The Banská Bystrica Region (Slovak: Banskobystrický kraj, pronounced[ˈbanskɔbistritskiːˈkraj]; Hungarian: Besztercebányai kerület, pronounced[ˈbɛstɛrt͡sɛbaːɲɒiˈkɛrylɛt]) 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.
The population density in the region is 68.14/km2 (176.5/sq mi) (2020-06-30/-07-01),[4] 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, Lučenec and Rimavská Sobota. According to the 2014 census, there were 655,359 inhabitants in the region, with a majority of Slovaks (83.7%), but there is a substantial Hungarian minority (11.8%) along the border with Hungary, as well as smaller minorities of Roma (2.3%) and Czechs (<1%).[5]
Politics
The governor of Banská Bystrica region is Ondrej Lunter (Independent). He won with 48,5 %. In election 2022 was elected also regional parliament :
Kopa, Ľudovít; et al. (2006). The Encyclopaedia of Slovakia and the Slovaks. Bratislava, Slovakia: Encyclopaedic Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. ISBN80-224-0925-1.