The Kiskunság National Park is a national park located mainly in Bács-Kiskun

Bács-Kiskun

Bács-Kiskun is a county located in southern Hungary. It was created as a result of World War II, merging the pre war Bács-Bodrog and the southern parts of Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun counties. With an area of 8,445 km2, Bács-Kiskun is the largest county in the country. The terrain is mostly flat...

 county, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

. It was created in 1975 and declared a biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

 by the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

. The park covers an area of 570 km² and stretches across the Little Cumania

Little Cumania

Kiskunság is a historical and geographical region in Hungary situated in the current between Kalocsa and Szeged. Like other historical European regions called Cumania, it is named for the Cumans , a historically very significant nomadic tribe -See also:...

 (Kiskunság) region of the Great Hungarian Plain

Great Hungarian Plain

The Great Hungarian Plain is a plain occupying the southern and eastern part of Hungary, some parts of the Eastern Slovak Lowland, southwestern Ukraine, the Transcarpathian Lowland , western Romania , northern Serbia , and eastern Croatia...

.

Features

It is not a single territory, but comprises seven disjoint units, scattered throughout the area.

One of these is the Kiskunság's Puszta

Puszta

Puszta is a steppe biome on the Great Hungarian Plain around the River Tisza in the eastern part of Hungary as well as on the western part of Hungary and in the Austrian Burgenland. The Hungarian puszta is an enclave of the Eurasian Steppe....

 where annual events are held reviving the old pastoral life and cattle breeding customs.

Another is Lake Kolon near the town of Izsák

Izsák

Izsák is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary....

. It is famous for its marsh tortoises, heron

Heron

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....

s, expanses of untouched reeds and nine species of orchids which grow in the vicinity. An interesting natural phenomenon is the sand dunes in the vicinity of Fülöpháza

Fülöpháza

Fülöpháza is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 938 people ....

. They are said to move under favourable wind conditions.

Geography

The alkali lakes of the Little Cumania

Little Cumania

Kiskunság is a historical and geographical region in Hungary situated in the current between Kalocsa and Szeged. Like other historical European regions called Cumania, it is named for the Cumans , a historically very significant nomadic tribe -See also:...

 are found near Fülöpszállás

Fülöpszállás

Fülöpszállás is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 1657 people ....

 and Szabadszállás

Szabadszállás

Szabadszállás is a small town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary, 80 kilometres south of Budapest by rail.The town is surrounded by several areas of the Kiskunság National Park.- External links :* *...

. Their unique flora

Flora

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 and fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

 are of special value. Avocets, geese and black-winged stilts

Stilts

Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to stand at a distance above the ground. Walking stilts are poles equipped with steps for the feet to stand on, or straps to attach them to the legs, for the purpose of walking while elevated above a normal height...

 nest in the area. The lakes provide a temporary home for tens of thousands of migratory birds. This ornithologist paradise is also a UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

. Lake Szelid

Lake Szelid

Lake Szelid is a lake in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It contains 3.6 km² of water.-Geography:An unusual salt lake formed from an old branch of the Danube, Lake Szelid can be found 4 km southeast from Dunapataj. The lake, with a maximum width of 200 m and length of 4 km is only three...

 near Kalocsa

Kalocsa

Kalocsa is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies 88 miles south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the Danube River. Historically it had greater political and economic importance than at present.Kalocsa is the Episcopal see...

, Lake Vadkert

Lake Vadkert

Lake Vadkert is a lake nearby the town of Soltvadkert, Hungary. It became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hungary since it had similar features to Lake Balaton, but cheaper prices and no overcrowding.-History:Lake Vadkürt was first mentioned on military maps in the 1780s...

 by Soltvadkert

Soltvadkert

Soltvadkürt is a town located in Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary. The town is surrounded by several areas of the Kiskunság National Park. The mayor is Ferencz Lehoczki.Croats in Hungary call this town Vakier .-History:...

, Lake Kunfehér and Lake Sós at Kiskunhalas

Kiskunhalas

- Railroad :The city is an important railway junction. It crosses the Budapest-Subotica-Belgrade railway line. The Kiskunfélegyháza railway ends in Kiskunhalas.- Name :...

 are ideal spots for bathing and camping.

There are many tourist trails, study trails and lookouts, within the national park; all contributing to a unique experience of the Kiskunság. The main visitor's center of the Kiskunság National Park, called the 'House of Nature', is situated in Kecskemét

Kecskemét

Kecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...

.

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