CSONGRD

megye (county), southeastern Hungary. It occupies an area of 1,646 square miles (4,263 square km) in the southern part of the Great Hungarian Plain, where swamp-draining projects have added large tracts of cultivable land, and water-conservation works have reduced the danger of crop losses from severe drought. Light soils and the hot, dry summers favour the cultivation of paprika; corn (maize), rye, onions, poultry, and fruit are other major crops. Commercial freshwater fishing is significant in the artificial lakes and the Tisza River. The first Hungarian land reforms after World War II took place at Pusztaszer in 1945. Petroleum exploitation in the region is extensive, with many developments in the 1970s; oil fields were developed at Kiskunhales and Algyo. Szeged is the capital but is an administratively independent city within the megye. Other major cities are Szentes, Hdmezovsrhely, Csongrd, and Mak. Pop. (1990 prelim.) 450,000.