Geographical Location

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County is situated in the north-eastern corner of Hungary, and borders three foreign countries: Romania, Slovakia and the Ukraine.

The area of the county is 5,938 km2.

From a geographical aspect, it is possible to divide the county into two main regions: The Upper Tisza Valley and the Nyírség. Tisza is the most important river of the county. It enters Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg – and Hungary – at Tiszabecs, and leaves the county at Tiszadob. Its segment in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County  is 235 km long, out of which 208 km belongs to the Upper Tisza Valley, reaching the area of Tokay and Rakamaz.

Climate

Summers in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County are moderately warm and dry, and winters are not very cold. Winter is the longest and coldest season in the Plains, the Upper Tisza Valley and in the Nyírség. Summers are not as hot as in other parts of the Plains. Annual precipitation is 550-600 mm.

Population: 572,423.

History

Today’s Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County came into being with the merger of parts of the former counties of Szabolcs, Ung, Szatmár and Ugocsa. Approximately one third of the medieval Szabolcs and one third of the medieval Bereg belongs to Hungary today, and within that, to Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County.
Archeological findings indicate that the area, located at crossroads between steppes, swamps and rivers bordered by forests, was inhabited as early as the neolithic age, 10000-7000 years ago.
The history of the county was primarily shaped by the noble families that had settled in the area in the days of the Hungarian Conquest (896), but the area often suffered from intruders who came here as the county was close to the borders of the kingdom. In 1241, it was Borsova County that first suffered from the Mongolian Invasion. Batu Khan’s hordes poured into Hungary through the Straits of Verecke. It is believed that Szamostatárfalva received its name in those days (tatár=Tartar, Mongolian) when the inhabitants of the village, who had first fled and then, after the invasion, returned, thus commemorated the raid of the Mongolians on their homeland.
As a reaction to the oppression of the Turkish occupants and the Hungarian landlords, the Hungarian peasants revolted under the leadership of György Dózsa in 1514. Similarly to the serfs of other regions, those living in what is today Szabolcs-Szatmár-bereg County also participated in the uprising, which was finally brutally crushed by the landlords.
Ferenc Rákóczi II’s War of Independence of 1703-1711 found enthusiastic followers in the region, where Tamás Esze and Albert Kiss led the freedom fighters. Ferenc Rákóczi II issued a charter at Vásárosnamény, urging the Hungarian nobility to join the fight against the Austrian House.
As a result of the Versailles Peace Treaty after World War I, major towns that formerly constituted the financial and cultural bases of the county found themselves outside the new borders of Hungary. 

SOFTLY FLOWS THE TISZA
Two rivers - the Tisza and the Szamos - carve the county into several distinct areas, but it is the serpentine Tisza that defines the region. From where it enters Hungary at Tiszabecs, the river meanders peacefully to the north and then abruptly turns southward for some two hundred kilometres. Once Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg's lifeline, the Tisza is now the county's playground, with inviting beaches, fish just waiting to bite and dikes for cyclists. And of course it is a liquid artery for canoeists, rowers and jet-skiers.

But the Tisza wasn't always so serene. Until the river was regulated in the 19th century, large parts of the region would often be flooded and cut off from other areas by swampland. This helped to protect the area from the devastation suffered elsewhere in Hungary during the Turkish occupation in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Isolation also saved the region's distinctive wooden churches and other traditional architecture from oblivion. What other parts of Hungary have lost to wars and occupations remains alive and well in the north-east to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Before World War II, the county was home to most Jews in Hungary living outside Budapest, and their presence can still be felt be in the region's old synagogues and Judaic cemeteries.