| Košice Region | |
| Native Name: | Košický kraj |
| Native Name Lang: | sk |
| Settlement Type: | Region |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Slovakia |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Košice |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | (Independent) |
| Area Total Km2: | 6753.26 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1476 |
| Elevation Min M: | 94 |
| Population Total: | 782216 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | €9.372 billion (2016) |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info2: | €11,753 (2016) |
| Iso Code: | SK-KI |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Governing Body: | County Council of Košice Region |
The Košice Region (Slovak: Košický [[kraj]], in Slovak pronounced as /ˈkɔʂitskiː ˈkraj/; Hungarian: Kassai kerület; Ukrainian: 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 consists of 11 districts (okresy) and 440 municipalities, 17 of which have a town status. About one third of the region's population lives in the agglomeration of Košice, which is its main economic and cultural centre.
It is located in the southern part of eastern Slovakia and covers an area of 6,752 km2. The western part of the region is composed of the eastern part of the Slovak Ore Mountains, including its subdivisions: Slovak Karst, Slovak Paradise, Volovské vrchy, Čierna hora. The Hornád Basin is located in the northwest. The area between Slovak Ore Mountains and Slanské vrchy is covered by the Košice Basin, named after the city. The area east of Slanské vrchy is covered by the Eastern Slovak Lowland and there is a volcanic range, Vihorlat Mountains, in the northeast, close to the Ukrainian border. Bigger rivers include Slaná in the southwest, Hornád in the west and centre, Uh and Bodrog in the east, along with a small part of the Tisza river in the extreme southeast. As for administrative divisions, the region borders Prešov Region in the north, Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine in the east, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén counties of Hungary in the south and the Banská Bystrica Region in the west.
The average population density in the region is 117.9 inhabitants per km2, which is very similar to the country's average (110 per km2). The largest towns are Košice, Michalovce, Spišská Nová Ves, Trebišov and Rožňava. According to the 2001 census, there were 766,012 inhabitants in the region, with a majority of Slovaks (81.8%), but there is a numerous Hungarian minority (11.2%) in the south, and there are minorities of Roma (3.9%) and Czechs (<1%).[2]
The economy of the Košice region accounted for 11.47% of Slovakia's GDP in 2013, which made it the region with the second highest GDP in Slovakia after the Bratislava region. However, it lags behind the majority of Slovakia's regions in GDP per capita.[3]
The salaries are on average 40% higher in the Bratislava region than in the Košice region, but the living costs are considerably higher there as well.
The unemployment in the region was at 15.6% in 2014.[4]
Current governor of Košice region is Rastislav Trnka (Independent). He won with 37,8 %. In election 2017 was elected also regional parliament :
| County Council of Košice region | |
| House Type: | Unicameral |
| Houses: | County Council |
| Leader1 Type: | Governor |
| Leader1: | Rastislav Trnka |
| Party1: | Independent |
| Leader2 Type: | Vice governors |
| Leader2: | Daniel Rusnák |
| Party2: | KDH |
| Members: | 57 councilors |
| Structure1: | KOŠICE.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: | Administration (34)
Other parties (23)
|
| Last Election1: | 4 November 2017 |
| Meeting Place: | Governor's office, Košice |
| Party3: | Aliancia/Szövetség |
| Leader3: | Karol Pataky |
| Leader3 Type: | |
The Košice Region consists of 11 districts. In Košice city itself there are four districts; seven districts are outside the city. There are 440 municipalities, of which 17 are towns.