Makó
Makó | |
|---|---|
Montage including images of downtown Makó | |
| Nickname(s): The Capital of Onion, Constantinople of the Maros, Town of Flowers | |
Location in Csongrád County, Hungary | |
| Coordinates: 46°13′01″N 20°28′59″E / 46.217°N 20.483°E | |
| Country | Hungary |
| County | Csongrád |
| District | Makó |
| Settled | 895 |
| Founded | 1299 |
| Founded by | Andrew III of Hungary |
| Named after | General Makó |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Éva Erzsébet Farkas (Fidesz-KDNP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 229.23 km2 (88.51 sq mi) |
| Population (1 January 2011) | |
• Total | 21,913 |
| • Density | 99.23/km2 (257.0/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Makovian |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 6900 |
| Area code | (+36) 62 |
| Website | mako |
Makó ([ˈmɒkoː], German: Makowa, Yiddish: מאַקאָווע Makowe, Romanian: Macău or Macovia, Slovak: Makov) is a town in Csongrád County, in southeastern Hungary, 10 km (6 mi) from the Romanian border. It lies on the Maros River. Makó is home to 21,913 people and it has an area of 229.23 square kilometres (88.51 square miles), of which 196.8 km2 (76.0 sq mi) is arable land. Makó is the fourth-largest town in Csongrád County after Szeged, Hódmezővásárhely and Szentes. The town is 28.6 km (17.8 mi) from Hódmezővásárhely, 36.2 km (22.5 mi) from Szeged, 75.4 km (46.9 mi) from Arad, 85 km (52.8 mi) from Gyula, 93.5 km (58.1 mi) from Timișoara (Temesvár), and 200 km (124 mi) from Budapest.
The climate is warmer than anywhere else in Hungary, with hot, dry summers. The town is noted for its onion which is a hungarikum, the spa and the thermal bath. The Makó International Onion Festival, the largest of its kind, is held annually. Makó is a popular tourist destination in Hungary.
The Makó gas field, located near the town, is the largest natural gas field in Central Europe. The gas volume is more than 600 billion cubic metres (21 trillion cubic feet), according to a report by the Scotia Group.
The town's floodplain forests are protected as part of Körös-Maros National Park.