Baranya, with its 418,000 residents, is the Southernmost county in Hungary. The 4,487 square kilometres encompass an astounding geographic diversity: near the centre is the Mecsek mountain range, with the county's highest point (the Zengő, at 682 metres). The surrounding hills and plains are bordered by the Dráva and Danube rivers, on the south and east, respectively. The climate is pleasantly reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Annual rainfall is between 500-1000 mm, while the seasons range from an early spring to a relatively warm summer, a long, sunny autumn and a mild winter. The earth itself yields riches in precious ores, uranium, and coal. The area, however, is perhaps most famous for Hungary's most well-known treasures: thermal waters and world-renowned wines.
Baranya is a multi-cultural country. Ethnic Germans live alongside slavic minorities: serbs, Croats, and Bosnians are all well represented. Alongside the six major towns (Pécs, Komló, Mohács, Siklós, Szigetvár, and Pécsvárad) lie nearly 300 smaller villages in. Tourists from abroad and even within Hungary are attracted not only to the area�s mild climate, pleasant locales, historical monuments, and thermal and medicinal baths, but also to the rich ethnic diversity and the friendliness of the inhabitants.
The county seat is Pécs. Bordered by picturesque mountains and rolling hills, the town is famous for its university, boasting over 30,000 students, as well as its cultural riches: one of Hungary's four basilicas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and other treasures all played a part in having the city declared one of Europe's cultural capitals in 2010. The Mecsek mountains provide a refreshing change of pace with hiker- and tourist-friendly facilities and paths.
Orfü and Abaliget, meanwhile, are centres of watertourism. The forests and rivers provide a bounty for hunters and anglers. History runs deep in all the county's towns and villages, and many of the most famous battles of the Ottoman War were fought in the region (Mohács, Szigetvár, Siklós, and other sites included). Harkány, Szigetvár, Sikonda and Magyarhertelend all boast luxury spa resorts.