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The Hungarian Minority in Romania is mostly situated in the northwestern part of Romania in what used to be Transylvania, with the Carpathian Mountains in the East and the Transylvanian Alps in the south. The Hungarian Population in Romania makes up approximately 6.6 percent of the total population, or 1,431,807 citizens and is the largest minority in Romania and one of the largest minorities in Europe. Although the Transylvanian region was once comprised entirely of Hungarians, only 20 percent now consider themselves of Hungarian descent, and they only form a majority in the Szekler Region (the counties of Hargita and Kovászna). The remaining 3.9 percent of the population are a combination of Roma, Ukrainian, German, Russian and Turkish.
Politics
The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR) is 1 of 56 organizations in the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. The aim of DAHR is to achieve local government, cultural and territorial autonomy and the right to self-determination. The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania is a member of the European Democrat Union (EDU) and an associated member of the European People?s Party (EPP). DAHR's first two ministers were elected in the 1996 Romanian parliamentary elections.
The ethnic party Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania holds as of 2004 10 seats in the Senate (6.23%) and 22 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of Romania (6.17%) and has been since 1996 part of the ruling coalition in Romania.
Key Dates
- 1920 Transylvania was incorporated into Romania
- 1989 The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania was founded
- 1995 A basic treaty on the relations between Hungary and Romania was signed - in the treaty Hungary renounces claims to Romania territory and Romania promises to respect the rights of its 2 million ethnic Hungarians
Population
Nation-wide
- 1992 - 1,624,959 persons, 7,1% of the population
- 2002 - 1,431,807 persons, 6,6% of the population
By county
Hungarians form the majority of population in two counties of South-Eastern Transylvania: Harghita and Covasna.
| County | Hungarians | Percentage of the population |
|---|
| Harghita | 275,841 | 84.61% |
| Covasna | 164,055 | 73.81% |
| Mureş | 227,673 | 39.26% |
| Satu Mare | 129,998 | 35.22% |
| Bihor | 155,554 | 25.92% |
| Sălaj | 57,318 | 23.07% |
| Cluj | 122,131 | 17.37% |
| Arad | 49,399 | 10.70% |
| Maramureş | 46,250 | 9.06% |
| Braşov | 51,470 | 8.75% |
| Timiş | 51,421 | 7.59% |
| Bistriţa-Năsăud | 18,394 | 5.89% |
| Alba | 20,682 | 5.40% |
| Hunedoara | 25,321 | 5.20% |
| Sibiu | 15,478 | 3.67% |
| Caraş-Severin | 5,859 | 1.76% |
| Bacău | 4,528 | 0.64% |
| Bucharest | 5,834 | 0.31% |
Each of the other counties of Romania has a Hungarian population of less than 1,000 people.
See also
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