Košice Regional Government

Located in south east Slovakia, Košice Region is a largely flat area bordering Ukraine and Hungary. Slovakia's second largest region, it covers an area of 6,751.9 square kilometres and has a total population of 771,947 (2005). The capital, Košice city, is Slovakia's second largest and the industrial anchor of the east of the country, with about one third of the total inhabitants of the region.

Košice Region incorporates two main land systems - the Východoslovenská nížina (Eastern Slovak Lowlands) and the Spiš and Gemer karst. The western part of this hilly area forms the Slovenské rudohorie mountains, known for their ore deposits, while the eastern half, the Slanské mountains, divide the region in two.

Three rivers flow through Košice Region - the Bodrog, which starts at the Zemplínska šírava (Zemplín Sea) manmade lake and drains the lowlands south to Hungary; the Hornád, which flows from the Spiš area through Margecany and Košice; and the Slaná, which flows south from Rožňava and the western part of the region.

Košice Region incorporates 11 districts, 17 towns and 440 municipalities. The region is the second largest generator of exports and GDP in Slovakia. The local economy is based on industry and agriculture, but is dominated by metallurgy, which accounts for 60 per cent of total industrial production. Other important sectors include chemical and electro-technical production, as well as extraction of the black and brown coal and gas deposits around Michalovce.

In the west of the region, around Rožňava, Krompachy, Rudňany and Gelnica, mining and smelting are the principal activities, followed by the production of machinery and construction materials. The rich land of the Eastern Slovakia Lowlands supports grains and oil-producing plants such as sunflowers, and grapes in Slovenské Nové Mesto (the heart of Slovakia's Tokaj region) and Sobrance.