Banská Bystrica Region

The Banská Bystrica Region is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest of the eight regions 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 eponymous town of Banská Bystrica, which is also the region's largest town. Other important towns are Zvolen and Lučenec.

Geography

It is located in the central part of Slovakia and has an area of km². The region is prevailingly mountainous, with several ranges within the area. The highest of them are the Low Tatras in the north, where the highest point, Ďumbier, is located. Some of the mountain ranges in the west include Kremnica Mountains, Vtáčnik and Štiavnica Mountains. The Javorie and Krupina Plain ranges are located in the centre. The Slovak Ore Mountains are running from the central areas to the east, along with its subdivisions. Lower lying areas are located in the south, represented by the Southern Slovak Basin, running along the borders with Hungary. Major rivers are the Hron in the northern half, Ipeľ in the south and centre, Rimava and for short length Slaná in the east. As for administrative division, the region borders Žilina Region in the north, Prešov Region in the north-east, Košice Region in the east, Hungarian Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county in the south-east, Nógrád county in the south and Pest county in the south-west, Nitra Region in the west and Trenčín Region in the north-west.

It has a population of people. The population density in the region is, which is the lowest of all Slovak regions and much lower than the country's average. The largest towns are Banská Bystrica, Zvolen, Lučenec and Rimavská Sobota.

The governor of Banská Bystrica region is Ondrej Lunter . He won with 48.5 %. In election 2022 was elected also regional parliament:
In 2013, Marian Kotleba of the Far Right People's Party Our Slovakia won the election of Governor of Banská Bystrica Region. Kotleba's win was described as a "shock" by political analysts, who attributed it to deep anti-Romani sentiments in the region. Kotleba was defeated in the Slovak regional elections of 2017 by an independent candidate, Ján Lunter.

The Banská Bystrica Region consists of 13 districts.
There are 514 municipalities, of which 24 are towns, where 56% of the region's population lives.