, Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 508 p.) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovaki ...
.
Geography
It is located in the central part of Slovakia and has an area of 9,455 km2. The region is prevailingly mountainous, with several ranges within the area. The highest of them are the
Low Tatras
The Low Tatras or Low Tatra ( sk, Nízke Tatry; hu, Alacsony-Tátra) is a mountain range of the Inner Western Carpathians in central Slovakia.
It is located south of the Tatras proper, from which it is separated by the valleys of the Vá ...
in the north, where the highest point,
Ďumbier
Ďumbier (2,043 m or 6,703 ft) is the highest mountain in the Low Tatra range, in central Slovakia. Despite the remains of medieval mines (gold, iron, antimony), the massif is now protected as a part of the Low Tatras National Park.
The e ...
, is located. Some of the mountain ranges in the west include
Kremnica Mountains
The Kremnica Mountains ( sk, Kremnické vrchy, hu, Körmöci-hegység, german: Kremnitzer Berge) are a volcanic mountain range in central Slovakia. They are part of the Western Carpathians and the Slovenské stredohorie Mts.
The mountain range ...
Štiavnica Mountains
The Štiavnica Mountains (also Štiavnické Mountains; sk, Štiavnické vrchy, ) are a volcanic mountain range southern central Slovakia. They are part of Inner Western Carpathians and the Slovenské stredohorie Mountains. The area is protected ...
Krupina Plain
Krupina (german: Karpfen, hu, Korpona) is a town in southern central Slovakia. It is part of the Banská Bystrica Region and has approximately 8,000 inhabitants.
Etymology
The name is probably derived from Slavic root ''krup''. Proto-Slavic: '' ...
ranges are located in the centre. The
Slovak Ore Mountains
The Slovak Ore Mountains ( sk, Slovenské rudohorie , hu, Gömör–Szepesi-érchegység, german: Slowakisches Erzgebirge or Zips-Gemer-Erzgebirge) are an extensive mountain range within the Carpathian Mountains, located mostly in Slovakia's S ...
are running from the central areas to the east, along with its subdivisions (e.g.
Poľana
Poľana is a small mountain range in central Slovakia. It lies in the north-eastern part of the Slovak Central Mountains. The highest hill is Poľana - an inactive stratovolcano - at 1,458 m (4,873 ft) ASL.
The mountain range is bordered by Sl ...
,
Veporské vrchy
Vepor Mountains ( sk, Veporské vrchy) are a mountain range in Slovakia, a subdivision of Erzgebirge in Spiš region.
Notable features
* Fabova hola
* Sihlianska plateau
* Balocké vrchy
See also
* Muránska planina National Park
Muránsk ...
,
Muránska planina
Muránska planina (translated as Muráň Plateau or Muráň Plain) is a plateau-like region in central Slovakia, between Brezno, Červená Skala (part of Šumiac), Muráň and Tisovec. It lies in the Spiš-Gemer Karst, in the Slovenské rudohorie ...
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 the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. Major rivers are the
Hron
The Hron ( sk, Hron; german: Gran; hu, Garam; la, Granus) is a long left tributary of the DanubeIpeľ
The Ipeľ ( Slovak; ) or Ipoly ( Hungarian) (German: ''Eipel'', archaic Slovak: ''Jupoľ'', Latin: ''Bolia'') is a long river in Slovakia and Hungary, a tributary of the Danube River. Its source is in central Slovakia in the Slovak Ore Mountai ...
in the south and centre,
Rimava
Rimava (Hungarian: ) is a river in southern central Slovakia, which flows only in the Rimavská Sobota District. It is a right tributary of the Slaná river. It is long and its basin size is .Slaná in the east. As for administrative division, the region borders
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...
in the north,
Prešov Region
The Prešov Region, also Priashiv Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj, ; hu, Eperjesi kerület; uk, Пряшівський край) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 13 districts (okresy) and 666 municipalities, 23 o ...
in the north-east,
Košice Region
The Košice Region ( sk, Košický kraj, , hu, Kassai kerület; uk, 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 c ...
Nógrád
Nógrád ( sk, Novohrad; german: Neuburg) is a village in Nógrád 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, ...
county in the south and Pest county in the south-west,
Nitra Region
The Nitra Region ( sk, Nitriansky kraj, ; hu, Nyitrai kerület) is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. It was first established in 1923 and from 1996 exists in its present borders. It consists of seven districts ( sk, okres) and 354 ...
in the west and
Trenčín Region
The Trenčín Region ( sk, Trenčiansky kraj, ; cs, Trenčínský kraj; hu, Trencséni kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of 9 districts ('' okresy''). The region was established in 1996: previously it had ...
in the north-west.
Demographics
The population density in the region is (2020-06-30/-07-01), which is the lowest of all Slovak regions and much lower than the country's average (110 per km2). The largest towns are Banská Bystrica,
Zvolen
Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West ...
,
Lučenec
Lučenec (; german: Lizenz; hu, Losonc; yi, לאשאנץ; la, Lutetia HungarorumLelkes György (1992), Magyar helységnév-azonosító szótár, Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 508 p.) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovaki ...
and
Rimavská Sobota
Rimavská Sobota (; hu, Rimaszombat, german: Großsteffelsdorf) is a town in southern Slovakia, in the Banská Bystrica Region, on the Rimava river. It has approximately 24,000 inhabitants. The town is a historical capital of Gömör és Kishon ...
. According to the 2014 census, there were 655,359 inhabitants in the region, with a majority of
Slovaks
The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak.
In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...
(83.7%), but there is a substantial Hungarian minority (11.8%) along the border with
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 the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, as well as smaller minorities of
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
(2.3%) and
Czechs
The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, c ...
Ján Lunter
Ján Lunter (born 15 July 1951) is a Slovak entrepreneur, owner of a family food company and, following the November 2017 elections, governor of the Banská Bystrica Region.
Biography
Lunter studied Cybernetics at the School of Electrical Engin ...
(Independent). He won with 48,5 %. In election 2017 was elected also regional parliament :
2017 elections
Administrative division
The Banská Bystrica Region consists of 13 districts (okresy).
There are 513 municipalities, of which 24 are towns, where the 56% of the region's population live.
See also
*Former
Zólyom County
Zólyom county (in Latin: ''comitatus Zoliensis'', in Hungarian ''Zólyom (vár)megye'', in Slovak ''Zvolenský komitát/ Zvolenská stolica/ Zvolenská župa'', in German ''Sohler Gespanschaft/Komitat Sohl'') was an administrative county (comita ...
of the
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 ...