Szolnok

Urban county

Flag

Coat of arms

Nickname(s): Capital of Tisza, Gate of Transtisza, City of Waters

Szolnok

Coordinates: 47°10′29″N 20°10′35″E / 47.1747°N 20.1764°ECoordinates: 47°10′29″N 20°10′35″E / 47.1747°N 20.1764°E

Country

Hungary

Government

• Mayor

Ferenc Szalay (Fidesz)

Area

• Total

187.24 km² (72.29 sq mi)

Elevation

68 m (223 ft)

Highest elevation

101.3 m (332.3 ft)

Population (1 January 2016)

• Total

72,333

• Rank

11th in Hungary

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

5000 – 5008

Area code(s)

Website

szolnok.hu

Szolnok (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈsolnok]) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. Its location on the banks of the Tisza river, at the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, has made it an important cultural and economic crossroads for centuries.

Szolnok is located in the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, at the confluence of the Tisza and Zagyva rivers. It lies about 100 kilometres (62 miles) east-southeast from Budapest. The climate of the area is continental, with hot summers following relatively mild winters. The region is one of the sunniest in Europe; the average precipitation is about 490 millimetres (19 in) annually.

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).

Szolnok was named for the first steward of the city, Szaunik or Zounok. The town was first officially mentioned under the name Zounok in 1075. In the following centuries, it was recorded as Zounok, Saunic, Zounuc, and Zawnuch. The variety of spellings likely comes from phonetic discrepancies occurring when Hungarian sounds - originally written in runic Old Hungarian script - were recorded using the Latin alphabet. Another possibility revolves around speculation that the name Szaunik was not a personal name after all, but rather a title relating to the significant salt trade (salt, Hungarian: só) in the area.

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Wikipedia